The ＂CO2-rich gas vents＂ of Mt. Amiata volcano （Tuscany, Central Italy）： Geochemistry,genetic mechanism and hazard evaluation

Mt. Amiata （Southern Tuscany, Central Italy） is an extinct Quaternary volcano located in an area still marked by high heat-flow that is caused by deep seated （6-10 km） hot masses related to Pliocene magmatic activity. The anomalous geothermal gradient gives rise, within the Mesozoic limestone formation （Tuscan series）, to geothermal systems that fed the Ca-SO4 thermal springs characterizing this area. Besides of thermal fluids, several cold, dry CO2-rich gas emissions seep out on the NE flank of the volcano. These gas vents mostly consist of large sub-circular craters at variable depth and diameter （5-15 m and 10-50 m, respectively）, and represent a serious hazard for the local population, as testified by the several asphyxia casualties that have been repeatedly occurred within these morphological depressions. In this work, the chemical and isotopic compositions of the Mt. Amiata ＂CO2-rich gas vents＂ and the estimation of both the CO2 flux from the soil and the CO2 distribution in air of their surroundings, has been carried out in order to： （1） assess the origin of gases, （2） recognize the mechanism of formation for these gas emissions and their relationship with local tectonics, and （3） to evaluate the CO2 hazard in the high flux emanations. The chemical composition of the gases is largely dominated by CO2 （up to 98 % by vol） and shows relatively high concentrations of N2, CH4 and H2S （up to 1.1%, 0.9% and 3.9 % by vol, respectively）. These features, coupled with the carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures, suggest that the origin of the main gas compounds may be related to the contribution of deep （i.e., thermometamorphic processes on carbonate formations for CO2） and shallow （i.e. thermal decomposition of organic material for CH4, N2 and H2S） sources.     

Statistical evaluation of methods for the calculation of static formation temperatures in geothermal and oil wells using an extension of the error propagation theory

The feasibility of using the more sophisticated weighted least-squares (WLS) model, as opposed to the traditional ordinary least-squares (OLS), in linear regressions of BHT data to estimate the static formation temperatures (SFT) was investigated. The most commonly used analytical methods (line-source; spherical and radial heat flow; and cylindrical heat source) were applied. Error propagation equations were derived to calculate errors in the time function of each method. These errors were combined with the BHT measurement errors to compute weighting factors for applying the WLS. Intercept uncertainties were estimated for all regressions using sets of synthetic and actual borehole logs taken from geothermal and oil applications. SFT computed with the spherical and radial heat flow method were generally greater than those from the other two methods.     

Total gaseous mercury emissions from mercury-enriched soil in Guizhou, China

Guizhou is located in the Circum-Pacific Global Mercuriferous Belt, and mercury concentrations in soil in this area are enriched. In-situ total gaseous mercury （TGM） exchange fluxes between air and soil surface were intensively measured at four sampling sites in Guiyang from 21 May to 16 June, 2003, and five sites in the Lanmuchang mercury mining area in December 2002 and May 2003, respectively. The in-situ Hg flux measurement was conducted with a dynamic flux chamber （DFC） of quartz. Overall, net emissions were obtained from all sampling sites. Soil mercury concentration and solar radiation have been proved to be the two most important parameters to control mercury emissions from soil. Meanwhile, rain events can enhance mercury emission rate significantly.     

The distribution of radiogenic heat production as a function of depth in the Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

Geochemical analyses and geobarometric determinations have been combined to create a depth vs. radiogenic heat production database for the Sierra Nevada batholith, California. This database shows that mean heat production values first increase, then decrease, with increasing depth. Heat production is 2 μW/m³ within the 3-km-thick volcanic pile at the top of the batholith, below which it increases to an average value of 3.5 μW/m³ at 5.5 km depth, then decreases to 0.5–1 μW/m³ at 15 km depth and remains at these values through the entire crust below 15 km. Below the crust, from depths of 40–125 km, the batholith's root and mantle wedge that coevolved beneath the batholith appears to have an average radiogenic heat production rate of 0.14 μW/m³. This is higher than the rates from most published xenolith studies, but reasonable given the presence of crustal components in the arc root assemblages. The pattern of radiogenic heat production interpreted from the depth vs. heat production database is not consistent with the downward-decreasing exponential distribution predicted from modeling of surface heat flow data. The interpreted distribution predicts a reasonable range of geothermal gradients and shows that essentially all of the present day surface heat flow from the Sierra Nevada could be generated within the 35 km thick crust. This requires a very low heat flux from the mantle, which is consistent with a model of cessation of Sierran magmatism during Laramide flat-slab subduction, followed by conductive cooling of the upper mantle for 70 m.y. The heat production variation with depth is principally due to large variations in uranium and thorium concentration; potassium is less variable in concentration within the Sierran crust, and produces relatively little of the heat in high heat production rocks. Because silica content is relatively constant through the upper 30 km of the Sierran batholith, while U, Th, and K concentrations are highly variable, radiogenic heat production does not vary directly with silica content.     

Evidence for deep groundwater flow and convective heat transport in mountainous terrain, Delta County, Colorado, USA

The Tongue Creek watershed lies on the south flank of Grand Mesa in western Colorado, USA and is a site with 1.5 km of topographic relief, heat flow of 100 mW/m², thermal conductivity of 3.3 W m^–1 °C^–1, hydraulic conductivity of 10^-8 m/s, a water table that closely follows surface topography, and groundwater temperatures 3–15°C above mean surface temperatures. These data suggest that convective heat transport by groundwater flow has modified the thermal regime of the site. Steady state three-dimensional numerical simulations of heat flow, groundwater flow, and convective transport were used to model these thermal and hydrological data. The simulations provided estimates for the scale of hydraulic conductivity and bedrock base flow discharge within the watershed. The numerical models show that (1) complex three-dimensional flow systems develop with a range of scales from tens of meters to tens of kilometers; (2) mapped springs are frequently found at locations where contours of hydraulic head indicate strong vertical flow at the water table, and; (3) the distribution of groundwater temperatures in water wells as a function of surface elevation is predicted by the model.     

Palaeovariations in the East-Asian Monsoon Regime Geochemically Recorded in Varved Sediments of Lake Sihailongwan (Northeast China, Jilin Province). Part 2: a 200-Year Record of Atmospheric Lead-210 Flux Variations and its Palaeoclimatic Implications

Palaeovariations of the atmospheric ²¹⁰Pb flux in Northeast China (Long Gang area, Jilin province), quantified by high resolution ²¹⁰Pb measurements on seasonally laminated sediments of Lake Sihailongwan are presented on decadal scale. The mean flux of unsupported ²¹⁰Pb between 1790 and 1970 for the centre of the lake basin is 517 Bq m⁻² yr⁻¹ with maximum deviations between −23% and +27% of this value. Flux rates above this average were found between 1783 and 1813, around 1836, and between 1860 and 1901. The mean ²¹⁰Pb^exc flux rates derived were clearly lower around 1821, 1908, 1930, and 1953. The ²¹⁰Pb^exc flux reached its minimum of 344 Bq m⁻² yr⁻¹ during the period 1977–1982. The atmospheric flux of unsupported ²¹⁰Pb is correlated with the precipitation frequency during the summer monsoon and shows coinciding variability with geochemical proxies that document the groundwater inflow into the lake. Al₂O₃-rich dust of remote provenance scavenged by wet-deposition in the rainy season is the major carrier of the atmospheric ²¹⁰Pb^exc flux.     

Palaeovariations in the East-Asian Monsoon Regime Geochemically Recorded in Varved Sediments of Lake Sihailongwan (Northeast China, Jilin Province). Part 1: Hydrological Conditions and Dust Flux

The varved sediments of the dimictic Lake Sihailongwan (Long Gang mountain area, Jilin Province, Northeast China) represent a palaeoclimatic archive which documents the local precipitation frequency during the summer monsoon, and variations in the aeolian flux of dust with their remote sources in the arid and semi-arid regions of inner Asia. Based on a detailed discussion of sediment genesis in Lake SHL, dust flux rates and palaeohydrological conditions were reconstructed on a decadal scale over the past 220 years. The aeolian influx by dry and wet deposition was quantified and characterised in its chemical composition. Photosynthetic production in the lake is positively correlated with the inflow of nutrient-rich groundwater. The groundwater discharge largely reflects the strength of the summer monsoon. Net accumulation rates for biogenic silica were determined for annually laminated sediments from the centre of the U-shaped lake basin based on sediment data. In a Si-balance model of the modern lake, the depositional flux of biogenic silica could be independently quantified on the base of hydrochemical monitoring data. Comparison of the both estimates allowed to asses the focussing of the particle flux in the lake. Though water retention in Lake SHL is rather high (ca. 30 years), changes in the hydrological conditions are sensitively recorded in the sediments because (i) nutrient-rich groundwater discharges into the productive zone of the lake, (ii) a substantial proportion of the total dissolved Si-inventory of the mixed lake (ca. 30%) is annually consumed by diatom growth, and (3) sediment accumulation is substantially focussed towards the flat bottom of the lake basin. The bulk siliciclastic sediment fraction (ca. 75 wt.%) largely originates from influx of dust of remote provenance. In sediment thin-sections, the dry-deposited dust fraction is microscopically identifiable as seasonal silt layer. Aeolian input by wet-deposition shows a distinctly higher variability than the influx of dust by dry-deposition. As diatom production, wet-deposition of dust is positively correlated with the rainfall during the summer monsoon. The inferred positive correlation between rainfall and dust flux during the summer monsoon implies that dust deposition is determined by the out-wash efficiency of mineral particles for a permanent high atmospheric dust concentration over Northeast China in the last 220 years.     

Application of membrane technology for water treatment： Ultrasound-associated cleaning of fouled microfiltration membranes

The use of membranes is a widely employed, versatile, and effective separation process. One of the limiting aspects in applying microfiltration （MF） for wastewater treatment is that of problems with membrane fouling and consequent flux reduction. Membrane fouling occurs by the irreversible deposition of retained particles, colloids, macromolecules, salts, etc. at the membrane surface and/or inside the membrane. The predominant fouling mechanisms observed with MF membranes are classified as three categories： the build-up of a cake layer on the membrane surface, blocking of membrane pores, and adsorption of fouling material on the membrane surface or in the pore walls. Although many techniques have been developed to overcome fouling, studies on membrane cleaning still seem to be insufficient for practical membrane filtration systems. Current membrane cleaning technologies include hydraulic, chemical, and mechanical methods. Ultrasound （US） has been widely used as a method of cleaning materials because of the cavitation phenomenon. In this study, US cleaning technique was applied to removing the fouling of polyvinglidenefluoride （PVDF） MF membrane, which was used to treat yeast cell and isolated soybean protein （ISP） solution, respectively. The US employed 40 kHz frequency and the output power of 1.43-2.85 W/cm^2. The evolution of the cleaning effect is followed by the measurements of the flux recovery rate （FRstat） and the cleaning time cycle. Results showed that the membrane property, which was fouled by yeast cell solution, could be recovered by water cleaning with US irradiation. And the cleaning time with the same FRstat decreased with the increase of US intensity.     

长江三角洲地区水和热通量的时空变化特征及影响因子

文中利用改进的K B模式和牛顿扩散方法及 196 1年以来的长江三角洲 (2 8～ 33°N ,118～ 12 3°E)地区的 4 8个测站的常规气象资料 ,估计了该地区近 4 0a来的蒸散量和感热通量。结合该地区的气温、太阳辐射等气候资料和 196 0年以来该区域土地资源利用变化等有关信息对该地区的潜热通量和感热通量的时 空间变化特征及其可能成因进行了综合分析。结果认为该地区自 2 0世纪 70年代开始平均蒸散量有逐渐减小的趋势 ,与 1980年相比 ,1998年区域年平均蒸散量减小了 2 4mm。区域平均感热通量与蒸散量相比在此期间变化并不明显。通过对该地区的云量、太阳辐射及土地利用变化资料分析认为 ,造成该地区平均蒸散量减少趋势的的原因之一是用于蒸发的能量即太阳辐射的减少 ,而造成太阳辐射减少的可能原因为云量及大气透明度的变化所至 ;原因之二是该地区地表覆盖条件的改变。近 2 0a来 ,该地区的水田、旱地及水域面积占总面积的比率分别减少 1.35 3% ,4 .4 4 2 %和2 .5 97% ,而城镇建设、工矿及其它建设用地面积则增加 3.345 %。耕地及水面的减小和城镇及建设用地面积的增加从整体上使区域平均蒸发量减少。     

乾安地区盐碱地显热通量的测量

文中给出了用大孔径闪烁仪在 2 0 0 0年生长季观测到的盐碱地区显热通量的主要结果 ,并初步计算了当地的水热平衡状况。结果表明 :乾安盐碱地区显热通量占净辐射量的百分比在干旱、非生长季达到 6 5 % ,在多雨、植被生长季仅为 11% ;显热通量因降水而明显降低 ,幅度与降水强度有关 ,反映了当地的气候和土壤特征。文中还把LAS的测量结果与传统的梯度法作了比较 ,结果基本一致。