In Situ Measurement of Electro-Osmotic Fluxes and Conductivity Using Single Wellbore Tracer Tests

Electro-osmosis (EO), the movement of water through porous media in response to an electric field, offers a means for extracting contaminated ground water from fine-grained sediments, such as clays, that are not easily amenable to conventional pump-and-treat approaches. The EO-induced water flux is proportional to the voltage gradient in a manner analogous to the flux dependence on the hydraulic gradient under Darcy's law. The proportionality constant, the soil electro-osmotic conductivity or k_eo, is most easily measured in soil cores using bench-top tests, where flow is one-dimensional and interfering effects attributable to Darcy's law can be directly accounted for. In contrast, quantification of EO fluxes and k_eo in the field under deployment conditions can be difficult because electrodes are placed in ground water wells that may be screened across a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies. As a result, EO-induced water fluxes constitute an approximate radial flow system that is superimposed upon a Darcy flow regime through permeable pathways that may or may not be coupled with hydraulic head differences created by the EO-induced water fluxes. A single well comparative tracer test, which indirectly measures EO fluxes by comparing wellbore tracer dilution rates between background and EO-induced water fluxes, may provide a means for routinely quantifying the efficacy of EO systems in such settings. EO fluxes measured in field tests through this technique at a ground water contamination site were used to estimate a mean k_eo value through a semianalytic line source model of the electric field. The resulting estimate agrees well with values reported in the literature and with values obtained with bench-top tests conducted on a soil core collected in the test area.     

Petrochemical Investigation of the Antique Ophiolite (Philippines): Implications on Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide and Podiform Chromitite Deposits

Abstract: The Antique ophiolite, located in Panay island (west‐central Philippines), corresponds to several tectonic slices within the suture zone between the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB) and the North Palawan Block (NPB). It includes dismembered fragments of a basaltic sequence, dominantly pillow‐lavas with minor sheet flows, rare exposures of sheeted dikes, isotropic gabbros, subordinate layered mafic and ultramafic rock sequences and serpentinites. Most of the ophiolite units commonly occur as clasts and blocks within the serpentinites, which intrude the whole ophiolitic body, as well as, the basal conglomerate of the overlying Middle Miocene sedimentary formation. The volcanic rock sequence is characterized by chemical compositions ranging from transitional (T)‐MORB, normal (N)‐MORB and to chemistry intermediate between those of MORB and island arc basalt (IAB). The residual upper mantle sequence is harzburgitic and generally more depleted than the upper mantle underlying modern mid‐oceanic ridges. Calculations using whole‐rock and mineral compositions show that they can represent the residue of a fertile mantle source, which have undergone degrees of partial melting ranging from 9‐22.5 %. Some of the mantle samples display chondrite‐nor‐malized REE and extended multi‐element patterns suggesting enrichments in LREE, Rb, Sr and Zr, which are comparable to those found in fore‐arc peridotites from the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana (IBM) arc system. The Antique ultramafic rocks also record relatively oxidizing mantle conditions (Δlog f_O2 (FMQ)=0.9‐3.5). As a whole, the ophiolite probably represents an agglomeration of oceanic ridge and fore‐arc crust fragments, which were juxtaposed during the Miocene collision of the PMB and the NPB. The intrusion of the serpentinites might be either coeval or subsequent to the accretion of the oceanic crust onto the fore‐arc. Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits occur either in or near the contact between the pillow basalts and the overlying sediments or interbedded with the sediments. The morphology of the deposits, type of metals, ore texture and the nature of the host rocks suggest that the formation of the VMS bodies was similar to the accumulation of metals around and in the subsurface of hydrothermal vents observed in modern mid‐oceanic ridge and back‐arc basin rift settings. The podiform chromitites occur as pods and subordinate layers within totally serpentinized dunite in the residual upper mantle sequence. No large coherent chromitite deposit was found since the host dunitic rocks often occur as blocks within the serpentinites. It is difficult to evaluate the original geodynamic setting of the mineralized bodies since the chemistry of the host rocks were considerably modified by alteration during their tectonic emplacement. A preliminary conclusion for Antique is that the VMS is apparently associated with a primitive tholeiitic intermediate MORB‐IAB volcanic suite, the chemistry of which is close to the calculated composition of the liquid that coexisted with the podiform chromitites.     

Stratigraphic Correlation of the Malusok Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits, Southern Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract: Two adjacent volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, the Main Malusok and the Malusok Southeast, are delineated within Barangay Tabayo, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines. These deposits comprise massive to semi-massive sulfide lenses representing the down-dip equivalent of oxidized gossans. The massive sulfides have a primary mineral assemblage of pyrite-chalcopyrite-sphalerite with significant amounts of supergene copper in the form of chal-cocite. Owing to structural and metamorphic overprinting combined with intense alteration, primary textures are generally obliterated. Rock types are classified according to dominant mineral assemblages whereas the main lithologic units comprising the Malusok volcanic package are divided based on the position of each unit relative to the mineralized zone. The main lithologic units are designated as the hanging wall, the host, and the footwall sequences. In correlating the stratigraphy of the Main Malusok zone with that of the Malusok Southeast zone, a chlorite/epidote-rich interval located at the base of the hanging wall sequence serves as a distinct stratigraphic marker from which all lithologies are referred to. Comparisons between the stratigraphy of the two areas show that massive to semi-massive sulfide lenses are confined within a single stratigraphic interval representing the favorable horizon for the entire Malusok area. However, differences exist relative to style of mineralization and configuration of the altered interval between the Main Malusok and the Malusok Southeast VMS deposits. Based on characteristics exhibited by each individual deposit, it is inferred that the Main Malusok VMS deposit overlies a feeder zone whereas the Malusok Southeast sulfide lenses represent satellite deposits and transported blocks.     

Natural and anthropogenic C2 to C6 hydrocarbons in the central-eastern Venezuelan atmosphere during the rainy season

The levels of low molecular weight hydrocarbons were measured at pristine sites and rural locations affected by hydrocarbon emissions from oil and gas producing fields in Venezuela. At the clean sites, lower concentrations of C₂ to C₆ alkanes were observed, whereas, in comparison with remotes sites, very much higher levels were measured at the polluted sites. Alkenes present relatively high concentrations, with isoprene being the most abundant, all over the study region. The main sources of alkenes are likely to be natural, mainly from vegetation. The levels of alkanes recorded at the clean sites and the alkene levels found everywhere in the region are in agreement with the values reported for other clean sites in the tropics. The increase of ozone production capacity due to the anthropogenic emissions of alkanes from oil and gas fields was estimated. Due to the presence in the atmosphere of important amounts of naturally emitted isoprene, ethene and propene, which makes a substantial contribution to the reactivity of the hydrocarbon mixture, a small increase (<5%) was estimated to occur in the capacity of the ozone production at a regional scale during the rainy season.     

Spatial variability of water vapor turbulent transfer within the boundary layer

Although the physics of evaporation within the inner region of the boundary layer is believed to be well understood, observations of mass-energy exchange processes have been hindered by the limitations of point sensors. A combination of point sensors and active remote sensing, namely, water-Raman Lidar measurements, offers new opportunities to study relatively large areas at temporal and spatial scales previously unattainable. Results from experiments over uniform canopies both confirm some traditional theories and challenge some of the underlying assumptions concerning the homogeneity of the surface-atmosphere interface and the use of point sensors to characterize large areas.This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy. The authors would like to thank F. Archuleta, J. Archuleta, F. Barnes, W. Clements, K. Muller and W. Porch of LANL, R. Whitis of USDA, R. Jackson and P. Pinter of USDA-WCL, and L. Balick of EG&G for their invaluable time and support.     

The impact of doubled CO2 on the energetics and hydrologic processes of mid-latitude transient eddies

The Northern Hemisphere winter (DJF) stationary eddy response of a general circulation model (GCM) to a doubling of atmospheric CO₂ is simulated with a linear steady state model as a response to anomalies in diabatic heating (latent, sensible and radiative), mountain and transient eddy effects. For this analysis the doubled CO₂ experiment performed by Wilson and Mitchell (1987) is used. The linear simulations of the control and perturbation climate capture most of the important features of the GCMs stationary eddies. The simulation of the anomalous stationary eddy pattern in the Northern Hemisphere captures only some of the important features of the GCMs anomalies. The climate anomalies in the Southern Hemisphere are poorly simulated. In the Northern Hemisphere the climate anomalies are dominated by the effect of transient eddies and mountains. In low latitudes also the contribution of latent heating is important. The contributions of sensible and radiative heating are small.     

Climatic change in Britain: Is SO2 more significant than CO2?

Summary Many climate scientists have suggested that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases may create severe climate problems for Britain; however, the potential cooling effects of sulphur dioxide are widely acknowledged. In this investigation, we analyze British mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and mean diurnal air temperature range over the period 1929–1988. Our analyses of these records reveal (a) a shift in the early 1950s away from warming and toward cooling, (b) a relative decline in maximum air temperatures when compared to minimum air temperatures, (c) a strong decline in the diurnal air temperature range and (d) a significant linkage between diurnal temperature range and precipitation. Given these signals in the observed climate record, it would appear that SO₂ rather than CO₂ has been the major anthropogenic climate influence in Britain over the past four decades.With 6 Figures     

Climate change in Yellowstone National Park: Is the drought-related risk of wildfires increasing?

The increased frequency of wildfires in the United States has become a common prediction associated with the build-up of greenhouse gases. In this investigation, variations in annual wildfire data in Yellowstone National Park are compared to variations in historical climate conditions for the area. Univariate and multivariate analytical techniques reveal that (a) summer temperatures in the Park are increasing, (b) January-June precipitation levels are decreasing, and (c) variations in burn area within the Park are significantly related to the observed variations in climate. Outputs from four different general circulation model simulations for 2 × CO₂ are included in the analyses; model predictions for increasing aridity in the Yellowstone Park area are generally in agreement with observed trends in the historical climate records.