Contribution of magnetic resonance sounding to aquifer characterization and recharge estimate in semiarid Niger

To improve the knowledge of the regionally important Continental Terminal 3 (CT3) aquifer in south-western Niger, fifteen magnetic resonance soundings (MRS) were carried out in December 2005 in the vicinity of wells and boreholes. The output MRS geophysical parameters, i.e. water content and decay constants versus depth, were compared to hydrogeological characteristics, i.e. water table depth, total porosity, specific yield and transmissivity estimated from direct measurements, pumping tests and transient groundwater modelling. The MRS-determined parameters were then used to estimate the rates of groundwater recharge.Contained in poorly consolidated Tertiary sandstones, the CT3 aquifer's water table has continuously risen by 4 m in total over the past four decades. Additionally, a significant portion of this increase has occurred in the past decade alone, with an annual rise now ranging between 0.1 and 0.3 m depending on the monitored well. Increase in groundwater recharge due to land clearance and deforestation explains this situation. According to previous estimations, the pre-clearing recharge ranged from 1 to 5 mm per year in 1950–60 s, while more recent recharge rates (1990s–2000s) range from 20 to 50 mm per year. These recharge values are directly affected by estimated aquifer specific yield value, while the spatial variation of rates of water table rise can be attributed to large scale hydrodynamic heterogeneities in the aquifer. However, few field measurements were available to confirm these assumptions.The main results of this study are: (1) The water table depth and aquifer transmissivity are estimated from MRS output parameters with an average accuracy of ± 10% and ± 9% respectively. (2) The MRS-determined water content is linked to both the total porosity and the specific yield of the aquifer, but no quantitative formulation can be proposed as yet. (3) Using the average MRS-determined water content over the investigated area, i.e. 13%, the groundwater recharge rates can be estimated to be ~ 2 mm per year in the 1950–1960s (pre-clearing period), and ~ 23 mm per year for the last decade. (4) The variations in specific yield and transmissivity cannot explain by themselves the spatial variability of the rise of the water table. (5) The ranges in transmissivity and water content obtained from MRS are more realistic than the groundwater modelling outputs. Therefore, MRS could be used to better constrain the aquifer parameters in groundwater modelling with a dense site network.Finally, this work illustrates how MRS can successfully improve characterisation and transient multi-year groundwater balance of commonly found sedimentary aquifers, particularly when integrated with well observations and pumping tests.     

基于双频磁共振的未知拉莫尔频率地下水探测方法

在利用地面磁共振方法进行地下水探测时,要求发射频率与拉莫尔（Larmor）频率相同.由于地磁场的不均匀性和噪声干扰,实际测量时无法获得准确的Larmor频率,导致发生偏共振现象.如果假设磁共振或频率偏量未知时,反演得到的含水量和弛豫时间（T₂^*）将存在较大误差.为了解决未知Larmor频率情况下的准确探测问题,本文在频率环测量方案的基础上提出了双频磁共振探测方法,即只需知道Larmor频率的范围区间,通过区间外的两个频率进行偏共振激发,利用频率差值的一半作为频率偏量计算核函数,即可消除未知Larmor频率的影响.通过仿真实验,证明了在电阻率大于100 Ωm时,双频磁共振和偏共振的核函数偏差较小.对于双层含水层模型,双频磁共振和偏共振的信号偏差小于3 nV,因此得到双频磁共振信号可以用偏共振核函数进行反演.通过对假设磁共振、假设偏共振和双频磁共振反演结果的对比,可以得到在未知频率偏量和设定频率偏量改变时,双频磁共振均能得到准确的反演结果.但是,当环境噪声增加和电阻率降低时,反演结果的准确度降低.最后,通过长春市烧锅镇采集数据的反演结果与已知钻探资料进行对比,验证了双频磁共振探测方法的有效性和准确性.

     

Complex site effects and building codes: Making the leap

The engineering community is aware of the importance of site effects, but it lags behind seismological studies when it comes to incorporating site effect considerations in design spectra for seismic norms. This lag is reflected in the conspicuous fact that current building codes make allowance for 1D site effects but ignore complex site effects. The purpose of this paper is to explore a way for including complex site effects in a building code environment. We take as example Eurocode 8, which is a modern code that exemplifies the current approach to site effect consideration. We examine the restrictions that we have imposed to make the problem of a feasible size and discuss the approach we have taken. We propose a strategy to incorporate a class of complex site effects in a design elastic spectrum.     

2D magnetic resonance tomography applied to karstic conduit imaging

Karstic conduits play a crucial role for water supply in many parts of the world. However, the imaging of such targets is generally a difficult task for most geophysical methods. Magnetic Resonance Sounding (MRS) is a geophysical method designed for imaging of water bearing structures. Initially, MRS was developed for characterizing horizontally stratified aquifers. However, when applying a 1D MRS measuring setup to the imaging of 2D–3D targets, the size of which may be much smaller than the loop, the accuracy and the lateral resolution may not be sufficient. We have studied the possibility of simultaneously processing several MRS aligned along a profile to perform a Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MRT). This work emphasizes the gain of resolution for 2D–3D imagery of MRT versus the interpolation of 1D inversion results of MRS along the same profile. Numerical modelling results show that the MRT response is sensitive to the size and location of the 2D target in the subsurface. Sensitivity studies reveal that by using the coincident transmitting/receiving (TX/RX) setup and shifting the loop around the anomaly area, the depth, section and position of a single karstic conduit with a size smaller than the MRS loop size can be resolved. The accuracy of the results depends on the noise level and signal level, the latter parameter being linked to the depth and volume of the karstic conduit and the water content in the limestone matrix. It was shown that when applying MRT to the localization of 2D anomalies such as karstic conduits, the inclination of the geomagnetic field, the orientation of the MRT profile and the angle of crossover of the conduit by the MRT profile must be taken into account. Otherwise additional errors in interpretation should be expected. A 2D inversion scheme was developed and tested. Both numerical and experimental results confirm the efficiency of the developed approach.     

简单热带海气耦合模型中不同扰动形式的作用

在局地热平衡情况下,将物理量先用韦伯函数展开,然后去掉相应分量的滤波方 法,讨论了简单热带海气耦合模型中不同形式扰动的作用和贡献,结果表明,在热带海气耦合 系统中,大气准定常 Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波和海洋 Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波对于耦合系统贡献较大,它们决定着耦合系统 与耦合扰动的性质,而大气准定常Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ波和海洋Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ波对于耦合系统贡献相对较小．     

Study of the Earth’s free core nutation by tidal gravity data recorded with international superconducting gravimeters

By stacking high-precision tidal gravity observations obtained with superconducting gravimeters at six stations in China, Japan, Belgium, France, Germany and Finland, the local systematical discrepancies in the parameter fitting, caused by atmospheric, oceanic tidal loading and the other local environmental perturbations, are eliminated effectively. As a result, the resonance parameters of the Earth’s free core nutation are accurately determined. In this study, the eigenperiod of free core nutation is given as 429.0 sidereal days, which is in agreement with those published in the previous studies. It is about 30 sidereal days less than those calculated in theoretical models (about 460 sidereal days), which confirms the real ellipticity of the fluid core of the Earth to be about 5% larger than the one expected in assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium. The quality factor (Q value) of free core nutation is given as about 9543, which, compared with those determined before based on the body tide observations, is much larger, but more close to those obtained using the VLBI observations. The complex resonance strength is also determined as (−6.10×10⁻⁴, −0.01 ×10⁻⁴)°/h, which can principally describe the deformation characteristics of an anelastic mantle.     

真三轴单面临空下煤岩组合体冲击破坏特征试验研究

煤岩复合承载结构所处的应力边界条件不同,冲击地压在巷道中的显现特征和前兆规律亦不相同。采用高频振动采集及孔内成像三轴动静载试验系统,开展了高静载和动静载耦合作用下煤岩组合体真三轴单面临空试验,分析了煤岩组合体界面处力学特征和强度条件,探究了不同应力边界下煤岩组合体的破坏形态、动力显现特征和声发射信号的演变规律。研究结果表明:(1)受煤岩变形相互制约的影响,交界面处砂岩强度被"弱化"。当界面处煤体裂隙尖端的应力大于"弱化"后砂岩强度时,裂隙将穿过煤岩界面发育至砂岩中,砂岩呈现出屈曲层裂、劈裂成板的破坏形态。(2)高静载作用下,煤岩组合体变形破坏特征和声发射信号具有明显的前兆规律,组合体发生承载失效前煤体局部颗粒弹射动能增大、弹射颗粒块度降低,声发射信号由"高频低能"向"高频高能"转变,组合体的破坏形态以剪切-张拉复合破坏为主。(3)受冲击动载影响,顶底板砂岩夹持作用减弱,煤体裂纹尖端应力得不到有效积聚,裂纹扩展到煤岩交界面时被阻隔,组合体以煤样的张拉破坏为主,声发射信号呈现出"高频高能"的特点,但大多集中在冲击破坏之后,导致组合体动力破坏难以预测。(4)与纯静载作用相比,虽然动静载耦合作...     

Experimental study of surface texture and resonance mechanism of booming sand

The sound-producing mechanism of booming sand has long been a pending problem in the blown sand physics. Based on the earlier researches, the authors collected some silent sand samples from Teng- ger Desert, Australian Desert, Kuwait Desert, beaches of Hainan Island and Japanese coast as well as the soundless booming sand samples from the Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang to make washing ex- periments. In the meantime the chemical corrosion experiment of glass micro-spheres, surface coating experiment and SEM examination were also conducted. The experimental results show that the sound production of booming sand seems to have nothing to do with the presence of SiO2 gel on the surface of sand grains and unrelated to the surface chemical composition of sand grains but is related to the resonance cavities formed by porous (pit-like) physical structure resulting from a number of factors such as wind erosion, water erosion, chemical corrosion and SiO2 gel deposition, etc. Its resonance mechanism is similar to that of Hemholz resonance cavity. Under the action of external forces, nu- merous spherical and sand grains with smooth surface and porous surface are set in motion and rub with each other to produce extremely weak vibration sound and then become audible sound by human ears through the magnification of surface cavity resonance. However the booming sands may lose their resonance mechanism and become silent sand due to the damping action caused by the invasion of finer particles such as dust and clay into surface holes of sand grains. Therefore, clearing away fine pollutants on the quartz grain surface is an effective way to make silent sand emit audible sound.     

A proposal for the theoretical analysis of the interactive coupled effects between urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations

Mega-urban agglomerations are strategic core areas for national economic development and the main regions of new urbanization. They also have important roles in shifting the global economic center of gravity to China. However, the development of mega-urban agglomerations has triggered the interactive coercion between resources and the eco-environment. The interactive coupled effects between urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations represent frontier and high-priority research topics in the field of Earth system science over the next decade. In this paper, we carried out systematic theoretical analysis of the interactive coupling mechanisms and coercing effects between urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations. In detail, we analyzed the nonlinear-coupled relationships and the coupling characteristics between natural and human elements in mega-urban agglomerations. We also investigated the interactive coercion intensities between internal and external elements, and the mechanisms and patterns of local couplings and telecouplings in mega-urban agglomeration systems, which are affected by key internal and external control elements. In addition, we proposed the interactive coupling theory on urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations. Furthermore, we established a spatiotemporal dynamic coupling model with multi-element, multi-scale, multi-scenario, multi-module and multi-agent integrations, which can be used to develop an intelligent decision support system for sustainable development of mega-urban agglomerations. In general, our research may provide theoretical guidance and method support to solve problems related to mega-urban agglomerations and maintain their sustainable development.