Estimation of regionalized phenomena by geostatistical methods: lake acidity on the Canadian Shield

 This paper describes a geostatistical technique based on conditional simulations to assess confidence intervals of local estimates of lake pH values on the Canadian Shield. This geostatistical approach has been developed to deal with the estimation of phenomena with a spatial autocorrelation structure among observations. It uses the autocorrelation structure to derive minimum-variance unbiased estimates for points that have not been measured, or to estimate average values for new surfaces. A survey for lake water chemistry has been conducted by the Ministère de l'Environnement du Québec between 1986 and 1990, to assess surface water quality and delineate the areas affected by acid precipitation on the southern Canadian Shield in Québec. The spatial structure of lake pH was modeled using two nested spherical variogram models, with ranges of 20 km and 250 km, accounting respectively for 20% and 55% of the spatial variation, plus a random component accounting for 25%. The pH data have been used to construct a number of geostatistical simulations that produce plausible realizations of a given random function model, while 'honoring' the experimental values (i.e., the real data points are among the simulated data), and that correspond to the same underlying variogram model. Post-processing of a large number of these simulations, that are equally likely to occur, enables the estimation of mean pH values, the proportion of affected lakes (lakes with pH≤5.5), and the potential error of these parameters within small regions (100 km×100 km). The method provides a procedure to establish whether acid rain control programs will succeed in reducing acidity in surface waters, allowing one to consider small areas with particular physiographic features rather than large drainage basins with several sources of heterogeneity. This judgment on the reduction of surface water acidity will be possible only if the amount of uncertainty in the estimation of mean pH is properly quantified. Received: 3 March 1997 · Accepted: 16 November 1998     

A laboratory investigation of the leaching of solute from snowpack by rainfall

Under controlled laboratory conditions, artificial rain leaches solute from snow columns, and gives rise to leachate with a composition similar to snowmelt, in addition to the solute initially present in the artificial rain. the initial concentration of ions in the leachate, normalized to the concentration of ions found in the original snow and corrected for the solute present in the artificial rain, is similar to those reported in other laboratory and field studies of snowmelt composition, but there is some evidence that the concentration of leached ions declines more rapidly than during snowmelt. Similarly, as in snowmelt studies, not all ions are leached with the same efficiency. Bearing in mind the confounding influences of snow crystal morphology and snow column hydrology, it seems likely that rain will leach solute from snowpack during rain-on-snow events, in a manner similar to leaching by snowmelt, and that the precise composition of the leachate will depend on the hydrological routing of rain-meltwater mixtures through the snowpack.     

Using multiple spectral feature analysis for quantitative pH mapping in a mining environment

The pH is one of the major chemical parameters affecting the results of remediation programs carried out at abandoned mines and dumps and one of the major parameters controlling heavy metal mobilization and speciation. This study is concerned with testing the feasibility of estimating surface pH on the basis of airborne hyperspectral (HS) data (HyMap). The work was carried on the Sokolov lignite mine, as it represents a site with extreme material heterogeneity and high pH gradients. First, a geochemical conceptual model of the site was defined. Pyrite, jarosite or lignite were the diagnostic minerals of very low pH (<3.0), jarosite in association with goethite indicated increased pH (3.0–6.5) and goethite alone characterized nearly neutral or higher pH (>6.5). It was found that these minerals have absorption feature parameters which are common for both forms, individual minerals as well as parts of the mixtures, while the shift to longer wavelengths of the absorption maximum centered between 0.90 and 1.00 μm is the main parameter that allows differentiation among the ferric minerals. The multi range spectral feature fitting (MRSFF) technique was employed to map the defined end-members indicating certain pH ranges in the HS image datasets. This technique was found to be sensitive enough to assess differences in the desired spectral parameters (e.g., absorption shape, depth and indirectly maximum absorption wavelength position). Furthermore, the regression model using the fit images, the results of MRSFF, as inputs was constructed (R² = 0.61, Rv² = 0.76) to estimate the surface pH. This study represents one of the few approaches employing image spectroscopy for quantitative pH modeling in a mining environment and the achieved results demonstrate the potential application of hyperspectral remote sensing as an efficient method for environmental monitoring.     

Mineralogical constraints on the determination of neutralization potential and prediction of acid mine drainage

 Acid-base accounting tests, commonly used as a screening tool in acid mine drainage (AMD) predictions, have limitations in (1) measuring with confidence the amount of neutralizers present in samples and (2) affording an interpretation of what the test results mean in terms of predicting the occurrence of acid mine drainage. Aside from the analytical difficulties inherent to the conventional methods, a potential source of error in neutralization potential (NP) measurements is the contribution from the dissolution of non-carbonate minerals. Non-carbonate alkalinity measured during static tests may or may not be available to neutralize acidity produced in the field. In order to assess the value-added of extending the NP with the knowledge of mineralogical composition and evaluate potential sources of errors in NP measurements, a suite of samples were examined and characterized in terms of their mineralogical and chemical compositions. The results indicate that although the acid-base accounting tests work well for simple compositions, the tests may result in overestimation or underestimation of NP values for field samples. Mineralogical constraint diagrams relating NP determinations to Ca, Mg and CO₂ concentrations were developed with the purpose to serve as supplementary guides to conventional static tests in identifying possible NP contributions from non-carbonate minerals and checking the quality of the chemical testing results. Mineralogical NP makes it possible to interpret the meaning of NP results and to assess the behaviour of samples over time by predicting the onset of AMD and calculating NP values for individual size fractions. Received: 1 June 1998 · Accepted: 6 October 1998     

中国气象局酸雨网基本资料数据集及初步分析

1989年至今,中国气象局陆续建立起包括88个站点的酸雨监测网,它是我国唯一全国性的、监测区域大气酸沉降的业务站网,其覆盖了我国除台湾以外的全部省、市、自治区,目前己积累了包括各站点每场降水的pH值、电导率和部分降水化学等大量资料.所获得的酸雨资料基本反映我国大气背景条件下的湿沉降时空分布特征.十几年来,我国酸雨发展状况大致经历两个阶段从20世纪80年代到90年代中期为我国酸雨急剧发展期;90年代中后期到21世纪初不同地区降水年平均pH值有升有降,总的趋势是进入相对稳定期,但我国的酸雨形势仍不容乐观.20世纪90年代已获得的降水化学资料包括 SO2-4、NO-3、Ca2+、NH+4月、季变化,以及H+、SO2-4、NO-3、Ca2+、NH+4月、季湿沉降量特征和酸性气体SO2、NO2月、季变化和干沉降特点等其时空分布特征在大气化学、大气环境、区域气候研究等方面发挥了重要作用,然而仍有必要尽快更新已有的资料.     

天津市不同土地利用类型土壤中多环芳烃的含量特征

本文分析了天津不同土地利用类型表层土壤若干多环芳烃组分的含量特征及污染水平。结果显示,城市绿地土壤中多环芳烃的含量最高,污灌农田土壤中一些组分的含量也较高,但多数组分与普通农田、荒地等其他土地利用类型相差不大;在6种土地利用类型中,低环/高环在大部分地区小于1,说明天津地区多环芳烃污染主要以燃烧源为主。芘/苯并(a)芘参数值则反映出市区绿地土壤受交通污染的影响比较大;各种土地利用类型土壤表层均受到了一定程度的多环芳烃污染,其中城市绿地土壤污染程度较为严重     

胶州湾养殖海区沉积物中酸可挥发性硫的研究

沉积物中酸可挥发性硫化物（AVS）的含量对控制重金属在沉积物/间隙水中的分配和重金属的生物可利用性方面有重要意义，也是海洋养殖业的重要指标之一，研究改正目前《海洋监测规范》中沉积物酸可挥发硫化物的测定方法基础上，建立了一套简单易行的仪器装置和分析程序，讨论了N2流量、反应时间、酸强度、硫总量4个方面对测定结果的影响，给出了胶州湾海区沉积物中AVS的定量数据，表明胶州湾养殖海区沉积物中AVS的含量显著高于非养殖海区和其它海湾沉积物中AVS的定量数据，表明胶州湾养殖海区沉积物中AVS的含量显著高于非养殖海区和其它海湾沉积物中AVS的含量，探讨了应用AVS归一化沉积物中二价有毒金属评价其化学活性和生物可用性的可能性。     

Appraisal of World Reference Base for Soil Resources—from a nordic point of view

During the project “Nordic Reference Soils” 13 different soils from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden were selected in order to represent i) soils covering the main areas of the Nordic area, ii) soils from the different climatic regions, and iii) environmental sensitive soils. The 13 Nordic Reference Soils provided an excellent basis for the evaluation of the WRB (World Reference Base for Soil Resources) performance under Nordic conditions. Classification according to the WRB poses considerable problems. These concern podzolized soils, cultivated soils, and the acid sulfate soils. Only three out of the seven podzolized soils are allocated in taxons reflecting that they were podzolized. Four out of the nine cultivated soils were exposed to substantial anthropogenic impact, resulting in man-made Mollic A-horizons, which is not reflected in the classification. The WRB-classification of the soils is compared with the FAO and Soil Taxonomy classification. This highlighted some of the classification problems. This paper will propose changes to the WRB in order to improve the performance of the system for Nordic soils.

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 100: 15–26     

ARD generation and corrosion potential of exposed roadside rockmass at Boeun and Mujoo,South Korea

Acid rock drainage (ARD) is a longstanding problem often associated with the resulting corrosion due to the acidity generated from sulfidic oxidation. To evaluate characteristics of ARD and corrosion, samples from the road side rock mass of Boeun and Mujoo were analysed using X-ray diffraction, acid/base accounting and Leaching tests. The results indicated that many samples had a pyritic origin and can be regarded as acid-generating rocks. The Leaching test showed that the average pH of the leachates of samples from both Boeun and Mujoo were moderately acidic, ranging from 3 to 4. Interestingly, as acidity increases from pH 4, the SO₄₋, Fe, Al and Mg concentrations increase abnormally. Samples from roadside slope of Mujoo showed high corrosive potential. Maximum sulfide oxidation rate of a sample taken from Mujoo was as high as 5,166 mg/kg/week.     

天津地区表层土壤多环芳烃类污染物污染源辨析

利用因子分析法及离散点曲面张力样条函数插值法对天津地区表层土壤多环芳烃类污染物污染源的类型及空间分布进行分析,表明研究区不同土地利用类型的污染源大多以混合源（包括燃煤与原油渗漏）为主,其中污灌农田、普通农田、荒地和城市绿地中混合源所占比重依次为61.26%、69.35%、52.86%、64.45%。而各污染源在空间分布上与其所处地理位置、地理条件及该区域内人们的生活习性都比较符合。