Deriving hillslope sediment budgets in wildfire-affected forests using fallout radionuclide tracers

Information on post-fire sediment and nutrient redistribution is required to underpin post-fire catchment management decisions. Fallout radionuclide budgets (²¹⁰Pb_xs, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁷Be) were derived to quantify soil redistribution and sediment yield in forested terrain following a moderately severe wildfire in a small (89 ha) water supply catchment in SE Australia. Application of these techniques in burnt terrain requires careful consideration of the partitioning of radionuclides between organic and mineral soil components. Beryllium-7 and ²¹⁰Pb_xs were shown to be closely associated with ash, litter and soil organic matter whereas ¹³⁷Cs was more closely associated with subsurface coarse mineral soil. Comparison of the three tracer budgets indicated that the dominant sediment source areas were ridgetops and steep valley sideslopes, from which burnt surface material was conveyed to the stream network via pre-existing gullies. Erosion was predominantly driven by sheetwash, enhanced by soil water repellency, and modified by bioturbation which both supplies subsurface sediment and provides sinks for erosive overland flow. Footslope and riparian zones were not important sediment source areas. The estimated event-based (wildfire and subsequent rainfall) sediment yield is 58 ± 25 t km^− 2, based on fallout ⁷Be measurements. The upper estimate of total particulate phosphorus yield (0.70 kg ha^− 1) is more than 10 times that at equivalent unburnt sites. This illustrates that, soon after fire, burnt eucalypt forest can produce nutrient loads similar to those of agricultural catchments. The tracer budgets indicate that wildfire is an important control on sediment and phosphorus inputs to the stream network over the decadal timeframe and the pulsed nature of this release is an important concern for water quality management.     

苏北王港近岸表层沉积物元素地球化学特征与环境意义

对王港河河道及河口附近潮滩典型地貌部位表层沉积物粒度、常量和微量元素进行分析,结果表明：潮滩和河道近岸沉积物为粘土质粉砂,粒度分布频率曲线在平均高潮线附近的沉积物为双峰态外,其余为单峰态。互花米草滩沉积物中常量和微量元素(Al2O3,TiO2,CaO,Fe2O3,K2O,MgO,MnO和Cu,Rb,Pb,As,Zn)均表现出相对富积的特征,盐蒿滩次之,反映海岸带互花米草在削浪促淤的过程中,对重金属污染有效吸附作用比盐蒿潮滩滩大。SiO2化学性质比较稳定,对沉积地貌动力的响应比较显著,近岸高潮线附近和河道中主洪道沉积物SiO2含量明显偏高。河闸上游河道沉积物中烧失量、磷(P2O5)、硫(稳定态SO3)的含量最高,反映流域营养盐在水闸以上河段沉积物中富积,重金属元素Rb,Pb,As,Ba在河道沉积物中与地壳风度相比表现为富集。王港附近潮滩表层沉积物物质组成不仅与王港河、黄河及长江的物质来源有关,而且与古潮滩沉积再搬运、再沉积以及人类围垦及排放污染活动有关。As,S是该区主要的污染元素。     

北京地区一次强对流大暴雨的环境条件及动力触发机制分析

通过对1998年6月29日北京地区发生在天气尺度脊中的强对流大暴雨过程分析, 得出该过程是由中层的高压脊和低层的辐合系统、近地面的冷空气之间的相互作用形成了具有聚能机制的中低空经向环流圈, 维持了暴雨区中低空的上升运动, 形成了近地面的动力锋生, 使中低层的潜在不稳定加剧.而对流层高层短波扰动的正涡度平流通过非地转平衡过程, 引发中高层产生的上升运动, 触发了潜在不稳定的释放.该短波扰动与风场的波动不相匹配, 其位相传播特征与重力波相似.     

Stratosphere-troposphere exchange in an extratropical cyclone, calculated with a Lagrangian method

A Lagrangian technique is developed and applied to calculate stratosphere-troposphere exchange in an extratropical cyclone. This exchange is computed from the potential vorticity or PV along trajectories, calculated from ECMWF circulation data. Special emphasis is put on the statistical significance of the results. The computed field of the cross-tropopause flux is dominated by elongated patterns of statistically significant large downward and small upward fluxes. The downward fluxes mainly occur in the lower part of the considered tropopause folds. The upward fluxes are found near the entrance of the folds, in the tropopause ridges. The ratio between the area averaged downward and upward cross-tropopause fluxes increases with increasing strength of the cyclone. Since the largest fluxes are shown to occur in the regions with the largest wind shear, where PV-mixing is thought to cause large cross-tropopause fluxes, the results are expected to be reliable, at least in a qualitative sense. The position of a tropopause fold along the northwest coast of Africa is confirmed by total ozone observations. The results indicate that the applied Lagrangian technique is an appropriate tool for diagnosing stratosphere-troposphere exchange.     

Catastrophic and dangerous inflows to salt mines in Poland as related to the origin of water determined by isotope methods

 Tritium, ¹⁴C, δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O and δD measurements indicated as early as 1973 the existence of inflows of modern meteoric water to the Wapno salt mine in a Zechstein diapir. In spite of these early warnings, the continuation of improper exploitation led, in 1977, to sudden flooding of the mine followed by catastrophic land subsidence. The lesson learned from that catastrophe, as well as the results of isotope investigations performed in the Inowrocław salt mine, led to the decision to flood the mine artificially in order to avoid a similar land subsidence. The Kłodawa mine was not regarded to be in danger of flooding due to a thick clay cap. In fact, a large number of usually short-lasting water occurrences had the isotopic composition characteristic for evaporated ocean water. However, since 1956 an inflow has existed with δ¹⁸O and δD values close to that of pre-Quaternary saline waters and brines in the Mesozoic formations adjacent to the diapir. Two other inflows have recently occurred with the initial δ¹⁸O and δD values of modern waters. As a consequence, the mine is regarded to be in danger, and the exploitation of salt in the areas of inflows has been stopped. The Wieliczka mine, southern Poland, exploits Miocene salts overthrusted together with the Carpathian flysch from the south. The most dangerous and catastrophic inflows were caused by human errors. Isotope data show the water to be of glacial or Holocene age stored in Tertiary, slightly cemented rocks of low permeability, which neighbor the mine from the north. Owing to specific geology, the mine has survived for a long time, in spite of relatively large and long-lasting inflows. However, its existence is in permanent danger. Received: 7 March 1997 · Accepted: 17 November 1998     

Environmental geology in Thailand – programs and strategies

 The paper describes the activities and objectives of the Department of Mineral Resources in the field of environmental geology. This approach is still a comparatively new for Thailand and presently comprises different programs: environmental geology for regional planning, seismic hazards, flooding/landslides, coastal management and geosites conservation. The Environmental Geology Section of the Department is the relevant administrative unit. The technical work and the related documentations focus on rising public awareness and integration of geo-information into land-use planning and land development. Received: 23 April 1999 · Accepted: 8 June 1999     

Environmental impact assessment on water quality deterioration caused by the decreased Ganges outflow and saline water intrusion in south-western Bangladesh

 This paper deals with an environmental impact assessment of low water flow in the river Ganges during a dry period at the Khulna and Mongla port areas in south-western Bangladesh. Large-scale surface water withdrawal in India after commissioning the Farakka Barrage causes a drastic fall in the Ganges low-flow condition within the Bangladesh territory during every dry period. The average lowest discharge in the Ganges is 552 m³/s, which is about 73% less than that in the pre-Farakka time. This has caused the deterioration of both surface and groundwater quality of the study area. Salinity is the principal cause of water quality degradation in the area. Present observation shows that the surface water of the area is sulphate-chloride dominated, which signifies high salinity whereas the groundwater is categorized as of medium to high salinity. To maintain the Rupsa River's maximum salinity below 1000 μS/cm the discharge in the Ganges should be ∼1500 m³/s, whereas that at Garai basin is ∼10 m³/s. If this present situation continues it will be a crippling blow to the environment of the area in the long term. An integrated multidisciplinary approach to hydrogeological research is urgently required to salvage the area from further deterioration. Received: 9 August 1999 · Accepted: 8 March 2000     

DC-resistivity mapping of internal landfill structures: two pre-excavation surveys

 Geophysical investigations using 2-D DC resistivity were carried out on old parts of two similar landfills, with waste of different ages. The data sets, which included high data density in both vertical and horizontal directions, were interpreted with 2-D smoothness constrained inversion. The landfills were excavated after the surveying. The objective was to test the capability of the resistivity method as a pre-characterization technique. The objectives were only partially fulfilled. First, the moisture content was the parameter that appeared to exert the dominant control over the resistivity distribution of the landfill. The most important potential information that can be recovered is, therefore, an indication of the waste piles hydraulics. Second, it was neither possible to estimate the amount of recoverable soils, nor to correlate the type of waste with the resistivity models. However, discrete anomalies were identified, and if specific materials are searched for, the resistivity models indicate possible places to search. Received: 23 July 1998 · Accepted: 20 October 1998     

晋陕蒙接壤地区岩溶地下水与黄河水环境同位素特征分析

本文通过晋陕蒙接壤地区岩溶地下水与黄河水环境同位素特征的分析、研究,得出由补给区→迳流区→排泄区,岩溶水氚值由高变低, 14C年龄具有由低逐渐升高的变化规律;利用同位素的高程效应,计算得到岩溶水补给区的补给高程为1500～1600m;利用氚值的衰变估算,岩溶地下水的运移速度为3. 8～2. 1km /a,反映出岩溶水由补给→排泄区由快到慢的运动过程。文中还利用黄河水与岩溶水的氚值,估算了黄河西岸岩溶水中有25%来自黄河水入渗,75%来自东部岩溶水的补给。      

华北地区强震前的信号震及其预测意义

根据对华北地区1970年以来M_S≥6地震以前中小地震活动空间图像变化特征的分析, 研究了“信号震”发生的时空特征及其地震活动背景, 由“场-源”关系特征对一般地震进行严格的筛选识别, 从而得出信号震的有关预测指标。 信号震一般发生在强震前的2年之内, 多数发生在15个月内; 信号震与强震的距离不超过200 km, 多数在100 km之内; 震级强度一般为M_L4.0～5.3。 信号震一般发生在局部的M_L≥4.0地震平静区内, 一般发生在中小地震条带上或条带附近, 在其周围或附近存在中小地震空区。 检验结果表明, 信号震发生后的9个月之内, 其预测概率P_t即超过0.5, R_t值达到0.27; 预测区域半径在距信号震震中100 km之内时, 其发生概率P_d可以达到0.73; 预测强震震级一般为M_S≥6.0。 研究表明, 信号震的环境应力值τ₀明显高于其他地震, 显示了高应力背景的异常显著性, 它所辐射的地震波中很可能含有未来强震孕震区的大量的本质性信息。