Combining pump-and-treat and physical barriers for contaminant plume control

A detailed analysis is presented of the hydraulic efficiency of plume management alternatives that combine a conventional pump-and-treat system with vertical, physical hydraulic barriers such as slurry walls or sheet piles. Various design settings are examined for their potential to reduce the pumping rate needed to obtain a complete capture of a given contaminated area. Using established modeling techniques for flow and transport, those barrier configurations (specified by location, shape, and length) that yield a maximum reduction of the pumping rate are identified assuming homogeneous aquifer conditions. Selected configurations are further analyzed concerning their hydraulic performance under heterogeneous aquifer conditions by means of a stochastic approach (Monte Carlo simulations) with aquifer transmissivity as a random space function. The results show that physical barriers are an appropriate means to decrease expected (mean) pumping rates, as well as the variance of the corresponding pumping rate distribution at any given degree of heterogeneity. The methodology presented can be transferred easily to other aquifer scenarios, provided some basic premises are fulfilled, and may serve as a basis for reducing the pumping rate in existing pump-and-treat systems.     

Emplacement mechanisms of the South Kona slide complex,Hawaii Island: sampling and observations by remotely operated vehicle Kaiko

Emplacement of a giant submarine slide complex, offshore of South Kona, Hawaii Island, was investigated in 2001 by visual observation and in-situ sampling on the bench scarp and a megablock, during two dives utilizing the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Kaiko and its mother ship R/V Kairei. Topography of the bench scarp and megablocks were defined in 3-D perspective, using high-resolution digital bathymetric data acquired during the cruise. Compositions of 34 rock samples provide constraints on the landslide source regions and emplacement mechanisms. The bench scarp consists mainly of highly fractured, vesiculated, and oxidized aa lavas that slumped from the subaerial flank of ancestral Mauna Loa. The megablock contains three units: block facies, matrix facies, and draped sediment. The block facies contains hyaloclastite interbedded with massive lava, which slid from the shallow submarine flank of ancestral Mauna Loa, as indicated by glassy groundmass of the hyaloclastite, low oxidation state, and low sulfur content. The matrix facies, which directly overlies the block facies and is similar to a lahar deposit, is thought to have been deposited from the water column immediately after the South Kona slide event. The draped sediment is a thin high-density turbidite layer that may be a distal facies of the Alika-2 debris-avalanche deposit; its composition overlaps with rocks from subaerial Mauna Loa. The deposits generated by the South Kona slide vary from debris avalanche deposit to turbidite. Spatial distribution of the deposits is consistent with deposits related to large landslides adjacent to other Hawaiian volcanoes and the Canary Islands.     

Geochemistry of coral from Papua New Guinea as a proxy for ENSO ocean–atmosphere interactions in the Pacific Warm Pool

A Porites sp. coral growing offshore from the Sepik and Ramu Rivers in equatorial northern Papua New Guinea has yielded an accurate 20-year history (1977–1996) of sea surface temperature (SST), river discharge, and wind-induced mixing of the upper water column. Depressions in average SSTs of about 0.5–1.0 °C (indicated by coral Sr/Ca) and markedly diminished freshwater runoff to the coastal ocean (indicated by coral δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C and UV fluorescence) are evident during the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events of 1982–1983, 1987 and 1991-1993. The perturbations recorded by the coral are in good agreement with changes in instrumental SST and river discharge/precipitation records, which are known to be diagnostic of the response of the Pacific Warm Pool ocean–atmosphere system to El Niño. Consideration of coastal ocean dynamics indicates that the establishment of northwest monsoon winds promotes mixing of near-surface waters to greater depths in the first quarter of most years, making the coral record sensitive to changes in the Asian–Australian monsoon cycle. Sudden cooling of SSTs by 1°C following westerly wind episodes, as indicated by the coral Sr/Ca, is consistent with greater mixing in the upper water column at these times. Furthermore, the coral UV fluorescence and oxygen isotope data indicate minimal contribution of river runoff to surface ocean waters at the beginning of most years, during the time of maximum discharge. This abrupt shift in flood-plume behaviour appears to reflect the duration and magnitude of northwest monsoon winds, which tend to disperse flood plume waters to a greater extent in the water column when wind-mixing is enhanced. Our results suggest that a multi-proxy geochemical approach to the production of long coral records should provide comprehensive reconstructions of tropical paleoclimate processes operating on interannual timescales.     

Trace elements in medium-temperature (40–80 °C) thermal waters from the Mura basin (North-Eastern Slovenia)

Medium-temperature thermal waters in the Mura basin occur in hydrogeological systems different in age, burial depth, temperature, porosity and permeability, and the presence of free carbon dioxide which penetrates through the fractures from pre-Tertiary basement. The waters commonly belong to sodium-bicarbonate hydrogeochemical facies, but may have significantly different amounts of total dissolved solids, including trace elements. Thermal waters occurring in low-permeable, well-compacted and moderately fractured Tertiary sediments older than Upper Pliocene are the richest in trace elements, although their abundance may be very variable from one aquifer to another. The ratios of major alkaline and alkaline earth elements (Na, K, Ca) and trace elements (Li, Rb, Cs, Ba, Sr) commonly show relative enrichment in highly mineralised waters with respect to the waters with lower mineralisation. Rare earth elements (REEs) and Y show only minor fractionation in the highly mineralised waters, whereas in the waters with lower mineralisation strong fractionation of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) over light rare earth elements (LREEs) occurs, along with a pronounced positive europium anomaly. Positive Th/U ratios are commonly observed, although both actinide elements occur in the range of some hundredths of ppb to some ppb. Trace elements were particularly useful in the study of well cycling in two hydraulically interconnected geothermal wells in the town of Murska Sobota, which produce a mixture of low- and high-mineralised waters.     

Building and Testing an <Emphasis Type="Italic">a priori</Emphasis> Geophysical Model for Western Eurasia and North Africa

We construct and evaluate a new three-dimensional model of crust and upper mantle structure in Western Eurasia and North Africa (WENA) extending to 700 km depth and having 1° parameterization. The model is compiled in an a priori fashion entirely from existing geophysical literature, specifically, combining two regionalized crustal models with a high-resolution global sediment model and a global upper mantle model. The resulting WENA1.0 model consists of 24 layers: water, three sediment layers, upper, middle, and lower crust, uppermost mantle, and 16 additional upper mantle layers. Each of the layers is specified by its depth, compressional and shear velocity, density, and attenuation (quality factors, Q _P and Q _S ). The model is tested by comparing the model predictions with geophysical observations including: crustal thickness, surface wave group and phase velocities, upper mantle _n velocities, receiver functions, P-wave travel times, waveform characteristics, regional 1-D velocities, and Bouguer gravity. We find generally good agreement between WENA1.0 model predictions and empirical observations for a wide variety of independent data sets. We believe this model is representative of our current knowledge of crust and upper mantle structure in the WENA region and can successfully be used to model the propagation characteristics of regional seismic waveform data. The WENA1.0 model will continue to evolve as new data are incorporated into future validations and any new deficiencies in the model are identified. Eventually this a priori model will serve as the initial starting model for a multiple data set tomographic inversion for structure of the Eurasian continent.     

Carbonatite diversity in the Central Andes: the Ayopaya alkaline province,Bolivia

The Ayopaya province in the eastern Andes of Bolivia, 100 km NW of Cochabamba, hosts a Cretaceous alkaline rock series within a Palaeozoic sedimentary sequence. The alkaline rock association comprises nepheline-syenitic/foyaitic to ijolitic intrusions, carbonatite, kimberlite, melilititic, nephelinitic to basanitic dykes and diatremes, and a variety of alkaline dykes. The carbonatites display a wide petrographic and geochemical spectrum. The Cerro Sapo area hosts a small calciocarbonatite intrusion and a multitude of ferrocarbonatitic dykes and lenses in association with a nepheline-syenitic stock. The stock is crosscut by a spectacular REE-Sr-Th-rich sodalite-ankerite-baryte dyke system. The nearby Chiaracke complex represents a magnesiocarbonatite intrusion with no evidence for a relationship to igneous silicate rocks. The magnesiocarbonatite ( REE up to 1.3 wt%) shows strong HREE depletion, i.e. unusually high La/Yb ratios (520–1,500). Calciocarbonatites ( REE up to 0.5 wt%) have a flatter REE distribution pattern (La/Yb 95–160) and higher Nb and Zr contents. The sodalite-ankerite-baryte dyke system shows geochemical enrichment features, particularly in Na, Ba, Cl, Sr, REE, which are similar to the unusual natrocarbonatitic lavas of the recent volcano of Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania. The Cerro Sapo complex may be regarded as an intrusive equivalent of natrocarbonatitic volcanism, and provides an example for carbonatite genesis by late-stage crystal fractionation and liquid immiscibility. The magnesiocarbonatite intrusion of Chiaracke, on the other hand, appears to result from a primary carbonatitic mantle melt. Deep seated mantle magmatism/metasomatism is also expressed by the occurrence of a kimberlite dyke. Neodymium and strontium isotope data (_Nd 1.4–5.4, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶ Sr<Bulk Earth) indicate a depleted mantle source for the alkaline magmatism. The magmatism of the Ayopaya region is attributed to failed rifting of western South America during the Mesozoic and represents the only occurrence of carbonatite and kimberlite rocks in the Andes.     

Distribution and petrogenetic behaviour of trace elements in granitic pegmatite quartz from South Norway

The present study documents that the trace-element distribution in granitic quartz is highly sensitive to CAFC processes in granitic melts. Igneous quartz efficiently records both the origin and the evolution of the granitic pegmatites. Aluminium, P, Li, Ti, Ge and Na in that order of abundance, comprises >95% of the trace elements. Most samples feature >1 ppm of any of these elements. The remnant 5% includes K, Fe, Be, B, Ba and Sr whereas the other elements are present at concentrations lower than the detection limit. Potassium, Fe, Be and Ti are relatively compatible hence obtain the highest concentrations in early formed quartz. Phosphorous, Ge, Li and Al are relatively incompatible and generally obtain the highest concentrations in quartz that formed at lower temperatures from more evolved granitic melts. The Ge/Ti, the Ge/Be, the P/Ge and the P/Be ratios of quartz are strongly sensitive to the origin and evolution of the granitic melts and similarly the Rb/Sr and the Rb/K ratios of K-feldspars may be utilised in petrogenetic interpretations. However, the quartz trace element ratios are better at distinguishing similarities and differences in the origin and evolution of granitic melts. After evaluating the different trace element ratios, the Ge/Ti ratio appears to be most robust during subsolidus processes in the igneous systems, hence probably should be the preferred ratio for analysing and understanding petrogenetic processes in granitic igneous rocks.Editorial responsibility: J. Hoefs     

Magnetic cleansing of weathered/tarry oiled feathers--the role of pre-conditioners

Iron powder has previously been demonstrated to be effective in the removal, via magnetic harvesting, of a wide variety of oil contaminants from feathers and plumage. This study investigates the efficacy of magnetic cleansing for the removal from feathers of tarry contamination that has been allowed to weather. Clusters of feathers from Mallard duck (Anas platyrhnchos) and Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) were completely immersed in a tarry contaminant and allowed to weather from one to fourteen days. The contaminant was removed using a magnetic cleansing protocol and the removal efficacy assessed gravimetrically. For one, seven and fourteen days of weathering, a final removal (after fourteen treatments) of more than 99% and 97% was achieved for duck feathers and penguin feathers, respectively. Repeating the experiments (for a seven-day weathering period) for both duck and penguin feathers, with the judicious application of a pre-conditioner (olive oil), further improved removal efficacy. A convenient method to screen for improved pre-conditioning agents is suggested.     

Multiscale characterization of a heterogeneous aquifer using an ASR operation

Heterogeneity in the physical properties of an aquifer can significantly affect the viability of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) by reducing the recoverable proportion of low-salinity water where the ambient ground water is brackish or saline. This study investigated the relationship between knowledge of heterogeneity and predictions of solute transport and recovery efficiency by combining permeability and ASR-based tracer testing with modeling. Multiscale permeability testing of a sandy limestone aquifer at an ASR trial site showed that small-scale core data give lower-bound estimates of aquifer hydraulic conductivity (K), intermediate-scale downhole flowmeter data offer valuable information on variations in K with depth, and large-scale pumping test data provide an integrated measure of the effective K that is useful to constrain ground water models. Chloride breakthrough and thermal profiling data measured during two cycles of ASR showed that the movement of injected water is predominantly within two stratigraphic layers identified from the flowmeter data. The behavior of the injectant was reasonably well simulated with a four-layer numerical model that required minimal calibration. Verification in the second cycle achieved acceptable results given the model's simplicity. Without accounting for the aquifer's layered structure, high precision could be achieved on either piezometer breakthrough or recovered water quality, but not both. This study demonstrates the merit of an integrated approach to characterizing aquifers targeted for ASR.