3-D inversion of borehole-to-surface electrical data using a back-propagation neural network

The “fluid-flow tomography”, an advanced technique for geoelectrical survey based on the conventional mise-à-la-masse measurement, has been developed by Exploration Geophysics Laboratory at the Kyushu University. This technique is proposed to monitor fluid-flow behavior during water injection and production in a geothermal field. However data processing of this technique is very costly. In this light, this paper will discuss the solution to cost reduction by applying a neural network in the data processing. A case study in the Takigami geothermal field in Japan will be used to illustrate this. The achieved neural network in this case study is three-layered and feed-forward. The most successful learning algorithm in this network is the Resilient Propagation (RPROP). Consequently, the study advances the pragmatism of the “fluid-flow tomography” technique which can be widely used for geothermal fields. Accuracy of the solution is then verified by using root mean square (RMS) misfit error as an indicator.     

In Situ Monitoring of Vapor Phase TCE Using a Chemiresistor Microchemical Sensor

A chemiresistor microchemical sensor has been developed to detect and monitor volatile organic compounds in unsaturated and saturated subsurface environments. A controlled study was conducted at the HAZMAT Spill Center at the Nevada Test Site, where the sensor was tested under a range of temperature, moisture, and trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations. The sensor responded rapidly when exposed to TCE placed in sand, and it also responded to decreases in TCE vapor concentration when clean air was vented through the system. Variations in temperature and water vapor concentration impacted baseline chemiresistor signals, but at high TCE concentrations the sensor response was dominated by the TCE exposure. Test results showed that the detection limit of the chemiresistor to TCE vapor in the presence of fluctuating environmental variables (i.e., temperature and water vapor concentration) was on the order of 1000 parts per million by volume, which is about an order of magnitude higher than values obtained in controlled laboratory environments. Automated temperature control and preconcentration is recommended to improve the stability and sensitivity of the chemiresistor sensor.     

Biodegradation of Crude Oil by Individual Bacterial Strains and a Mixed Bacterial Consortium Isolated from Hydrocarbon Contaminated Areas

A preliminary study was undertaken to determine the optimal conditions for the biodegradation of a crude oil. Among 57 oil‐degrading bacterial cultures isolated from oil‐contaminated soil samples, Bacillus sp. IOS1‐7, Corynebacterium sp. BPS2‐6, Pseudomonas sp. HPS2‐5, and Pseudomonas sp. BPS1‐8 were selected for the study based on the efficiency of crude oil utilization. Along with the selected individual strains, a mixed bacterial consortium prepared using the above strains was also used for degradation studies. The mixed bacterial consortium showed more growth and degradation than did individual strains. At 1% crude oil concentration, the mixed bacterial consortium degraded a maximum of 77% of the crude oil. This was followed by 69% by Pseudomonas sp. BPS1‐8, 64% by Bacillus sp. IOS1‐7, 45% by Pseudomonas sp. HPS2‐5, and 41% by Corynebacterium sp. BPS2‐6. The percentage of degradation by the mixed bacterial consortium decreased from 77 to 45% as the concentration of crude oil was increased from 1 to 12%. Temperature of 35°C and pH 7 were found to be optimum for maximum degradation.     

Impact of adsorbed petroleum hydrocarbons on marine organisms

Adsorptions of south Louisiana crude oil from seawater by clays, non-clay minerals and sediments were conducted in the laboratory. Effect of sediment-adsorbed and water dispersed crude oil on adult oysters were investigated in aquaria. Hydrocarbons in oyster tissues and surrounding water were identified by gas chromatography. Field specimens from an area of a new oil spill and an area five months after an oil spill were also analysed. Evidence of secondary chemical effect of aged oil in sediments on oyster mortality is presented. Oil coated asbestos surfaces severely reduced recruitment of sedentary larval organisms.     

A GNSS interference identification using an adaptive cascading IIR notch filter

A low-complexity time-domain approach for global navigation satellite systems is proposed to detect and identify single-tone, multi-tone, swept continuous wave interference (CWI) and band-limited white Gaussian noise (BLWN). An adaptive notch filter and adaptive cascading filter structure are employed to identify the type of interference signals. The number of the cascading stages is selected by comparing the total power in receiver bandpass, and after, passing the adaptive notch filter. For this reason, the proposed filter structure is more efficient in identifying and mitigating interference signals than the conventional filter structure. In addition, the automatic gain control gain is used to detect the existence of continuous wave interference. The performance of the interference detection and identification method is evaluated for the cases of GPS signal in the presence of single-tone, multi-tone, swept CWI and BLWN.     

Freeze thaw cycles in Toronto, Canada in a changing climate

Summary Freeze thaw cycles are examined in Toronto Canada. Using data from 1960 to 1989 for three Toronto area weather stations, trends in freeze thaw activity, the relationship to mean monthly temperature and projections of freeze thaw activity are examined. For downtown Toronto the annual frequency of freeze thaw cycles is decreasing significantly, most notably in the shoulder months of October and April. At the Pearson International Airport and the Toronto Island Airport similar annual trends were not found, however there was evidence of decreased freeze thaw activity in April and October. Polynomial curve fitting provided functional relationships between mean monthly temperature and freeze thaw activity. These relationships enabled the assessment of freeze thaw activity under synthetic warming conditions. The results of this analysis show that the warming of the magnitude typically projected for the rest of this century will not likely generate a significant change in the freeze thaw activity although there are indications that the freeze thaw season will contract.     

Geochemistry and sediment in the main stream of the Ca River basin,Vietnam: weathering process,solute-discharge relationships,and reservoir impact

Acta Geochimica - In this study, we investigated the chemical composition of dissolved solids in the Ca River basin, North-Central Vietnam. Water samples were collected from August 2017 to July...     

Discharge prediction using hydraulic characteristics of mean velocity equation

Discharge is an important factor in river design for water utilization, water control and hydraulic structures; therefore, an accurate estimation of the discharge is required. At present, a rating curve depicting the relationship between a stage and discharge is used to calculate the discharge from river systems. Although the rating curve has an advantage in that it can predict and use the discharge during the flood season in which the measurement is difficult, there is room for improvement as it does not reflect the hydraulic characteristics of rivers. Therefore, in this study, discharge was predicted using the convenient calculation method with empirical mediating variables of the Manning and Chezy equations which were proposed by the author’s previous research as a new methodology for estimating discharge in an open channel. This was proven, based on the data measured in a meandering open channel system in a lab at the Mississippi River in the US and at the Columbia Del Dique Canal, and an accuracy level at a coefficient of 0.8 was demonstrated. Thus, this method, which reflects the hydraulic characteristics and predicts the discharge in a simple manner, is expected to be convenient in practice.     

Sequential extraction and leaching characteristics of heavy metals in abandoned tungsten mine tailings sediments

The chemical speciation of potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in the contaminated soils and sulfides-rich tailings sediments of an abandoned tungsten mine in Korea was evaluated by conducting modified BCR sequential extraction tests. Kinetic and static batch leaching tests were also conducted to evaluate the potential release of As and other heavy metals by acidic rain water and the leaching behaviors of these heavy metals. The major sources of the elements were As-, Zn- and Pb-bearing sulfides, Pb carbonates (i.e., cerussite), and Pb sulfates (i.e., anglesite). The biggest pollutant fraction in these soil and tailing samples consists of metals bound to the oxidizable host phase, which can be released into the environment if conditions become oxidative, and/or to residual fractions. No significant difference in total element concentrations was observed between the tailings sediments and contaminated soils. For both sample types, almost no changes occurred in the mobility of As and the other heavy metals at 7 days, but the mobility increased afterwards until the end of the tests at 30 days, regardless of the initial pH. However, the mobility was approximately 5–10 times higher at initial pH 1.0 than at initial pHs of 3.0 and 5.0. The leached amounts of all the heavy metal contents were higher from tailings sediments than from contaminated soils at pH > 3.0, but were lower at pH < 3.0 except for As. Results of this study suggest that further dissolution of heavy metals from soil and tailing samples may occur during extended rainfall, resulting in a serious threat to surface and groundwater in the mine area.     

Effects of an Omnivorous Katydid,Salinity, and Nutrients on a Planthopper-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina</Emphasis> Food Web

Top–down and bottom–up effects interact to structure communities, especially in salt marshes, which contain strong gradients in bottom–up drivers such as salinity and nutrients. How omnivorous consumers respond to variation in prey availability and plant quality is poorly understood. We used a mesocosm experiment to examine how salinity, nutrients, an omnivore (the katydid Orchelimum fidicinium) and an herbivore (the planthopper Prokelisia spp.) interacted to structure a simplified salt marsh food web based on the marsh grass Spartina alterniflora. Bottom–up effects were strong, with both salinity and nutrients decreasing leaf C/N and increasing Prokelisia abundance. Top–down effects on plants were also strong, with both the herbivore and the omnivore affecting S. alterniflora traits and growth, especially when nutrients or salt were added. In contrast, top–down control by Orchelimum of Prokelisia was independent of bottom–up conditions. Orchelimum grew best on a diet containing both Spartina and Prokelisia, and in contrast to a sympatric omnivorous crab, did not shift to an animal-based diet when prey were present, suggesting that it is constrained to consume a mixed diet. These results suggest that the trophic effects of omnivores depend on omnivore behavior, dietary constraints, and ability to suppress lower trophic levels, and that omnivorous katydids may play a previously unrecognized role in salt marsh food webs.