Assesing the effect of an olive mill wastewater evaporation pond in Sousse, Tunisia

Olive oil is a typical and valuable agro-industrial product in Mediterranean countries. In Tunisia, olive mill wastewaters (OMW) reach an amount of about 1,000,000 t year⁻¹ and constitute a serious organic pollution risk because of the high chemical oxygen demand values and the presence of phytotoxic and antibacterial polyphenols. OMW have been generally stored in pond sites to be eliminated by natural evaporation or valorised by spreading on cultivated soils or by composting. Many researches on the interactions of OMW with soils at laboratory scale (columns) have been reported, but less attention have been paid to the effect of OMW on soils at field scale. The aim of this work is to investigate an area used for >15 years as an uncontrolled OMW pond site. The transformations of soil properties and groundwater occurring during OMW storage were characterised by the pH, phenolic contents, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture content and organic contents. The soil samples were taken from two borings and compared to those of a control one located near the pond site. Groundwater samples were taken on the accessible and nearest water wells to the evaporation ponds. The permeable silty and sandy layers in the site support the infiltration of OMW near the evaporation ponds. This infiltration has reached a depth of 6 m at a distance of almost 50 m laterally. The results show that the OMW infiltration in the subsoil has affected the pH, EC, organic content, phenolic compounds and the moisture.     

Monitoring Cenozoic climate evolution of northeastern Tibet: stable isotope constraints from the western Qaidam Basin,China

Carbon and oxygen stable isotopic composition of Cenozoic lacustrine carbonates from the intramontane Qaidam Basin yields cycles of variable length and shows several distinct events driven by tectonics and climate changes. From Eocene to Oligocene, the over-all trend in the δ¹³C composition of lacustrine carbonates shows a shift toward higher values, possibly related to higher proportions of dissolved inorganic carbon transported to the lake or lower input of soil derived CO₂. At the same time, the δ¹⁸O composition of lacustrine carbonates is decreasing in accordance with the global cooling trend and northwards drifting of the whole region. During the Miocene, distinct isotopic events can be recognized, although their interpretation and linkage to a certain tectonic event remains difficult. These events may be related to uplift in the Himalayas, to the strongest phase of uplift in the Altyn Mountains, to pronounced subsidence of the Qaidam Basin or to the expansion of C4 plants on land. Generally cold, highly evaporative conditions can be deduced from enrichment of δ¹⁸O isotopic compositions during Pliocene and Quaternary times.     

Effect of climate change on the trends of evaporation of phreatic water from bare soil in Huaibei Plain,China

When the soil condition and depth to water table stay constant, climate condition will then be the only determinant of evaporation intensity of phreatic water from bare soil. Based on a series of long-term quality-controlled data collected at the Wudaogou Hydrological Experiment Station in the Huaibei Plain, Anhui, China, the variation trends of the evaporation rate of phreatic water from bare soil were studied through the Mann-Kendall trend test and the linear regression trend test, followed by the study on the responses of evaporation to climate change. Results indicated that in the Huaibei Plain during 1991-2008, evaporation of phreatic water from bare soil tended to increase at a rate of 5% on monthly scale in March, June and July while in other months the increase was minor. On the seasonal basis, the evaporation saw significant increase in spring and summer. In addition, annual evaporation tended to grow evidently over time. When air temperature rises by 1 °C, the annual evaporation rate increases by 7.24–14.21%, while when the vapor pressure deficit rises by 10%, it changes from-0.09 to 5.40%. The study also provides references for further understanding of the trends and responses of regional evapotranspiration to climate change.     

Formation of disk- and bowl-shaped igneous Ca,Al-rich inclusions: Constraints from their morphology,textures, mineralogy and modelling

Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) are the oldest Solar System solids dated that formed by evaporation, condensation, aggregation and, sometimes, melting processes near the protoSun, and were subsequently dispersed throughout the protoplanetary disk by still poorly-understood mechanism(s). Here we report on the discovery of disk- and bowl-shaped centimeter-sized igneous CAIs in CV (Vigarano type) carbonaceous chondrites. Igneous CAIs of these shapes are not expected for crystallization of melt droplets in a low gravity field of the protoplanetary disk. We have tested several models for the formation of disk- and bowl-shaped igneous CAIs including: collision, aerodynamic deformation and shock flattening. We conclude that these CAIs resulted from aerodynamic deformation of CAI-like melt droplets and propose the following multistage formation scenario: (1) nearly complete melting and acceleration of CAIs at <30 km/s in the CAI-forming region having approximately solar dust/gas ratio; (2) aerodynamic deformation, ablation, deceleration, solidification at ∼30–40 K/min, Wark-Lovering rims formation, and deceleration of the CAIs entering a dust-rich inner disk wall; (3) radial drift of the solidified deformed CAIs towards the Sun; (4) heating and partial melting of the deformed CAIs by solar radiation that preserve their morphology; (5) cooling and crystallization of CAIs at ∼2 K/h; (5) radial transport of CAIs from their formation region to the outer disk.     

山东南四湖水面蒸发实验研究

本文根据山东南四湖蒸发站1985-1990年的实验资料,分析了水面蒸发与气象因子、水体面积、水体深度、蒸发器结构和安装方式的关系,以及20m²蒸发池与各类型蒸发器蒸发量的关系,同时还分析了20m²池蒸发量的昼夜变化、年内变化、年际变化的特征。     

Forest-Air Fluxes Of Carbon, Water And Energy Over Non-Flat Terrain

A field study of surface-air exchange of carbon, water, and energy was conducted at a mid-latitude, mixed forest on non-flat terrain to investigate how to best interpret biological signals from the eddy flux data that may be subject to advective influences. It is shown that during periods of Southwest winds (sector with mild topography), the eddy fluxes are well-behaved in terms of energy balance closure, the existence of a constant flux layer, consistency with chamber observations and the expected abiotic controls on the fluxes. Advective influences are evident during periods with wind from a steep (15%) slope to the Northeast of the tower. These influences appear more severe on CO₂ flux, particularly in stable air, than on the energy fluxes. Large positive flux of CO₂ (> 23 mol m^-2 s^-1) occurs frequently at night. The annual sum of the carbon flux is positive, but the issue about whether the forest is a source of atmospheric carbon remains inconclusive.Attempts are made to assess vertical advectionusing the data collected on a single tower. Over the Southwestsector, vertical advection makes a statistically significant but small contribution to the 30-min energy imbalance and CO₂ flux variations. Contributions by horizontal advection may be larger but cannot be verified directly by the current experimental method.     

Mapping of Land-Atmosphere Heat Fluxes and Surface Parameters with Remote Sensing Data

A variational data assimilation scheme is used to infer two key parameters ofthe surface energy balance that control the partitioning of available energy intolatent, sensible, and ground heat fluxes (LE, H, and G). Remotely sensedland surface temperature (LST) is the principal data source. Maps ofdiurnal energy balance components are presented for a basin with varied landcover (Arno Basin, Italy) for a 18-day period in July 1996.Given available energy, the major unknown (dimensionless) parameters requiredfor partitioning among fluxes are: (1) Landscape effects on near-surfaceturbulence as captured by the bulk heat transfer coefficient C_BN underneutral conditions and (2) surface control of the relative magnitudes of LEand H as represented by the evaporative fraction E_F. The data assimilationscheme merges 1.1-km resolution remotely sensed LST images (based onoptical, thermal and microwave measurements from two different satelliteplatforms) into a parsimonious model of heat diffusion. Both the measurementsand the model predictions are considered uncertain. Posterior error statisticsthat represent uncertainty of the estimated parameters are also derived.Maps of C_BN show spatial patterns consistent with the dominant land useand basin physiography. Daily maps of E_F exhibit spatial variationscorresponding to land cover and land use – the day-to-day variations inE_F show fluctuations consistent with rain events and drydowns experiencedduring the period. Based on these parameters and available environmentalvariables, maps of diurnal LE and H may be produced (in this paper daytimeLE maps are reported).The application demonstrates that remotely sensed land surface temperaturesequences contain significant amount of information of the partitioning ofavailable energy among the fluxes. The variational data assimilation frameworkis shown to be an efficient and parsimonious approach without reliance onempirical relationships such as those based on vegetation indices.     

Chemical evolution of disposal brine of the Cerro Prieto geothermal field during its transport toward surrounding soils, Mexico

The exceeding brines of Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field (CPGF) are disposed into a lagoon and part of them infiltrate into the upper aquifer. This work describes the geochemical processes of how geothermal brine reaches the soils to the south and southwest of CPGF according to local flow lines from piezometric measurements. Soil and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed in the CPGF and the surrounding area. The model was divided into three stages: (a) Capillary rising-evaporation; (b) Mixture: geothermal brine-irrigation water and (c) Mixture-capillary rising-evaporation. The modeling was carried out taking into account the saturation stage of each solution. The mixture models and evaporation process were carried out considering a mass balance. The proposed model shows the pollution processes due to power generation through accumulation of evaporation pond soluble salts on agricultural lands in the CPGF surrounding area.     

The influence of Asian summer monsoon variability on the water balance of a Tibetan lake

Past water-balance changes in Tibetan lakes are generally attributed to changes in the strength of the summer monsoon. However, the water balance of a lake reflects many different water fluxes, which are controlled by many climatic and hydrologic processes. In this research, weather data and evaporation models are used to determine the climatic cause of a recent water-balance change in Ahung Co, a lake in central Tibet. Between 1995 and 2001, lake level rose at least 20 cm and the lake began to overflow. Results indicate that an increase in summer monsoon precipitation over the lake and drainage basin is responsible for the rise in lake level. Stronger monsoon conditions between 1995 and 2001 also led to decreased lake evaporation and basin evapotranspiration due to increased clouds and humidity. This contributed to the rise in lake level, but to a much smaller extent than the increase in monsoon precipitation. Lake evaporation during the spring and fall was also reduced between 1995 and 2001 due to longer lasting ice cover. Variations in ice cover play a small role in the overall water balance of Ahung Co, however, because the lake area is small compared to the drainage basin area. If these results hold true for the past, water-balance fluctuations inferred from the geochemistry of sediments from Ahung Co provide a record of variations in monsoon precipitation during the Holocene.     

Complementary relationships for near-instantaneous evaporation

The complementary relationship between actual and potential evaporation provides evaporation (i.e. evapotranspiration) estimates from minimal data. Some versions that require a land surface temperature instead of a humidity measurement could potentially be used with routine remotely sensed surface temperature data. A comparison of alternative complementary approaches, including those that require land surface temperatures, was made at small (10–30 min) time scales with point measurements spatially, using data from the FIFE, CASES, SGP, and Sahel field experiments. The advection-aridity version and a related version based on the Penman and the Priestley–Taylor equations performed the best overall. One of the four versions that incorporated land surface temperature performed fairly well. The complementary approach appears to remain viable, especially in remote sensing applications with sparse data.