Recycling of Coastal Dredged Sediments from the Northern Nile Delta,Egypt, for Heavy Minerals Exploitation

Mineralogical and textural analyses of 45 undisturbed short cores and 80 grab sediment samples, collected from five frequently dredged navigational areas within harbors and water pathways of the Nile delta littoral system, were utilized for evaluation of these sediments as potential source of economic heavy minerals (EHMs). Results of mineralogical characterization indicate that the average total heavy mineral (HM) concentrations are as follows: Abu Qir Bay (1.7%), Rosetta estuary (3.1%), Burullus fishing port (4.5%), Damietta Harbor (2.9%), and El Gamil lagoon inlet (1.9%). Assessment of HM grades indicates predominance of magnetite, ilmenite, hematite, leucoxene, garnet, zircon, and rutile. Results of the feasibility analysis indicate that dredged sediments at these study areas are considered as a potential source of EHMs and economically promising to be mined for HMs. The present study suggests a practical operative plan of two successive phases for HMs recycling: (1) in-situ initial separation of HMs on the dredger deck using wet-gravity spirals, then (2) transportation of the recovered HM concentrates to an onshore processing plant to selectively separate individual HMs via wet and dry magnetic and electrostatic separators. Alternatively, dredged sediments can be directly pumped to a nearby onshore area as stockpile to be recycled afterward in inland processing plant.     

Modeling Electrical Field Distribution in Layered Geological Rock Formations with a Borehole Using the Coulomb Charges Method

The Coulomb charges method is used to model apparent resistivity measurements carried out in layered geological formations with a borehole using various devices. It is characterized by a high level of effectiveness and accuracy. The results are compared with the theoretical solutions for a homogenous medium with the borehole and invaded zone for point current source lateral devices. The relative error was less than 2% for different values of the range of the invaded zone and resistivity of invaded and true resistivity of formation.     

Pareto Joint Inversion of 2D Magnetotelluric and Gravity Data — Towards Practical Applications

In this paper, a Pareto inversion based global optimization approach, to obtain results of joint inversion of two types of geophysical data sets, is formulated. 2D magnetotelluric and gravity data were used for tests, but presented solution is flexible enough to be used for combination of any kind of two or more target functions, as long as misfits can be calculated and forward problems solved. To minimize dimensionality of the solution, space and introduce straightforward regularization Sharp Boundary Interface (SBI) method was applied. As a main optimization engine, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was used. Synthetic examples based on a real geological model were used to test proposed approach and show its usefulness in practical applications.     

Natural Radioactivity at the Sin Quyen Iron-Oxide-Copper-Gold Deposit in North Vietnam

The field radiometric and laboratory measurements were performed at the Sin Quyen copper deposit in North Vietnam. The field gamma-ray spectrometry indicated the concentration of uranium ranging from 5.5 to 87 ppm, thorium from 5.6 to 33.2 ppm, and potassium from 0.3 to 4.7%. The measured dose rates ranged from 115 to 582 nGy/h, the highest doses being at the copper ore. Concentrations in the solid samples were in the range of 20–1700 Bq/kg for uranium, 20–92.7 Bq/kg for thorium, and 7–1345 Bq/kg for potassium. The calculated doses were from 22 to 896 nGy/h; both measured and calculated dose rates are mostly related to uranium. Concentrations of radium in water samples were below 0.17 Bq/L. Uranium in water samples was significantly higher than the hydrogeological background; the maximum of 13 Bq/L was at the waste zone pool, but neither radium nor uranium were present in tap water. Radon concentration in the dwelling air was from 42 to 278 Bq/m³ for ²²²Rn and from 8 to 193 Bq/m³ for ²²⁰Rn. The estimated committed dose rates were principally related to ²²²Rn concentration and ranged from 1.1 to 8.1 mSv/y.     

The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Coastal Vegetation of the Weeks Bay Reserve,Alabama from NDVI Data

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data were used to investigate vegetation changes after Hurricane Katrina (2005) for the Weeks Bay Reserve and surrounding area of coastal AL. Landsat 5 satellite images were acquired before landfall (March 24, 2005), after landfall (September 16, 2005), and 8 months after landfall (April 28, 2006). The March 2005 to September 2005 image comparison showed that average NDVI values decreased by 49% after landfall. Continuing into the next year, average NDVI values were −44% lower in April 2006 than they were in March 2005. Among habitat types, the estuarine emergent wetland experienced the largest average NDVI value decrease (−64%). The estuarine emergent wetland NDVI values continued to decrease by −27% from September 2005 to April 2006, whereas other habitats increased in NDVI. This continued suppression of NDVI values was attributed to increased salinity from the storm surge and to regional drought conditions that occurred after landfall. These results provide insight into the sensitivity of coastal vegetation from the interactions of both tropical cyclones and long-term environmental conditions.     

Characteristics and Influence of Phosphorus Accumulated in the Bed Sediments of a Stream Located in an Agricultural Watershed

We investigated the accumulation and influence of bioavailable P (BAP) in sediments of a stream located in an agricultural area of the Lake Mendota watershed in Wisconsin, USA. During hydrologic events, the stream carried high concentrations of suspended sediment (up to 250 mg/l) and BAP (up to 2.5 mg/l). Bed sediments were highly enriched in BAP, as inventories of BAP in the top 10 cm of sediment ranged from 143 to 14,500 μg P/cm². Space variations in BAP inventories were related to site-specific hydrodynamics and geochemical factors, including iron (Fe; r ² = 0.71) and aluminum (Al; r ² = 0.54) concentrations. Most sites behaved as potential sinks for dissolved reactive phosphate during hydrologic events and potential sources during base-flow periods. Through the combination of site-specific factors and geochemical controls, Dorn Creek modifies the amount, timing, and composition of P delivered from the watershed to downstream sites and water bodies.     

An evolutionary algorithm for multicriteria path optimization problems

For many years researchers and decision makers (DMs) faced with multicriteria shortest path problems (MSPPs) have resorted to reductions to the classical shortest path problem (SPP) by means of weighted linear combinations of the criteria. Algorithmic and approximation schemes are available to solve MSPPs but these approaches often display complexities prohibitive to their implementation on real‐world applications. This paper describes the development of an Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) approach to MSPPs on networks with multiple independent criteria. The EA approach is shown to sufficiently explore the underlying network space, generate large candidate path sets, and evolve high quality approximations to the optimal MSPP solution(s). Opportunities for early termination of the EA in time‐critical applications are also offered. Among the issues for further work is the integration of the EA as a tool within a GIS for path optimization.     

Reconstructing epilimnetic total phosphorus using diatoms: statistical and ecological constraints

Diatoms respond rapidly to eutrophication and diatom-based models for inferring total phosphorus (TP) have found wide application in palaeolimnology, especially in tracking trajectories of past and recent nutrient enrichment and in establishing pre-disturbance targets for restoration. Using new analysis of existing training sets and sediment-cores we examine the statistical and ecological constraints of diatom-inferred TP (DI-TP) models. Although the models show an apparently strong relationship between measured and inferred TP in the training sets, even under cross-validation, the models display three fundamental weaknesses, namely (1) the relationship between TP and diatom relative abundance is heavily confounded with secondary variables such as alkalinity and lake depth, (2) the models contain many taxa that are not significantly related to TP, and (3) comparison between different models shows poor or no spatial replicability. At some sites the sediment-core diatom assemblage change tracks the TP gradient in the training sets and DI-TP reconstructions are consistent with monitored TP data and known catchment histories for the recent past. At others diatom species turnover is apparently related to variables other than TP, and DI-TP fails to even reproduce plausible trends. Pre-disturbance DI-TP values are also questionable at most sites. We argue that these problems pervade many DI-TP models, particularly those where violations of the basic assumptions of the transfer function approach are ignored.