Effect of groundwater interception and irrigation on salinity and piezometric levels of an aquifer

The major strategy used to prevent the discharge of highly saline groundwater to the River Murray in southeastern Australia is groundwater interception and disposal. The basic design principle assumes that the extraction of groundwater from an aquifer hydraulically connected to the river, using a line of pumps positioned close and roughly parallel to the river, will decrease piezometric heads thereby reducing the discharge of saline groundwater to the river. The paper considers one of these schemes which was designed for the Mildura area on the basis of a hydrogeological investigation. It analyses the effects on piezometric head and groundwater salinity due to the groundwater interception scheme and adjacent irrigation activity over a period of several years from January 1980. It is shown that piezometric heads have decreased significantly in the stretch close to the river. A slight reduction in groundwater salinity is also apparent in this stretch except for an area between the river and a holding basin used for disposal of the saline effluents emanating from the groundwater interception scheme. This general reduction in groundwater salinity is mainly caused by pumping from the groundwater interception scheme and recharge from irrigation. The exception in the trend in groundwater salinity is due to the movement of a highly saline body of groundwater from the holding basin towards the River Murray. Results of this Australian experience should be helpful to the designers of similar salinity mitigation schemes elsewhere.     

Mosaic and gradient SiGe single crystals for gamma ray Laue lenses

Both Ge_1−x Si _x mosaic crystals and Si_1−x Ge _x crystals with gradient of composition could be grown using the modified Czochralski technique to produce the diffracting elements for the MAX gamma ray telescope. Although many elements cut from the mosaic crystal and used before for CLAIRE gamma ray telescope had an efficiency up to 20%, the overall efficiency of the lens was about 8.1 ± 0.7 %, which is more than twice lower than the theoretically predicted efficiency. Some causes of this behaviour are discussed. In addition to mosaic crystals, the growth of Si_1−x Ge _x crystals with a gradient of composition and their properties are analysed. Such composition-gradient crystals could be a promising way to improve the diffraction efficiency of Laue lens for MAX.     

Subsurface radar sounding of the martian polar cap: radiative transfer approach

The problem of subsurface radar sounding of the martian polar caps [Ilyushin, 2004. Martian northern polar cap: layering and possible implications for radar sounding. Planet. Space Sci. 52, 1195–1207] is considered from the point of view of incoherent radiative transfer theory. Since it has been previously shown that the radar signal field within the polar cap has diffuse structure, there is a need for a statistical approach to the problem. Radiative transfer theory, which is now well developed, seems to be the most appropriate formalism for this approach.Several physical models of polar caps have been formulated. The asymptotic solutions for all proposed models are derived here. In the present paper only the case of orbital ground penetrating radar is considered, because it is of great interest in relationship to currently developed radar experiments. In principle, the approach is believed to be applicable to a wide class of short pulse and compressed chirp radar experiments, including both orbital and landed instruments and media more complicated than a simple plane parallel geometry. This work, however, is postponed to future papers.Techniques for retrieval of physical properties of polar caps from the radar measurements are proposed. From the observational data, the macroscopic parameters of the medium appearing in radiative transfer theory, i.e. the single scattering albedo and volume extinction coefficient can be estimated. These estimates put certain constraints on the physical parameters of the medium model introduced in the paper. With some additional information, known a priori or from other observations, these estimates can be used to retrieve physically meaningful information, for example, the average content of impurities in the ice.     

Geomorphological and Pedological Investigations on the Glacial History of the Kali Gandaki (Nepal Himalaya)

In semi-arid orographic left tributaries of the Kali Gandaki at the northern and western flank of the Nilgiri Himal, glacio-geomorphological and pedological investigations were carried out on prehistoric moraines. Geomorphological relief analysis was derived from other literature and the own fieldwork of the author. The resulting glacial chronology was used as benchmark to explore the limits of different pedological dating methods regarding the degree of soil development. These methods are based on iron fractionation, total element contents and particle size distribution. In general the different glacial stages are mirrored correctly in the relative graduation of soil development. The ratio of well crystallised pedogenic iron-oxides to the total iron content and the ratio fine clay to total clay are most suitable, because they are almost independent from existing changes in the lithological composition. The total element based weathering indices are less suitable, because they react highly sensitive to the geology dependent shift to higher carbonate contents. Most of the grain size based weathering indices are inapplicable because of the typically high textural variability within till deposits.     

一种纳米纯AgI气溶胶的制备方法 及其成冰核活性的检测

将100mg纯AgI粉末置于一个气氛炉的汽化管内加热到1600℃使之汽化,再利用高压空气将气态AgI爆冲到一个容积为2m~3的金属容器里,骤冷后形成AgI气溶胶。用碳支持膜对形成的AgI气溶胶粒子自然沉降取样,然后用X射线衍射仪和电镜检测其成分和粒子尺度。检测表明:粉末状纯AgI经汽化—冷凝产生的气溶胶其成分仍为纯AgI,粒子尺度在0.84～34.6nm,峰值直径约为2.17nm。为了验证产生的纳米纯AgI气溶胶在冰核化中是否具有成冰核活性,用15L混合云室分别在云室中有冷雾和无冷雾两种条件下定量注入纳米纯AgI气溶胶,检测了它们在不同温度下的成冰核效率,检测结果是:在云室中有-10℃冷雾时,成核率为1.1×10~(11)个·g~(-1),在云室中-10℃无冷雾时,成核率约为3.4×10~(10)个·g~(-1)。     

不同下垫面数据和城市冠层参数化方案对江苏气温影响的个例分析

利用中尺度数值模式WRF,分别选用新旧两种下垫面资料和不同城市冠层模型设计试验,以江苏一次秋末高温天气个例(2014年11月20—21日)为背景,研究城市化进程对气温的影响和可能机制。将模式结果与江苏国家气象观测站和地面加密区域自动站观测资料进行对比,并分析3组试验结果发现:(1)采用BEP城市方案对2 m气温、2 m相对湿度和10 m风速等物理量的日变化模拟最优。(2)相比USGS数据,MODIS较新地表覆盖变化数据能更真实反映研究区域当前地表类型分布情况,且能提高近地面风温湿要素空间分布的模拟。(3)分析不同试验模拟的地表能量平衡过程差异,发现相比UCM单层城市冠层方案,BEP多层城市冠层方案在白天能更好模拟出城市地区的温度升高以及相对应的地表感热通量和地面热通量的增加。     

空调系统对城市大气温度影响的模拟研究

人为热排放对城市边界层气候效应的影响起着举足轻重的作用。在人为热源的组成中,建筑物内部的能源消耗、热量产生以及室内外热量传输与交换,对于城市热环境的改变有着非常重要的作用。因此,为研究室内空调系统的产热和通过屋顶、墙面、地面进行室内外热量传输扩散,并对室外热环境产生的影响,运用WRF（Weather Research and Forecasting Model）模式,选取BEP+BEM城市冠层参数化方案,即基于多层城市冠层方案BEP（Building Effect Parameterization）增加室内空调系统影响的建筑物能量模式BEM（Building Energy Model）的方案,以南京2010年8月2—3日,夏季三伏天晴天小风天气作为背景天气进行模拟研究。结果表明,采用WRF模式考虑空调系统室内、外能量交换的BEP+BEM参数化方案,能够更好地模拟出夏季晴天城市近地层气温。当假设空调全天开启时,白天模拟值与观测值吻合较好。夜间温度模拟值高于观测值,在22时—次日00时（北京时）,存在1℃左右的偏差。白天空调系统开启对于城市近地层气温的影响不明显,而夜间使得城市气温普遍升高0.6℃,尤其是在居民区密集的地方,22—23时最大有2℃左右的升温。当调整室内空调目标温度从25℃调至27℃时,空调系统能量总释放量减少12.66%,13—16时温度下降最大,平均约为1℃,建筑物越是密集,温度下降幅度越大。      

基于“永盛轮”航线冰情分析的北极东北航线通航性研究

海冰冰情是开发、利用北极航道的关键信息,研究利用2006—2015年北极地区逐日海冰密集度数据,根据2013年"永盛轮"首航北极东北航道时所经航线为例,提取了航线冰情要素,包括航线通航窗口、逐日海冰密集度时空分布以及海冰密集度月标准差等,对航线通航条件进行了研究。根据航线冰情要素获得了十年间航线通航窗口的基本情况,十年间航线所经水域的大体通航情况和主要冰障位置,7—10月份航线所经水域海冰密集度的变化动态。通过对航线冰情要素的分析,得出影响航线的两个关键海域,并分析了"永盛轮"航线与关键水域航线通航窗口的变化趋势。