Residual strength of slip zones of large landslides in the Three Gorges area, China

Slip zones of the large landslides in the Three Gorges area are commonly composed of fine-grained soils with substantial amount of coarse-grained particles, particularly gravel-sized particles. In this study, residual strength of the soils from slip zones of these landslides were examined in relation to their index properties based on a survey of 170 landslides. It was found that laboratory-determined residual friction angle using gravel-free fraction of the disturbed soils from the slip zones was closely related to clay content, liquid limit and plasticity index. On the other hand, in-situ residual friction angle of these soils (i.e. including gravel fraction) showed very weak correlations with clay content and Atterberg limits, but was largely dependent on gravel and fines (clays + silts) contents, increasing with gravels and decreasing with fines, and displayed strong linear correlation with the ratio of gravel to fines contents. These observations indicate that among the index properties, clay content and Atterberg limits can be used to estimate residual strength of the soils finer than 2 mm, but they are not appropriate evaluate the residual strength of the soils containing considerable amount of gravel-sized particles. For the latter, particle size distribution (particularly the ratio of gravel to fines contents) appears to be a useful index. Additionally, it was found that there was no identifiable correlation between relative abundance of individual major clay minerals and residual friction angles of both gravel-free fraction of disturbed and in-situ soils, suggesting that influence of clay minerals on residual strength of these soils can not be simply evaluated based on their abundance.     

Organic geochemistry and petrology of barren and Mo–Ni–PGE mineralized marine black shales of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation (South China)

Marine black shales of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation in southern China host Mo–Ni–platinum group elements (PGE) mineralization confined to a phosphate- and pyrite-rich stratiform body (max. 20-cm thick). The H/C atomic ratio, carbon isotopic composition, FTIR spectra of bulk organic matter, and spectra of extractable part of organic matter indicate similar sources and thermal evolution of organic matter in barren and mineralized black shales.The morphology and relative abundance of organic particles in barren and mineralized shales are different. In barren black shales, organic particles comprise only elongated bodies and laminae 2–10 μm across or elongated larger bodies (> 10 μm) with R_max = 2.96–5.21% (Type I particles). Mineralized black shales contain Type I particles in rock matrix (90–95 vol%), small veinlets or irregular organic accumulations (Type II particles, 1–5 vol%) that display weak to well developed mosaic texture and a variable reflectance (R_max = 3.55–8.65%), and small (< 1 to 5 μm) rounded or irregular Type III organic particles (1–4 vol%) distributed within phosphate nodules and sulphide rip-up clasts. Type III particles show similar reflectance as particles of Type I in rock matrix. Type I particles are interpreted as remnants of in situ bacterially reworked organic matter of cyanobacteria/algal type, Type II as solidified products or oil-derived material (migrabitumen), and Type III particles as remnants of original organic matter in phosphatized or sulphidized algal/microbial oncolite-like bodies. Equivalent vitrinite reflectances of Type I and III particles in barren and mineralized rocks are similar and correspond to semi-anthracite and anthracite. Micro-Raman spectra of organic particles in rocks display a wide belt in the area of 1600 cm^− 1 (G belt) and approximately the same belt in the area of 1350 cm^− 1 (D belt). The ratio of integrated areas of the two belts correlate with R_max values.The Mo–Ni–PGE mineralized body is interpreted as to represent a remnant of phosphate- and sulphide-rich subaquatic hardground supplied with organic material derived from plankton and benthic communities as well as with algal/microbial oncolite-like bodies that originated in wave-agitated, shallow-water, nearshore environment.     

Surface properties of stabilizing coastal dunes: combining spectral and field analyses

The coastal dunes of Israel have been undergoing a process of stabilization since 1948. One of the major features of this process is a change in the surface properties of the dunes – the development of a biological soil crust (BSC), and a change in the properties of the sand grains themselves. In Ashdod, at the southern coastal plain of Israel, sand properties that include the BSC, their fines (silt and clay) content and free iron-oxide (indicating their degree of rubification) have been analysed in detail using field and lab spectroscopy methods. In addition, sand erosion and deposition were measured using erosion pins to determine their effect on the presence of the above-mentioned factors. It was found that the BSC over these dunes is comprised of green algae that differs in its reflectance spectra from cyanobacterial crust, especially in the blue band. The crust was found to be particularly developed in the stable areas (mainly the interdunes) and on the north-facing slopes rather than on the south-facing slopes. A positive correlation was found between the crust fines and chlorophyll content, with stable areas showing more developed BSC. The stable areas showed also a lower albedo and slightly more developed reddish colour, indicating a slightly higher rate of rubification. This study demonstrates that the intensity of sand erosion/deposition rates affects soil properties, with the BSC being the fastest to react to the stabilization process (months to several years), followed by the content of fine particles (several years to a decade), whereas the rubification process is a much weaker marker and may need much longer time periods to develop (decades to centuries).     

临安大气气溶胶理化特性季节变化

分别利用碳成分分析仪、离子色谱仪和原子吸收光谱仪等获取浙江省临安地区大气气溶胶在春、夏、秋、冬四季的质量浓度、离子与碳成分特性，并对不同粒径气溶胶成分分布特点作了较详细分析。结果表明:气溶胶质量浓度、可溶性离子浓度以及碳成分浓度具有明显的季节变化趋势。整个尺度范围内，气溶胶质量浓度季节变化特点为春季浓度最高，达到534 μg/m3；冬季次之，质量浓度为117.21 μg/m3；夏季浓度最低，平均为65.7 μg/m3；秋季质量浓度98.6 μg/m3。可溶性离子成分在气溶胶中所占比例具有明显的季节性，其中夏季最高为49.4%，春季最低为11.3%。硫酸根离子SO₄2-和氨根离子NH₄+和硝酸根离子NO₃- 3种离子浓度之和约占离子总量的75%~83%。受温度影响，硝酸根离子NO₃-浓度随季节变化幅度较大，夏季平均浓度为1.7 μg/m3, 冬季平均浓度为11.5 μg/m3，是夏季浓度的6.8倍。碳浓度分布特点显示，气溶胶中元素碳浓度春季最高，夏季最低。有机碳浓度春季最高，冬季最低。气溶胶粒度分布特点也非常明显。四季中粒径小于11 μm（PM₁₁）的气溶胶均占气溶胶总量的90%以上，粒径小于2.1 μm（PM_2.1）的气溶胶占到气溶胶总量的53%以上。可溶性离子在粒径小于2.1 μm气溶胶颗粒中，以硫酸根离子、氨根离子和硝酸根离子为主。碳成分尺度分布特征为颗粒越小，有机碳及元素碳浓度越高。     

Effect of Atmospheric Haze on the Deterioration of Visibility over the Pearl River Delta

The studies on the effect of atmospheric aerosol on climate and environment are hot issues in the current circle of international science and technology. In recent years the pollution of aerosol is getting worse and worse over the Pearl River Delta. The clouds of aerosol occur all year round, with heavy pollution area located at the western side at the mouth of Pearl River. The haze weather mainly occurs from October to April next year, resulting in visibility deterioration. From the beginning of 1980s, visibility dramatically deteriorated, obviously increasing haze weather, in which there are three big fluctuations, showing the periods of pollutions of dust, sulphate and dust, fine particle from photochemical process and sulphate and dust accompanying with the development of economy respectively. The long-term tendency of visibility caused by fog and light fog does not show a tendency due to human activities or economic development, which mainly shows the interannual and interdecadal variation of climate. The deterioration of visibility has close relation to the fine particles over Pearl River Delta, with half of PM10 overpass the limited value set by national second graded standard (150μg m-3), meanwhile, all values of PM2.5 overpass the day-mean limited value of American national standard (65μg m-3), especially from October to January next year, monthly mean values of PM2.5 almost reach two times of standard value, indicating the fine particle concentration is very high. The ratio of PM2.5 to PM10 is also very high, reaching 58%-77%, higher especially in dry season than in rainy season. Thus it is the fine particle pollution in aerosol pollution over the Pearl River Delta. Compared with the data of 15 years ago, the ratio of fine particle to aerosol has obviously increased.     

利用多角度POLDER偏振资料实现陆地上空大气气溶胶光学厚度和地表反照率的同时反演 I. 理论与模拟

陆地上空标量辐射对地表反射率和大气气溶胶散射都具有很强的敏感性,而偏振反射只对大气气溶胶敏感,对地表不敏感。根据这个原理并结合POLDER(POLarization and Directionality of Earth Reflectance)资料的特点,作者提出综合利用标量辐射和偏振反射信息来实现陆地上空大气气溶胶和地表反照率的同时反演。首先,利用多角度偏振辐射观测提取大气气溶胶光学参数,再利用标量辐射测量对偏振反演结果作进一步筛选和订正,同时获得地表反射率。数值模拟试验结果证明,仅利用偏振信息只能获取大气气溶胶信息,而且其结果误差较大,特别是对于散射作用较强的短波长通道如670 nm误差更大,但经过标量辐射订正后的结果得到明显改善,气溶胶光学厚度和地表反射率与真实值之间相关系数都达到0.99以上。为提高查找表的计算效率,提出并建立了反演方案所需要的半参数化数值表,利用内插方法寻求气溶胶光学厚度和地表反射率的数值解的反演方法。     

南极威德尔海周边雪冰和大气气溶胶中的MSA,nssSO_4~(2-)浓度及其比率研究

分析了威德尔海周边雪冰和大气中ＭＳＡ和ｎｓｓＳＯ２－４浓度资料。结果表明,威德尔海是造成这一地区大气中高含量生物硫化物的“源”,其周边岛屿及冰架表层雪冰记载和反映了大气中生物硫化物的空间分布和季节变化特点。源区产出硫化物的强度存在显著差异：靠近南极半岛一侧高于靠近Ｆｉｌｃｈｎｅｒ－Ｒｏｎｎｅ冰架一侧。尽管诸多因素对输运和沉降过程发生影响,表层积雪ＭＳＡ和ｎｓＳＯ２－４浓度仍呈现出很有规律性的空间分布：随沉降地点离海距离和海拔高度的增加,浓度值递减;但在一定海拔之下,“高程效应”不显著。冰芯中ＭＳＡ浓度垂向分布显示出季节分配“滞后”现象,在表层表现为受天气条件制约的输运过程造成的相位差,在深层则归因于有待验证的“迁移”机制作用的结果。大气和雪冰样品对比研究结果表明,在类似威德尔海这样的高纬地区,大气中的ＳＯ２－４和ＭＳＡ“信号”在雪冰样品中会遭到不同程度的减弱。但就空间变化趋势和季节分布而言,表层雪冰仍是大气中组分（在本文是ＳＯ２－４和ＭＳＡ）的良好载体。十分接近的大气和雪冰ＭＳＡ对ｎｓｓＳＯ２－４（或ＳＯ２－４）比率证实,这两种大气组分在由大气洗净和沉降到冰雪过程中只发生微弱的分离作用。这也就是大气和雪冰中     

Mineral magnetic and physical properties of surficial sediments and onshore samples from the southern basin of Lake Baikal, Siberia

Results of lithostratigraphic and mineral magnetic analysis of two surficial sediment cores (21 cm and 45 cm in length) collected from the Southern basin of Lake Baikal at a water depth of 1390 m, are presented. The sediments have been measured for a wide range of mineral magnetic parameters in order to assess their value in the identification of turbidite layers. Particle size and geochemical data are also presented and these explain some of the down core variations in magnetic mineralogy. It is suggested that changes in the particle size frequency distributions down core may be related to fossil diatom shells. One of the cores has been dated using ²¹⁰Pb. The sediment cores were cross-correlated using low frequency magnetic susceptibility (f) and these cores can also be correlated with a nearby core collected earlier in 1992. Changes in the magnetic parameters of lf, IRMs and HIRM₂₁₀ suggest that there are significant changes in the concentration of ferrimagnetic minerals in the sediment cores, indicating changing sediment sources and/or increasing concentrations of spheroidal carbonaceous particles and the dissolution of minerals through reduction below the oxidised layer within the sediment core.     

探讨气候变化的新热点:大气气溶胶的气候效应

气溶胶的气候效应是近年来研究的热点问题。针对这一问题已开展过许多观测研究和模式研究。但是由于气溶胶问题的复杂性以及对气溶胶的观测历史短,至今尚缺少全球范围的气溶胶系统观测资料,所以目前气溶胶的辐射强迫仍是个很不确定的量。这直接影响对全球气候变化的预测。目前国内外正在加强这方面的研究工作,并且有了一些初步的结果。概述了近期国内外对气溶胶的气候效应的研究状况及结果,介绍了今后国际上将要在这一领域开展的研究工作。     

The C/CO ratio in B335 and the decaying dark matter neutrino hypothesis

C¹⁸O J  = 2–1, C¹⁷O J  = 2–1 and [C  I ] ³P₁–³P₀ emission from the dense cold cloud B335 has been observed and modelled in order to determine the C/CO ratio. The observed ratio is compared with a prediction by Tarafdar who assumes a mechanism in which the CO dissociation is caused by photons of energy ∼ 13.8 eV. These were postulated by Sciama to result from the decay of dark matter neutrinos. Our value for the C/CO ratio sets an upper limit to the strength of the neutrino decay dissociation process, thus providing a significant datum for interstellar chemistry theory.