The accuracy of standard enthalpies and entropies for phases of petrological interest derived from density-functional calculations

The internal energies and entropies of 21 well-known minerals were calculated using the density functional theory (DFT), viz. kyanite, sillimanite, andalusite, albite, microcline, forsterite, fayalite, diopside, jadeite, hedenbergite, pyrope, grossular, talc, pyrophyllite, phlogopite, annite, muscovite, brucite, portlandite, tremolite, and CaTiO₃–perovskite. These thermodynamic quantities were then transformed into standard enthalpies of formation from the elements and standard entropies enabling a direct comparison with tabulated values. The deviations from reference enthalpy and entropy values are in the order of several kJ/mol and several J/mol/K, respectively, from which the former is more relevant. In the case of phase transitions, the DFT-computed thermodynamic data of involved phases turned out to be accurate and using them in phase diagram calculations yields reasonable results. This is shown for the Al₂SiO₅ polymorphs. The DFT-based phase boundaries are comparable to those derived from internally consistent thermodynamic data sets. They even suggest an improvement, because they agree with petrological observations concerning the coexistence of kyanite?+?quartz?+?corundum in high-grade metamorphic rocks, which are not reproduced correctly using internally consistent data sets. The DFT-derived thermodynamic data are also accurate enough for computing the P–T positions of reactions that are characterized by relatively large reaction enthalpies (>?100 kJ/mol), i.e., dehydration reactions. For reactions with small reaction enthalpies (a few kJ/mol), the DFT errors are too large. They, however, are still far better than enthalpy and entropy values obtained from estimation methods.     

Carbon costs and benefits of France’s biomass energy production targets

Background

Concern about climate change has motivated France to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel by setting targets for increased biomass-based renewable energy production. This study quantifies the carbon costs and benefits for the French forestry sector in meeting these targets. A forest growth and harvest simulator was developed for French forests using recent forest inventory data, and the wood-use chain was reconstructed from national wood product statistics. We then projected wood production, bioenergy production, and carbon balance for three realistic intensification scenarios and a business-as-usual scenario. These intensification scenarios targeted either overstocked, harvest-delayed or currently actively managed stands.

Results

All three intensification strategies produced 11.6–12.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent per year of wood-based energy by 2026, which corresponds to the target assigned to French wood-energy to meet the EU 2020 renewable energy target. Sustaining this level past 2026 will be challenging, let alone further increasing it. Although energy production targets can be reached, the management intensification required will degrade the near-term carbon balance of the forestry sector, compared to continuing present-day management. Even for the best-performing intensification strategy, i.e., reducing the harvest diameter of actively managed stands, the carbon benefits would only become apparent after 2040. The carbon balance of a strategy putting abandoned forests back into production would only break even by 2055; the carbon balance from increasing thinning in managed but untended stands would not break even within the studied time periods, i.e. 2015–2045 and 2046–2100. Owing to the temporal dynamics in the components of the carbon balance, i.e., the biomass stock in the forest, the carbon stock in wood products, and substitution benefits, the merit order of the examined strategies varies over time.

Conclusions

No single solution was found to improve the carbon balance of the forestry sector by 2040 in a way that also met energy targets. We therefore searched for the intensification scenario that produces energy at the lowest carbon cost. Reducing rotation time of actively managed stands is slightly more efficient than targeting harvest-delayed stands, but in both cases, each unit of energy produced has a carbon cost that only turns into a benefit between 2060 and 2080.

     

土壤环境中化学定时炸弹的研究现状与展望

土壤环境中的化学定时炸弹对生态环境乃至人类自身危害极大,国内外均有大规模发生化学定时炸弹的实例,但是,由于其不易发现而常常被忽略,这将造成更为严重的后果。化学定时炸弹的分类问题比较复杂,目前较为妥当的做法是对各种分类方案进行有益的探索。化学定时炸弹的触爆机制研究十分重要,是进行地球化学灾害评价、预测和防治的基础;地球化学工程技术是将来预防和治理化学定时炸弹最主要手段。从科学的严密性和严肃性考虑,化学定时炸弹的概念应该由具有更深刻内涵和更广泛外延的“缓变型地球化学灾害”来替代。     

四川会理大岩子铂钯矿的地质地球化学特征及找矿前景浅析

四川会理县大岩子铂钯矿床是目前国内品位最高的独立铂族元素矿床之一,也是一个独特的热液成因矿床。矿区及区域上的镁铁质岩浆岩可能是铂族元素的初始来源,震旦系白云岩是其有利的容矿围岩,构造控制下的热液活动促使了铂族元素的迁移富集。地表氧化带蓝铜矿化白云岩矿石的PGE含量最高可达27.13×10-6,坑道中相对新鲜橄辉岩的PGE含量为1.068×10-6,强烈蚀变橄辉岩含PGE0.528×10-6,地表蚀变后橄辉岩的PGE含量为0.435×10-6,表明铂族元素可能发生了活化转移。整个攀西地区基性超基性岩发育,后期构造活动强烈,有利的围岩广泛分布,因而具备形成热液型铂族元素矿床的条件,找矿前景看好。     

北黄海北部海域潮余流的模拟研究

基于二维水动力模型,在仅考虑潮流作用条件下,通过计算欧拉余流和拉格朗日余流并结合粒子追踪方法研究了辽宁大连—朝鲜龙渊郡连线北侧的北黄海北部海域的潮余流结构和粒子运移的趋势。结果表明:欧拉余流和拉格朗日余流流速整体较小,呈现由南向北的流向,但在獐子岛及长山群岛的附近岛屿和朝鲜半岛沿岸的海域欧拉余流和拉格朗日余流流速较大。对比粒子追踪计算的结果与欧拉余流和拉格朗日余流的结果表明,流向与粒子运移路径基本一致。该海湾的余流及粒子运动规律特点对辽东半岛东岸及朝鲜半岛西侧海域的排污及污染控制有重要的借鉴意义。     

赣南天门山-红桃岭钨锡矿田成岩成矿时代精细测定及其地质意义

素有“世界钨都”美誉的赣南产有密集的与花岗岩类侵入体密切相关的钨锡多金属矿床,然而,目前对钨锡成矿和花岗岩成岩年龄还缺乏很好的约束。本文以天门山-红桃岭钨锡矿田为对象,在详细的矿田地质调查和典型矿床解剖基础之上,采用高精度测年技术开展了成岩成矿年代学研究。利用锆石SHRIMPU-Pb法,分别获得天门山似斑状黑云母二长花岗岩体和红桃岭黑云母花岗岩体成岩年龄分别为151.8±2.9Ma(n=14,MSWD=1.3)和151.4±3.1Ma(n=11,MSWD=0.34);利用辉钼矿Re-Os等时线法,分别获得牛岭内带石英脉型和樟斗外带石英脉型钨矿成矿年龄分别为154.9±4.1~154.6±9.7Ma和149.1±7.1Ma(n=6,MSWD=1.3)。可见,本区钨矿床成矿和与之有密切成因关系的花岗岩成岩年龄限定在晚侏罗世,对应于区域华南中生代第二次大规模成矿作用,钨成矿与花岗岩成岩基本不存在时差。     

Analysis of seafloor backscatter strength dependence on the survey azimuth using multibeam echosounder data

The sediment backscatter strength measured by multibeam echosounders is a key feature for seafloor mapping either qualitative (image mosaics) or quantitative (extraction of classifying features). An important phenomenon, often underestimated, is the dependence of the backscatter level on the azimuth angle imposed by the survey line directions: strong level differences at varying azimuth can be observed in case of organized roughness of the seabed, usually caused by tide currents over sandy sediments. This paper presents a number of experimental results obtained from shallow-water cruises using a 300-kHz multibeam echosounder and specially dedicated to the study of this azimuthal effect, with a specific configuration of the survey strategy involving a systematic coverage of reference areas following “compass rose” patterns. The results show for some areas a very strong dependence of the backscatter level, up to about 10-dB differences at intermediate oblique angles, although the presence of these ripples cannot be observed directly—neither from the bathymetry data nor from the sonar image, due to the insufficient resolution capability of the sonar. An elementary modeling of backscattering from rippled interfaces explains and comforts these observations. The consequences of this backscatter dependence upon survey azimuth on the current strategies of backscatter data acquisition and exploitation are discussed.     

Long term evolution of distant retrograde orbits in the Earth-Moon system

This work studies the evolution of several Distant Retrograde Orbits (DROs) of varying size in the Earth-Moon system over durations up to tens of millennia. This analysis is relevant for missions requiring a completely hands off, long duration quarantine orbit, such as a Mars Sample Return mission or the Asteroid Redirect Mission. Four DROs are selected from four stable size regions and are propagated for up to 30,000 years with an integrator that uses extended precision arithmetic techniques and a high fidelity dynamical model. The evolution of the orbit’s size, shape, orientation, period, out-of-plane amplitude, and Jacobi constant are tracked. It has been found that small DROs, with minor axis amplitudes of approximately 45,000 km or less decay in size and period largely due to the Moon’s solid tides. Larger DROs (62,000 km and up) are more influenced by the gravity of bodies external to the Earth-Moon system, and remain bound to the Moon for significantly less time.     

The Mathematic Models of the Kalman Filtering for Across-Fault Measurement

This paper makes a probe into the application of the Kalman filtering method to the data processing of across-fault measurements.On the basis of statistical regression,the mathematic and stochastic models of filtration are established by combining the regression method with Kalman filtering.In the filtering computation,not only the randomness of fault movements but also the time-dependent variation of environmental effects have been taken into consideration.By use of the adaptive filtering method,an estimation of the dynamic noise variance matrix is obtained through iteration.Models for one measuring line(leveling line or baseline),two measuring lines(both leveling lines or both baselines)and four measuring lines(two leveling lines and two baselines)are derived and established systematically.By means of these models,the data of across-fault measurements can be processed dynamically in real-time to provide the filtered values of height difference between benchmarks or baseline length at different time in     

A comparison of windows and maximum entropy methods for MT transfer function estimation

The ability of the Maximum Entropy Spectral Estimate (MEM) to handle magnetotelluric signals was investigated. To this end simulations of naturally occurring signals and real data were spectral analyzed both by a standard FFT technique and by MEM. The method developed for the simulation of the time series, provides accurate amplitudes and phase, and turns out to be a good test procedure for spectral analysis methods, as they apply to MT signal processing. The final estimation of the apparent resistivity was better achieved by the FFT technique. Oscillations were observed in the estimation of the apparent resistivities by MEM.