Detection of Hg pollution by stream sediment geochemistry in the Bisagno valley (Genoa, Italy)

 Systematic stream sediment investigation in a periurban area surrounding Genoa (Italy) revealed the existence of a significant mercury anomaly localized on the main (3rd rank) bed of the Bisagno river. Statistical multivariate analysis of elemental abundances points out the anthropic nature of this contamination. Because of the well-known bioaccumulation of Hg in contaminated media, attention must be focused on the risks associated with the discovered pollution. Received: 30 November 1999 · Accepted: 22 March 2000     

Diurnal timing of warmer air under climate change affects magnitude,timing and duration of stream temperature change

Stream temperature will be subject to changes because of atmospheric warming in the future. We investigated the effects of the diurnal timing of air temperature changes – daytime warming versus nighttime warming – on stream temperature. Using the physically based model, Heat Source, we performed a sensitivity analysis of summer stream temperatures to three diurnal air temperature distributions of +4 °C mean air temperature: i) uniform increase over the whole day, ii) warmer daytime and iii) warmer nighttime. The stream temperature model was applied to a 37‐km section of the Middle Fork John Day River in northeastern Oregon, USA. The three diurnal air temperature distributions generated 7‐day average daily maximum stream temperatures increases of approximately +1.8 °C ± 0.1 °C at the downstream end of the study section. The three air temperature distributions, with the same daily mean, generated different ranges of stream temperatures, different 7‐day average daily maximum temperatures, different durations of stream temperature changes and different average daily temperatures in most parts of the reach. The stream temperature changes were out of phase with air temperature changes, and therefore in many places, the greatest daytime increase in stream temperature was caused by nighttime warming of air temperatures. Stream temperature changes tended to be more extreme and of longer duration when driven by air temperatures concentrated in either daytime or nighttime instead of uniformly distributed across the diurnal cycle. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling the non‐linear hydrological behaviour of a small Mediterranean forested catchment

A progressive perceptual understanding approach was used to identify a model structure able to represent the non‐linear behaviour of the hydrological cycle in a small intermittent Mediterranean stream. The initial lumped model structure consisting of a series of four connected water tanks (LU3) progressed to a model with five tanks (LU4), and finally to a semidistributed model structure (SD4) in which spatial variability of the evapotranspiration according to the vegetation cover and to the local aspect was considered. In the final model structure, which gave the best fit (Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency index = 0·78), an additional tank representing the riparian zone was included (SD4‐R). Results showed that the abrupt changes of the riparian water table during summer and the formation of a perched water table during the transition from dry to wet conditions were the main mechanisms leading to the non‐linear hydrological behaviour. The transpiration process from the saturated zone and the spatial variability of evapotranspiration resulted in key factors successfully representing the annual water balance. The spatial and temporal validations carried out for each of the four model structures considered in this study supported the hypothesis adopted during the calibration process. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Streambank dewatering for increased stability

Streambank erosion is often the dominant source of sediment leaving modified watersheds. Mass failure of high, steep banks is one of the most serious forms of streambank erosion. The risk of a given bank experiencing mass failure is a function of bank height, angle, and soil strength, which is governed by soil moisture. Two methods for bank dewatering were tested in adjacent sections of streambank bordering a deeply incised channel in northern Mississippi: a low‐cost pump system and subsurface horizontal drains. Pore water pressures (both positive and negative pressures, or matric suction) were continuously monitored for 2 years at the pumped site, at an adjacent untreated control section, and for 1 year at the site stabilized with horizontal drains. Resulting data were used to calculate a time series of the factor of safety using a computer model. Over the course of two wet seasons, average bank retreats for the control and pumped plots were 0·43 and 0·21 m, respectively. More limited monitoring revealed that the site with passive drains retreated about 0·23 m. At the pumped site pore water pressure was 3–4 kPa lower than at the control site during the most critical periods. Accordingly, computed factors of safety were above the failure threshold at the pumped site, but fell below unity at the control site on 11 occasions over the period of observation. Similarly, the drained site displayed generally lower pore water pressure and higher safety factors except for two events when drains were evidently overwhelmed with the volume of local surface and subsurface flows. These results suggest, but do not prove, that bank dewatering promoted lower rates of bank retreat and higher levels of stability since the three sites had slight differences in soils, geometry and boundary conditions. Initial cost of the dewatering treatments were significantly less than orthodox bank stabilization measures, but operation and maintenance requirements may be greater. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Outflow Propagation in Collapsars: Collimated Jets and Expanding Outflows

We investigate the outflow propagation in the collapsar in the context of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with 2D relativistic hydrodynamic simulations. We vary the specific internal energy and bulk Lorentz factor of the injected outflow from non-relativistic regime to relativistic one, fixing the power of the outflow to be 10⁵¹erg s⁻¹. We observed the collimated outflow, when the Lorentz factor of the injected outflow is roughly greater than 2. To the contrary, when the velocity of the injected outflow is slower, the expanding outflow is observed. The transition from collimated jet to expanding outflow continuously occurs by decreasing the injected velocity. Different features of the dynamics of the outflows would cause the difference between the GRBs and similar phenomena, such as, X-ray flashes.     

Water source characterization through spatiotemporal patterns of major,minor and trace element stream concentrations in a complex,mesoscale German catchment

The link between spatiotemporal patterns of stream water chemistry and catchment characteristics for the mesoscale Dill catchment (692 km²) in Germany is explored to assess the catchment scale controls on water quality and to characterize water sources. In order to record the spatiotemporal pattern, ‘snapshot sampling’ was applied during low, mean and high flow, including 73 nested sites throughout the catchment. Water samples were analysed for the elements Li, B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba, Pb and U using inductively‐coupled‐plasma mass spectrometry, and for electric conductivity and pH. Principle component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to find typical element associations and to group water samples according to their hydrochemical fingerprints. This revealed regional hydrochemical patterns of water quality which were subsequently related to catchment attributes to draw conclusions about the controls on stream chemistry. It was found that various lithologic signals and anthropogenic point source inputs controlled the base flow hydrochemistry. During increased flows, stream waters were diluted causing additional hydrochemical variability in response to heterogeneous precipitation inputs and differences in aquifer storage capacities. The hydrochemical patterns further displayed in‐stream mixing of waters. This implied, that stream waters could be apportioned to the identified water sources throughout the catchment. The basin‐wide hydrochemical variability has the potential to outrange the tracer signatures typically inferred in studies at the hillslope scale and is able to strongly influence the complexity of the catchment output. Both have to be considered for further catchment scale tracer and modelling work. Despite the likelihood of non‐conservative behaviour, the minor and trace elements enhanced the rather qualitative discrimination of the various groundwater types, as the major cations were strongly masked by point source inputs. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“菲特”台风路径和强度预报难点分析

利用1°×1°NCEP再分析资料、NOAA海温资料对其进行分析,结果表明:(1)副高突然加强西进,中低层高压带加强,在台风北侧形成高压坝和强盛偏东气流,是台风路径突然西折的主要原因;(2)"丹娜丝"的活动在一定程度上阻止了副热带高压的南落,有利于副高南侧偏东急流的维持和加强,对"菲特"路径的突然西折起一定作用。敏感性数值试验结果表明"双台风"效应对"菲特"登陆前进一步西折具有决定作用;(3)高低空急流的配置,产生了动力场的耦合作用,加强了台风的对流活动,所释放的潜热可以补偿海温降低的影响,对"菲特"在近海强度维持起到了重要作用;(4)"菲特"的强度和环境风垂直切变的演变规律基本一致,较低的环境风垂直切变是"菲特"在近海强度维持的重要原因。     

Chlorophyll production,in response to nutrient additions,by the algae in Lake Taupo water

In batch cultures of Lake Taupo water, phosphorus was the nutrient limiting plant growth from January to June, and nitrogen took over this role from July to December. Chlorophyll production by algae was often stimulated by trace element additions, but it was uncertain whether total cytoplasmic production was also involved.     

甘肃省黑河干流中游地区泉水动态特征及预报

在简述区域水文地质条件的基础上,依据1986～2007年泉水流量系列观测资料,详细论述了区内下降泉、上升泉的年内和多年动态变化特征,对比分析了1967年、1984年、2006年测区各泉域泉水量和泉水总量的时空分布规律和变化特征。利用已有的潜水二维流水量数学模型,推递并建立了利用泉点周围节点水头(水位)预报泉水流量的数学模型,并对测区泉水总量未来15年的变化趋势进行了预报。结果表明,在现状节水灌溉条件下,由于出山径流量的增加和地下水开采量的减少,未来黑河干流中游地区的泉水资源基本处于稳定状态。     

利用氮氧同位素研究桂林寨底地下河硝酸盐来源

工农业生产的迅速发展使地下水硝酸盐氮(NO3-—N)污染成为世界性的环境问题。地下水中硝酸盐的来源研究在水文地质结构特殊的西南岩溶地区就显得尤为重要。稳定氮同位素和氧同位素在地下水硝酸盐的来源示踪研究中有着广泛的应用。本研究选取岩溶地区典型地下河——广西桂林寨底地下河为研究对象,通过氮氧同位素数据,判断寨底地下河硝酸盐来源是以动物粪便为主的农家肥,为该区地下水的保护和利用提供科学依据。