Wavelet and Gaussian Approaches for Estimation of Groundwater Variations Using GRACE Data

In this study, a scheme is presented to estimate groundwater storage variations in Iran. The variations are estimated using 11 years of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiments (GRACE) observations from period of 2003 to April 2014 in combination with the outputs of Global Land Data Assimilation Systems (GLDAS) model including soil moisture, snow water equivalent, and total canopy water storage. To do so, the sums of GLDAS outputs are subtracted from terrestrial water storage variations determined by GRACE observations. Because of stripping errors in the GRACE data, two methodologies based on wavelet analysis and Gaussian filtering are applied to refine the GRACE data. It is shown that the wavelet approach could better localize the desired signal and increase the signal‐to‐noise ratio and thus results in more accurate estimation of groundwater storage variations. To validate the results of our procedure in estimation of ground water storage variations, they are compared with the measurements of pisometric wells data near the Urmia Lake which shows favorable agreements with our results.     

A Comprehensive Numerical Study of Hydraulic Fracturing Process and Its Affecting Parameters

Production of hydrocarbons from shale formations has been made possible mainly due to hydraulic fracture (HF) technology. It increases the permeability of reservoir rocks around a well by connecting fractures and improving conductivity. HF behavior especially in presence of natural fractures have recently given much attention in studies. This paper investigates HF propagation and its associated parameters in various conditions. A higher order displacement discontinuity method is used to achieve higher accuracy in the results. First, behavior of crack opening displacement (COD) of an HF i.e. HF width in various conditions is studied. COD is a key parameter in determination of an HF operation success. It is proportional to production rate of oil and gas wells and provides a path for proppant entrance into the fractures. An equation considering many important parameters, based on numerous numerical modellings of various mechanical and geometrical effects on COD is proposed with coefficient of determination and standard error of 94.35% and 4.37 × 10^?4 respectively. The next part of the paper studies the HF propagation in a naturally fractured reservoir. These natural fractures alter the stress fields and hence affect the propagation of a hydraulic fracture. In fact, it is shown that in certain orientations of hydraulic fractures and natural fractures, the effect of natural fractures disappear or completely changes propagation path. Using a combination of several interaction criteria, a new modeling of HFs and NFs interaction is presented. The modellings showed that spacing and angle of intersection can significantly affect HFs propagation. The results of COD and HF propagation in presence of natural fractures may be considered in HG design and primary orientation of perforated fractures.     

Universal model forms for predicting the shear modulus and material damping of soils

Numerous model forms have been used to predict the dynamic behaviours of soils, mainly the shear modulus and material damping. These models are used to represent normalised shear modulus reduction and material damping curves. The majority of the existing models are empirical and were proposed for specific soil types, strain ranges, etc. Some are limited to the data used in fitting, but fail to provide a good fit to other sets of data. The available model functions are not universal, which means that a model developed for one soil type may not be applicable for use with other soil types. In this paper, two universal mathematical models were proposed to predict the normalised shear modulus reduction and material damping curves. The mathematical model forms are sufficiently flexible to be widely used with different soil types. The models were evaluated using verification data of eight different soil types, i.e., data that were not used to fit the model parameters. The results indicate that the proposed model forms can accurately model the dynamic soil properties within the typical earthquake range. The advantage of developing the two universal models are two-fold, first the forms are applicable for sand, clay, and fibre-soil composite and second with further testing of soils, the model coefficients could ultimately be used to further understand the physical processes in soil behaviour, especially damping.     

The Contribution of Benthic Nutrient Regeneration to Primary Production in a Shallow Eutrophic Estuary,Weeks Bay,Alabama

Benthic oxygen, dinitrogen, and nutrient fluxes (NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻, and PO₄³⁻) were measured monthly during a 1-year period at two locations in Weeks Bay, a shallow (1.4 m) and eutrophic estuary in Alabama. Gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R), and net ecosystem metabolism were determined from high-frequency dissolved oxygen measurements. Peak water column NO₃⁻ (55 μM) and chlorophyll a (138 μg/l) concentrations were measured during spring and fall, respectively. Sediments were a net source of NH₄⁺ (102 μmol m⁻² h⁻¹) and PO₄³⁻ (0.9 μmol m⁻² h⁻¹) but a sink for NO₃⁻ (−30 μmol m⁻² h⁻¹). Benthic N₂ fluxes indicated net N fixation (12 μmol N m⁻² h⁻¹). Sediment oxygen demand (0.55 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹) accounted for <10% of R (7.3 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹). Despite high GPP rates (4.7 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹), the estuary was net heterotrophic. Benthic regeneration supplied, on average, 7.5% and 4% of primary productivity N and P demands, respectively. These results contrast with the conventional view that benthic regeneration accounts for a large fraction of phytoplankton nutrient demand in shallow estuaries.     

Geochronological and geochemical constraints on the petrogenesis of high-K granite from the Suffi abad area, Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, NW Iran

The Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (SSZ) trends northwestward in western Iran on the Precambrian to Paleozoic basement and exposes abundant I-type granitoids and calc-alkaline volcanic rocks that were most active during the Late Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous. The petrogenesis of the granitoids and associated volcanic rocks has been widely related to Neotethyan subduction beneath the Iranian plate. We report a geochronological and geochemical study of the Suffi abad granite (SLG) body that crops outs southeast of Sanandaj within the SSZ and is mainly composed of K-feldspar + quartz + plagioclase ± hornblende. The SLG, which shows a high-K calc-alkaline affinity, has LA-ICPMS zircon U–Pb ages ranging between 149 ± 2 and 144 ± 3 Ma and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of ∼0.7024–0.7069 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of ∼0.5125–0.5127. These value correspond to an ?_Nd (145 Ma) of +1.5 and +4.9, suggesting that the SLG originated from the juvenile crust or depleted mantle with a young T_DM (650–900 Ma) over the subduction zone beneath the SSZ. Zircon saturation temperatures suggest that crystallization of the zircons, or emplacement of the host magmas, occurred at 560–750 °C, consistent with an intergrowth texture of K-feldspar and quartz that implies crystallization around the K-feldspar-quartz eutectic at lower temperatures. Overall, geochemical data suggest that crystallization of the hornblende and plagioclase played a role in magma differentiation. These data allow us to conclude that the high-K SLG did not originate directly from the juvenile mantle source as do most I-type, calc-alkaline granitoids, but more likely was produced from the partial melting of pre-existing I-type granitoids in the upper continental crust under low pressure conditions.     

Correction of Hydrological and Oceanic Effects from GRACE Data by Combination of the Steric Sea Level,Altimetry Data and GLDAS Model

In this study, a scheme to estimate oceanic and hydrological effects in the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) data is presented. The aim is to reveal tectonic signals for the case of the Sumatra earthquake on 26 December 2004. The variations of hydrological and oceanic effects are estimated with the aid of data set of GRACE, altimetry, World Ocean Atlas, and the GLDAS model for a period of January 2003 to December 2006. The time series of computed gravity changes over Sumatra region show some correlations to the deformation resulting from the earthquake occurred in December 2004. The maximum and minimum impacts of hydrological and oceanic effects on gravity changes are about 3 μGal in radial direction and–5 μGal in northward direction. The maximum and minimum amounts of gravitational gradient changes after the correction are 0.2 and–0.25 mE, which indicates the significant influences of hydrological and oceanic sources on the desired signal.