Trace metal assessment in soils in a small city and its rural surroundings,Pensacola, FL,USA

This study assesses the origin and pollution of trace metals in surface soils in a region with contrasting land uses (urban vs. rural). Principal component analysis (PCA) reveals that Cr and Ni are predominantly of geogenic origin. These two trace metals are also the only ones with statistically significant correlations with soil particle size and organic matter content. Copper, Pb and Zn, and possibly Hg, are of anthropogenic origin, but their concentrations rarely reach levels described as strongly polluted by pollution indexes. The concentrations of these anthropogenic trace metals are statistically not different in urban and rural areas, except for Pb that is higher in the urban area. This general lack of a difference between the two land uses indicates that the influence of this small urban area on trace metal concentrations in soils is minor. Lead and Zn have the most, but still a modest number, of strongly polluted sites, mainly in an industrial part of the city. GIS analysis shows that, based on the pollution load index (PLI), overall concentrations of trace metals also reach their highest levels in that industrial area. These observations indicate that the influence of industry on trace metal pollution in soil exceeds that of other urban activities in the region. Local background concentrations were found to be very different from general crustal background concentrations. This demonstrates the importance of the careful selection of a background type in studies like this.     

Implications of channel flow analogue models for extrusion of the Higher Himalayan Shear Zone with special reference to the out-of-sequence thrusting

The Higher Himalayan Shear Zone (HHSZ) contains a ductile top-to-N/NE shear zone—the South Tibetan detachment system-lower (STDS_L) and an out-of-sequence thrust (OOST) as well as a top-to-N/NE normal shear at its northern boundary and ubiquitously distributed compressional top-to-S/SW shear throughout the shear zone. The OOST that was active between 22 Ma and the Holocene, varies in thickness from 50 m to 6 km and in throw from 1.4 to 20 km. Channel flow analogue models of this structural geology were performed in this work. A Newtonian viscous polymer (PDMS) was pushed through a horizontal channel leading to an inclined channel with parallel and upward-diverging boundaries analogous to the HHSZ and allowed to extrude to the free surface. A top-to-N/NE shear zone equivalent to the STDS_U developed spontaneously. This also indirectly connotes an independent flow confined to the southern part of the HHSZ gave rise to the STDS_L. The PDMS originally inside the horizontal channel extruded at a faster rate through the upper part of the inclined channel. The lower boundary of this faster PDMS defined the OOST. The model OOST originated at the corner and reached the vent at positions similar to the natural prototype some time after the channel flow began. The genesis of the OOST seems to be unrelated to any rheologic contrast or climatic effects. Profound variations in the flow parameters along the HHSZ and the extrusive force probably resulted in variations in the timing, location, thickness and slip parameters of the OOST. Variation in pressure gradient within the model horizontal channel, however, could not be matched with the natural prototype. Channel flow alone presumably did not result in southward propagation of deformation in the Himalaya.     

The vegetation damage assessment of the Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008 using remote sensing and GIS

The methodology for assessing the vegetation damaged by the Wenchuan earthquake by using the technologies of remote sensing and GIS was discussed in Dujiangyan city of Sichuan Province, China. The model of extracting vegetation from CBERS images was formulated using the differentiation knowledge of vegetation and non-vegetation discovered by image analysis and geographic analysis. The damage degree index (DDI) of the vegetation was defined here, which was the difference of the normalized difference vegetation index before the earthquake and that after earthquake. The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite (CBERS)-02’s images acquired, respectively, on 6 May and 27 June 2008, the model of extracting vegetation, and DDI were used to obtain the information about the area and degree of the damage vegetation in the study. There was 87.94 square kilometers vegetation damaged by Wenchuan earthquake, which accounted for 7.9% of the total area in Dujiangyan city. The area percentage of the damage vegetation in each grade related strongly and positively to the elevation grade and slope grade and weakly related to the aspect type. The distribution characteristics of the damage vegetation were useful for making plan of restoring vegetation here.     

Stream Restoration Performance and Its Contribution to the Chesapeake Bay TMDL: Challenges Posed by Climate Change in Urban Areas

In large part driven by total maximum daily load (TMDL) mandates, the restoration community in the Chesapeake Bay region has been implementing novel best management practices (BMPs) and stream restoration designs in urban areas, such as regenerative stream/stormwater conveyance (RSC) structures and stream-wetland complexes (SWCs). However, the nutrient and sediment reduction efficiencies of these novel designs are virtually unknown, and the possibility of increasing riverine flow in the Chesapeake Bay watershed associated with climate change this century necessitates an evaluation of their performance to develop and utilize those that optimize reductions in nutrient and sediment fluxes. We compare pre- and post-construction loads (total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total suspended solids (TSS)) from RSCs (i.e., upland BMPs) and a SWC (i.e., stream restoration) constructed at the outflow of a highly developed watershed in the Coastal Plain physiographic province of Maryland. The largest of the two RSCs performed best in relation to expected nutrient and sediment reductions because of superior water retention capability. By the length of river reach restored, the SWC attained from 79 to 88% of its N reduction TMDL goal, but only 19 to 23 and 2.7 to 3.1% for TP and TSS, respectively; by watershed area, % attainments of TMDL goals were much lower. Results indicate that SWCs have the potential to curtail N loading from developed catchments, but additional water quality benefits may be limited. Climate change projections indicate that there will be an increased frequency of larger-volume storms that will result in an increase in stormflow runoff from urban areas, and increased pollutant loads will likely curtail potential gains made by efforts to achieve TMDL goals. Given the large-scale implementation of BMPs currently underway to accommodate the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, the restoration community needs to adopt a concerted strategy of building climate resilience into many types of urban BMPs to help attain and maintain loads at TMDL levels in anticipation of a progressively wetter climate throughout this century.     

Experimental study on the instability mechanism of the major-defect fractured rock

Based on calculations of rock fracture surface and angle, incremental-load creep experiments were conducted on two groups of major-defect fractured rock specimens in an RLW-2000 rheology test system. The research investigated the fracture type and the creep properties of major-defect fractured rock and analyzed the relationships between failure load and horizontal or vertical projection distance, and between each of theme and fracture area or angle. The results showed that rock fracture was divided into three types according to the distribution, including I, II, and III types. I, II, and III types were respectively an internal fracture running through neither the upper nor lower end, one through the upper or lower end and one through both upper and lower ends, and a III type was further sub-divided into III_I and III_II types. The instantaneous strain was larger than the creep strain under the same creep loading stage. As the creep loading increased on two groups of major-defect fractured rock, the instantaneous strain decreased abruptly and then increased abruptly, while the creep strain decreased rapidly at first and later increased near-linearly. When the failure angle was larger than the friction angle, failure load was positively correlated with failure angle yet was negatively correlated with vertical projection distance. Vertical projection distance and fracture angle, which decided fracture type, controlled rock failure load. Failure load increased in turn from I type to III type, and low-type fracture determined mainly failure load in multiply-fracture specimen.     

Studying the impacts of groundwater evolution on the environment,west Qena city,Egypt

The current research has been conducted to evaluate groundwater aquifers qualitatively in the area located in the Western side of Qena city. The Quaternary aquifer represents the main groundwater source in the study area. It exists under unconfined to semiconfined conditions at depths varying between 4 m due North and 80 m in the South. The chemical analyses of the groundwater samples indicate that 77% of the total samples are fresh and 20% are brackish, while only 3% are saline. In addition, the iso-salinity contour map indicates that the salinity increases towards the central and northern parts of the study area. The total and permanent hardness increase as water salinity increases and vice versa in case of temporary hardness in the groundwater samples. The chemical water types and the ion ratios indicate meteoric origin of groundwater as well as the dissolution of terrestrial and marine salts. The contribution of recent recharge from the River Nile to a few groundwater wells in the study area varies from low to high. In addition, the most recharge sources are from the precipitation. Nitrate concentrations in groundwater increase towards the central and Northern areas significantly elevated in response to increasing anthropogenic land uses. Much of the solutes and physicochemical parameters in these waters are under the undesirable limits of World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking purpose, and a plot of sodium adsorption ratio versus EC shows that about 23% of the groundwater samples are good water quality, about 45% of groundwater samples are moderate quality, and 23% of the groundwater samples are intermediate water class, while the rest of samples (9%) are out of the range.     

Hydrogeophysical approach for contamination assessment in NamSon landfill,Hanoi, Vietnam

Self potential (SP) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methods are used together with the results of groundwater samples hydrogeochemical analysis to assess the impact of the water leak from the landfill garbage site at NamSon located in Northern Hanoi on causing pollution to the surrounding environment and affecting geological structure. Selected survey area covers an area of 180 × 300 m lying in the low land of the NamSon site with a slope ranging about 8 m in direction NW–SE. There are three geophysical measurements lines denoted as T1, T2 and T3. Processing 180 SP data points has allowed to draw maps of equipotential epoch in the two periods in 2015 and 2016. The maps show four zones of SP positive anomalies with maximum amplitudes of about +20 mV where the groundwater flow direction is downward and five zones of SP negative anomalies with minimum values in a range from ?180 to ?260 mV where the groundwater flow direction is upward. Resistivity values of the subsurface layers of soils and rocks have been aquired from 2D inverse model for measuring ERT in March 2015 and March 2016. The results of the ERT allowed to define the low resistivity in the range 15–20 Ωm related to leachate plume from NamSon landfill site. Results of the physico-chemical analysis of groundwater samples from the existing six boreholes show increases in concentration of the measured pollutant parameters indicating contamination of the groundwater as a result of solid waste leachate accumulation. This result is affirmative evidence for the survey results by geophysical technique. The rapid decrease in quality of groundwater over the last year is probably due to the influence of the leachate from the NamSon landfill site.     

Searching of toxic metal pollution by using geospatial technology on the Kodaikanal Lake—near industrial area

The present study investigates the anthropogenic metal input into the lake system, the toxic metal pollution in the sediments of Kodaikanal Lake. Surface sediment samples were collected at seven locations to represent its spatial variability within the lake. Samples were subjected to analyze for Fe, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ag, Pb, Hg, and As by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and their concentrations in lake sediments range from 102,000–109,000, 561–2699, 292–544, 211–482, 79–163, 57–265, 57–74, 37–92, 46–59, 20–97, 19–30, to 13–24 mg/kg, respectively. The sources of pollution were inferred through spatial and statistical analyses. Most of the toxic metal contents in the sediments are found to exceed the background concentration in all locations. The enrichment factor (EF) and index of geoaccumulation (I _geo) of Hg, Co, Cd, and Ag showed that sediments of Kodaikanal Lake exhibit the probability of anthropogenic influence. The significant Pearson’s correlation coefficient is also suggesting that they probably originated from the same source of occurrence. The contamination factor and degree of contamination of the Kodaikanal Lake sediments are strongly polluted in terms of most of the examined metals. The study also provides environmentally significant information about anthropogenic influence on the lake sediments.     

Gondwana biostratigraphy of the Purnea Basin (eastern Bihar,India), and its correlation with Rajmahal and Bengal Gondwana basins

Integrated biostratigraphic studies are undertaken on the newly discovered Gondwana successions of Purnea Basin which have been recognized in the subsurface below the Neogene Siwalik sediments. The four exploratory wells, so far drilled in Purnea Basin, indicated the presence of thick Gondwana sussession (± 2450m) with varied lithological features. However, precise age of different Gondwanic lithounits of this basin and their correlation with standard Gondwana lithounits is poorly understood due to inadequate biostratigraphic data.Present biostratigraphic studies on the Gondwana successions in the exploratory wells of PRN-A, RSG-A, LHL-A and KRD-A enable recognition of fifteen Gondwanic palynological zones ranging in age from Early Permian (Asselian-Sakmarian) to Late Triassic (Carnian-Norian). Precise age for the Gondwanic palynological zones, recognized in the Purnea Basin and already established in other Indian Gondwana basins, are provided in the milieu of additional palynological data obtained from the Gondwana successions of this basin.The Lower Gondwana (Permian) palynofloras of Purnea Basin recorded from the Karandighi, Salmari, Katihar and Dinajpur formations resemble the palynological assemblages earlier recorded from the Talchir, Karharbari, Barakar and Raniganj formations respectively, and suggests the full development of lower Gondwana succession in this basin. The Upper Gondwana (Triassic) succession of this basin is marked by the Early and Middle to Late Triassic palynofloras that resemble Panchet and Supra-Panchet (Dubrajpur/Maleri Formation) palynological assemblages, and indicates the occurrence of complete Upper Gondwana succession also in the Purnea Basin.The lithological and biostratigraphic attributes of Gondwana sediments from Purnea, Rajmahal and western parts of Bengal Basin (Galsi Basin) are almost similar and provides strong evidences about the existence of a distinct N-S trending Gondwana Graben, referred as the Purnea-Rajmahal-Galsi Gondwana Graben. Newly acquired biostratigraphic data from the Gondwana sediments of CHK-A, MNG-A and PLS-A wells from central part of Bengal Basin and Bouguer anomaly data suggest that these wells fall in a separate NE-SW trending graben of “Chandkuri-Palasi-Bogra Gondwana Graben”. Although, the post-Gondwana latest Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Rajmahal Traps and and intertrappean beds succeed the Upper Gondwana successions in Rajmahal, Galsi and Chandkuri-Palasi Gondwana basins, but not recorded in the drilled wells of Purnea Basin, instead succeeded by the Neogene Siwalik sediments.