A simple method of estimating rock mass porosity and permeability

Conclusion A simple method of estimating fracture porosity and permeability based on empirical relations between fracture aperture andJRC andJCS can be developed. This shows very close correlation with existing data, using simple discontinuity models. There is quite a good correlation between fracture porosity and permeability and depth for larger initial apertures.     

Levels, seasonal variations, and health risks assessment of ambient air pollutants in the residential areas

People living in the urban area and the surrounding suburban area have disparities in exposure and health risks due to different levels of ambient air pollutants. The main objective of this study is to investigate the concentrations, seasonal variations, and related health risks of ambient air pollutants (PM₁₀, NO₂, and SO₂) in urban and suburban areas of Ningbo, China. The results showed that the average PM₁₀, NO₂, and SO₂ concentrations in the urban area were 85.2, 49.3, and 37.4 μg/m³, which were 1.13, 1.25, and 1.41 times the values of the suburban area during the period of March 2009 to February 2010. For the potential health risk analysis, the residents have been divided into four age categories namely, infants, children (1 year), children (8–10 years), and adults. The analysis took into account age-specific breathing rates, body weights for different age categories. The results showed that the potential health risks to respiratory disease for all age categories living in urban area were higher than those in suburban area.     

Measuring drop size distribution and kinetic energy of rainfall using a force transducer

The relatively high cost of commercially available raindrop spectrometers and disdrometers has inhibited detailed and intensive research on drop size distribution, kinetic energy and momentum of rainfall which are important for understanding and modelling soil erosion caused by raindrop detachment. In this study, an approach to find the drop size distribution, momentum and kinetic energy of rainfall using a relatively inexpensive device that uses a piezoelectric force transducer for sensing raindrop impact response is introduced. The instrument continuously and automatically records, on a time‐scale, the amplitude of electrical pulses produced by the impact of raindrops on the surface of the transducer. The size distribution of the raindrops and their respective kinetic energy are calculated by analysing the number and amplitude of pulses recorded, and from the measured volume of total rainfall using a calibration curve. Simultaneous measurements of the instrument, a rain gauge and a dye‐stain method were used to assess the performance of the instrument. Test results from natural and simulated rainfalls are presented. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subglacial emplacement of tills and meltwater deposits at the base of overdeepened bedrock troughs

The sedimentary infills of subglacially eroded bedrock troughs in the Alps are underexplored archives for the timing, extent and character of Pleistocene glaciations but may contain excellent records of the Quaternary landscape evolution over several glacial–interglacial cycles. The onset of sedimentation in these bedrock troughs is often reflected by diamicts and gravels directly overlying bedrock in the deepest basin segments. Subglacial or proglacial depositional environments have been proposed for these coarse‐grained basal units but their characteristics and origin remain controversial. This article presents results from drill cores that recovered a coarse‐grained basal unit in a major buried bedrock‐trough system in the Lower Glatt Valley, northern Switzerland. The excellent core recovery allowed a detailed study combining macroscopic, microscopic and geochemical methods and gives unprecedented insights into the transition from erosion to deposition in overdeepened bedrock troughs. These results show that the basal infill comprises diamicts, interpreted as subglacial tills, separated by thin sorted interbeds, originating from subglacial cavity deposition. The stacking of these units is interpreted to represent repeated switching between a coupled and decoupled ice–bed‐interface indicating an ever‐transforming mosaic of subglacial bed conditions. Decoupling in response to high basal water pressures is probably promoted by the confined subglacial hydraulic conditions resulting from the bedrock acting as aquitards, the narrow reverse sloping outlet and a large catchment area. While stratigraphic and lithological evidence suggests that erosion and the onset of basal sedimentation occurred during the same glaciation, different scenarios for the relative timing of infilling in relation to formation and glaciation of the bedrock trough are discussed. Overlying deltaic and glaciolacustrine sediments suggest deposition during subsequent deglaciation of the bedrock trough. The basal sediment characteristics are in agreement with previous reports in hydrogeological and seismic exploration and suggest the occurrence of similar basal successions in other subglacially overdeepened basins in the Alps and elsewhere.     

Comparative study of different wavelets for developing parsimonious Volterra model for rainfall-runoff simulation

Although the Volterra models are non-parsimonious ones, they are being used because they can mimic dynamics of complex systems. However, applying and identification of the Volterra models using data may result in overfitting problem and uncertainty. In this investigation we evaluate capability of different wavelet forms for decomposing and compressing the Volterra kernels in order to overcome this problem by reducing the number of the model coefficients to be estimated and generating smooth kernels. A simulation study on a rainfall?runoff process over the Cache River watershed showed that the method performance is successful due to multi-resolution capacity of the wavelet analysis and high capability of the Volterra model. The results also revealed that db2 and sym2 wavelets have the same high potential in improving the linear Volterra model performance. However, QS wavelet was more successful in yielding smooth kernels. Moreover, the probability of overfitting while identifying the nonlinear Volterra model may be less than the linear model.     

Analysis of seawater for dissolved cadmium, copper and lead: An intercomparison of voltammetric and atomic absorption methods

An intercomparison study of voltammetric and atomic absorption spectrometric methods for determining cadmium, lead and copper in seawater samples was conducted. The voltammetric approach utilizes differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry using a rotating, glassy carbon, mercury film electrode under conditions developed to minimize contamination sources and to enhance sensitivity for seawater matrices. The atomic absorption approach involves a concentration step using either an organic solvent extraction of metal dithiocarbamate chelates or a Chelex-100 column with detection by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Similar and consistent results were obtained using both methods for the three trace metals studied on a wide range of natural seawater samples. Both methods are comparable in sensitivity for cadmium and copper, however the voltammetric method is better suited for the analysis of lead in seawater because of its enhanced sensitivity and low blank. An advantage of the voltammetric approach is its amenability towards real-time shipboard analysis.     

Evaluation of bank filtration as a pretreatment method for the provision of hygienically safe drinking water in Norway: results from monitoring at two full-scale sites

Two case studies were carried out in central Norway in order to assess the performance of bank filtration systems in cold-climate fluvial aquifers relying on recharge from humic-rich surface waters with moderate microbial contamination. Three municipal wells and two surface-water sources at operative bank filtration systems were monitored for naturally occurring bacteriophages, fecal indicators, natural organic matter (NOM) and physico-chemical water quality parameters during a 4-month period. Aquifer passage effectively reduced the microorganism and NOM concentrations at both study sites. Bacteriophages were detected in 13 of 16 (81%) surface-water samples and in 4 of 24 (17%) well-water samples, and underwent 3 ± 0.3 log₁₀ reduction after 50–80-m filtration and 20–30 days of subsurface passage. NOM reductions (color: 74–97%; dissolved organic carbon: 54–80%; very hydrophobic acids: 70%) were similar to those achieved by conventional water-treatment processes and no further treatment was needed. Both groundwater dilution and sediment filtration contributed to the hygienic water quality improvements, but sediment filtration appeared to be the most important process with regard to microbial and NOM reductions. A strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats analysis showed that bank filtration technology has a high potential as a pretreatment method for the provision of hygienically safe drinking water in Norway.     

Towards a normative concept of settlements: the development process and theoretical and conceptual problems in the “Lower limb”

This paper critically evaluates theories of settlement pattern and change which have commonly been employed by geographers. Those discussed include central place, growth pole and modernization theories, as well as notions of settlements as a product of adaptation to environmental conditions, as central places, or as nodes of retail distribution. In all instances criticism centres on the applicability of those notions to the African rural scene. It is suggested that not only are most concepts inappropriate in this context, but they are also partial and historically relative. More suitable, normative concepts of settlements and settlement systems are suggested.     

Reliability of dipole-dipole electrical resistivity tomography for defining depth to bedrock in covered karst terranes

 Sinkhole collapse is one of the main limitations on the development of karst areas, especially where bedrock is covered by unconsolidated material. Studies of sinkhole formation have shown that sinkholes are likely to develop in cutter (enlarged joint) zones as a result of subterranean erosion by flowing groundwater. Because of the irregular distribution of pinnacles and cutters on the bedrock surface, uncertainties arise when "hit-or-miss" borehole drilling is used to locate potential collapse sites. A high-resolution geophysical technique capable of depicting the details of the bedrock surface is essential for guiding the drilling program. Dipole-dipole electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was used to map the bedrock surface at a site in southern Indiana where limestone is covered by about 9 m of clayey soils. Forty-nine transects were conducted over an area of approximately 42,037 m². The electrode spacing was 3 m. The length of the transects varied from 81 to 249 m. The tomographs were interpreted with the aid of soil borings. The repeatability of ERT was evaluated by comparing the rock surface elevations interpreted from pairs of transects where they crossed each other. The average difference was 2.4 m, with a maximum of 10 m. The discrepancy between interpreted bedrock-surface elevations for a transect intersection may be caused by variations in the subsurface geology normal to the transect. Averaging the elevation data interpreted from different transects improved the ERT results. A bedrock surface map was generated using only the averaged elevation data at the transect junctions. The accuracy of the map was further evaluated using data from four exploratory boreholes. The average difference between interpreted and actual bedrock surface-elevations was less than 0.4 m. The map shows two large troughs in the limestone surface: one coinciding with an existing sinkhole basin, while the other is in alignment with a small topographic valley. Because sinkholes were observed at the same elevation interval in similar valleys in the vicinity, the delineated trough may have implications for future land use at the site. Received: 4 January 1999 · Accepted: 8 March 1999