New Approaches and Markers for Identifying Secondary Biogenic Coalbed Gas

According to the adsorption-desorption characteristics of coalbed gas and analysis of various experimental data, this paper proposes that the generation of secondary biogenic gas (SBG) and its mixing of with the residual thermogenic gas at an early stage inevitably lead to secondary changes of the thermogenic gas and various geochemical additive effects. Experimental results also show that the fractionation of the carbon isotope of methane of coal core desorption gas changes very little; the δ13C1 value of the mixed gas of biogenic and thermogenic gases is between the δ13C1 values of the two “original” gases, and the value is determined by the carbon isotopic compositions and mixing proportions of the two “original” methanes. Therefore this paper proposes that the study on the secondary changes of the thermogenic gas and various additive effects is a new effective way to study and identify SBG. Herein, a systematic example of research on the coalbed gas (Huainan coalbed gas) is further conducted, revealing a series of secondary changes and additive effects, the main characteristics and markers of which are: (1) the contents of CO2 and heavy-hydrocarbons decrease significantly; (2) the content of CH4 increases and the gas becomes drier; (3) the δ13C and δD values of methane decrease significantly and tend to have biogenetic characteristics; and (4) the values of δ13C2 and δ13CCO2 grow higher. These isotopic values also change with the degradation degrees by microbes and mixing proportions of the two kinds of gases in different locations. There exists a negative correlation between the δ13C1 vs δ13CCO2 values. The △δ13CC2–C1 values obviously become higher. The distributions of the △δ13CCO2–C1 values are within certain limits and show regularity. There exist a positive correlation between the N2 versus Ar contents, and a negative correlation between the N2 versus CH4 contents, indicating the down forward infiltration of the surface water containing air. These are important markers of the generation and existence of SBG.     

大厂矿田铜坑矿矿体二次圈定的技术经济效果

铜坑矿近几年来主要开采92#贫矿体的边部,矿体厚度急速变小,形态不规则,分支复合较多。为了提高经济效益,急需重新准确圈定和控制矿体边界。经过几年来的实践证明,在贫矿和边部矿段开采过程中,通过矿体边界的二次圈定,能有效降低贫化损失,这是矿山企业获取经济效益的重要途径。     

Transport and deposition of fine sediment in open channels with different aspect ratios

This paper investigates by means of several large eddy simulations how the channel aspect ratio affects the transport and settling of suspended sediments. The numerical method is successfully validated using data of a physical experiment of fine sediment net deposition in an open channel flow. The channel aspect ratio, A, is known to be the determining factor for the development, strength and distribution of the turbulence‐driven secondary flow, and it is demonstrated that A influences the primary flow, turbulence quantities and the transport and fate of fine sediments. The secondary flow locally supports or hinders the falling of fine sediment particles in a turbulent flow, which results in a non‐uniform deposition of fine sediments over the cross‐section. While the channel aspect ratio has a large influence on the distribution of suspended sediments within the cross‐section, its effect on the cross‐sectional averaged deposition is negligibly small. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the ability of large-scale hydrological models to simulate land use and land cover change impacts in Amazonian basins

ABSTRACT

The MHD-INPE model was applied in the Ji-Parana Basin, a 30 000 km² catchment located in the southwest of the Amazon Basin which has lost more than 50% of its forest since the 1980s, to simulate land use and land cover change impacts on runoff generation process and how they are related to basin topography. Simulation results agree with observational studies in the sense that fast response processes are significant in sub-basins with steep slopes while in basins with gentle topography, the impacts are most visible in slow-response hydrological processes. On the other hand, the model is not able to capture the dependence of LUCC impacts on spatial scales. These discrepancies are probably associated with limitations in the spatial representation of heterogeneities within the model, which become more relevant at larger scales. We also tested the hypothesis that secondary forest growth should be able to compensate the decrease in evapotranspiration due to forest–cropland or forest–grassland conversion at a regional scale. Results showed that despite the small fraction of secondary forest estimated on the basin, the higher evapotranspiration efficiency of this type of forest counterbalances a large fraction of the LUCC impacts on evapotranspiration. This result suggests that enhanced transpiration due to secondary forest could explain, at least in part, the lack of clear LUCC signals in discharge series at larger scales.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR T. Wagener     

Migratory Patterns and Settlement Experiences of African Australians of Refugee Background in Murray Bridge,South Australia

In the past decade Australian immigration policy has emphasised settlement of refugees/humanitarian entrants in rural and regional locations, in preference to metropolitan areas. The settlement outcomes of a case study of African humanitarian entrants of South Sudanese background in Murray Bridge, a regional centre in South Australia, are examined. These participants were self-settled secondary movers from metropolitan Adelaide. The factors which attracted them were centred on employment. Settlement outcomes for Murray Bridge respondents were better than their urban counterparts, in terms of both housing and employment outcomes. However, some later left Murray Bridge because of a lack of opportunities for tertiary education. The results highlight issues of sustainability of settlement and retention, in regional centres in Australia, and of the fluidity of attraction and retention factors and therefore settlement in regional centres.     

Challenges related to interdisciplinary use of digital mapping technology in primary and lower secondary schools

The article reviews some learning objectives in the Norwegian core curriculum for four subjects in compulsory school education, namely science, social science, mathematics, and physical education. The subjects are examined with respect to maps, including map use, digital mapping tools, coordinate systems, and scales. Primary and lower secondary school pupils’ knowledge of maps was investigated before and after a group mapping project. Among three indicators, two showed statistically significant improvements in the pupils’ level of confidence when studying data with the aid of maps. The learning outcome is discussed in an inquiry-based and interdisciplinary pedagogical frame. In addition, the findings reveal that the four subjects have significantly different objectives and rates of progression regarding maps and map use. Based on the results of the group project, the author argues in favour of bringing the four curricula into more parallel learning curves. In order to facilitate interdisciplinary projects, he considers it would be interesting to coordinate the different subject curricula in the future, and recommends that attempts should be made to harmonise competence objectives that are part of several subjects in order to facilitate interdisciplinary projects in the next revision of the core curriculum in Norway.     

Experimental studies on pathway patterns of secondary oil migration

The oil migration patterns in porous medium are discussed based on the results of diphasic expulsing experiments. In the experiments, dyed kerosene was used as expulsing phase to expulse water saturated in a glass cylinder filled with sorted glass beads. Two series of experiments were done: one with different initial oil column heights and the other with variable oil injection rates. Three secondary migration patterns, including stable displacement pattern, fingering pattern and stringing pattern may be recognized in each series of experiments. Two classic dimensionless parameters, the modified Bond number and the Capillary number, were used to construct a phase diagram that may characterize the patterns. A new method was proposed to calculate the Darcian velocity of moving kerosene in the cylinder when only buoyancy force acts. It is found that when Darcian velocity is used to get the two dimensionless parameters, the data from both series of experiments, as well as those obtained from literatures, may be reasonably drawn in a phase diagram to identify the three migration patterns.     

DESIGN AND APPLICATION OF DYNAMIC MONITORING AND VISUALIZATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM OF KARST LAND ROCKY DESERTIFICATION

In order to study the spatial-temporal change and environmental management of regional karst LUCC (land use and land cover change) and its causative environmental effect-rocky dcsertification by integrating qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis, and relying on RS, GIS and GPS (3S) techniques, karst land rocky derification dynamic monitoring and visualization management information system (KLRD.DMVM.IS) is framed, which includes design aim and structure model, function design, database design and model system design. The model system design gives priority to dynamic monitoring, drive force diagnosis, comprehensive evaluation and decision support of karst rocky desertification. From the viewpoint of model type, mathematic expression and its meaning, the dynamic monitoring models are concretely devised to reflect the spatial and temporal changing features and the trend of karst LUCC and rocky desertification. Taking Du‘an Yao Autonomic County of Guangxi as an example, the KLRD.DMVM.1S is systematically analyzed in the application of the process and trend of karst LUCC and rocky desertiflcation in Du‘an County, and it provides the technical support for the study on karst land rocky desertification.     

Low-eccentricity motion of asteroids near the 2/1 Jovian resonance

(903) Nealley moves on an orbit of low eccentricity with a mean motion that is slightly larger than the 2/1 value of resonance. This orbit and some related fictious orbits are studied by numerical integrations of the four-body problem Sun-Jupiter-Saturn-asteroid over an interval of 110000 yr. The author's experience on related cases of resonance allows a study of the variation of suitably defined orbital parameters. The long-term evolution of the orbits is compared with earlier predictions. Some of the librating orbits are temporarily captured in a secondary resonance that refers to three-dimensional motion and is demonstrated by a special example.     

GIS技术在滑坡稳定性分析中的应用

利用Visual Basic对象嵌入技术(OLE Automation)，将MapInfo作为一个对象使用，应用GIS空间分析和数据处理等功能，对地理信息系统平台MapInfo进行二次开发，实现了对滑坡快速有效的统计、分析和预测，并建立了区域滑坡稳定的综合判定标准。通过友好的人机交互界面实现对地震滑坡稳定性分析和综合评价，提高了地震诱发滑坡灾害稳定性分析的可操作性和空间地理信息的传输能力。