Chemical and physical properties affecting strontium distribution coefficients of surficial-sediment samples at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho

 The U.S. Geological Survey and Idaho State University, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, conducted a study to determine strontium distribution coefficients (K_ds) of surficial sediments at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Batch experiments using synthesized aqueous solutions were used to determine K_ds, which describe the distribution of a solute between the solution and solid phase, of 20 surficial-sediment samples from the INEEL. The K_ds for the 20 surficial-sediment samples ranged from 36 to 275 ml/g. Many properties of both the synthesized aqueous solutions and sediments used in the experiments also were determined. Solution properties determined were initial and equilibrium concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and strontium, pH and specific conductance, and initial concentrations of potassium and sodium. Sediment properties determined were grain-size distribution, bulk mineralogy, whole-rock major-oxide and strontium and barium concentrations, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area. Solution and sediment properties were correlated with strontium K_ds of the 20 surficial sediments using Pearson correlation coefficients. Solution properties with the strongest correlations with strontium K_ds were equilibrium pH and equilibrium calcium concentration correlation coefficients, 0.6598 and –0.6518, respectively. Sediment properties with the strongest correlations with strontium K_ds were manganese oxide (MnO), BET surface area, and the >4.75-mm-grain-size fraction correlation coefficients, 0.7054, 0.7022, and –0.6660, respectively. Effects of solution properties on strontium K_ds were interpreted as being due to competition among similarly charged and sized cations in solution for strontium-sorption sites; effects of sediment properties on strontium K_ds were interpreted as being surface-area related. Multivariate analyses of these solution and sediment properties resulted in r² values of 0.8071 when all five properties were used and 0.8043 when three properties, equilibrium pH, MnO, and BET surface area, were used. Received: 30 November 1998 · Accepted: 16 February 1999     

Recent environmental changes inferred from the sediments of small lakes in Yellowstone's northern range

Recent sediments of eight small lakes in the northern winter range of Yellowstone National Park were cored to examine stratigraphic records of past changes in limnology and local environment that might be attributed to grazing and other activities of elk, bison, and other large ungulates. Cores of undisturbed sediment were analyzed at close intervals to depths covering the last 100–150 years according to chronologies established by lead-210 dating. Pollen analyses were made to show change in regional vegetation, and diatom and geochemical analyses were made to reveal possible limnological changes resulting from soil erosion and nutrient input from the lake catchments.Variations in sedimentary components prior to establishment of the Park in 1872 indicate some natural variability in environmental factors e.g., erosional inputs in landslide areas west of Gardiner. All lakes had abundant nutrient inputs.After the Park was founded, fire suppression may have been responsible for small increases in pollen percentages of various conifers and Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) at different times in different lakes. Perceptible decreases in pollen of willow, aspen, alder, and birch at different times may reflect local ungulate browsing, although drier climatic conditions may have been a factor as well.The most striking manifestation of accelerated erosion in a catchment was found at a lake located beside a road constructed in the 1930s. In contrast to changes at this site, the record of erosion at other lakes is hardly perceptible. Changes in sediment-accumulation rates seen at most sites result from redistribution of sediment within the lake after initial deposition.In the century following Park establishment, the abundance of planktonic diatoms relative to benthic taxa varies among lakes and may reflect differential nutrient inputs or changes in lake level. Four of the five lakes analyzed for diatoms show in the last few decades an increase in planktonic relative to benthic species, implying elevated nutrient inputs. The recent flora, however, is similar to that in pre-Park levels which suggests that these lakes have not been perturbed outside their normal range. Increased nutrient supply in recent decades for at least two of the lakes is supported by the geochemical data, which show an increase in biogenic silica and in organic matter.As a whole, our investigation of the sedimentary record does not support the hypothesis that ungulate grazing has had a strong direct or indirect effect on the vegetation and soil stability in the lake catchments or on the water quality of the lakes.     

Clinopyroxene REE Geochemistry of the Red Hills Peridotite, New Zealand: Interpretation of Magmatic Processes in the Upper Mantle and in the Moho Transition Zone

The Red Hills peridotite in the Dun Mountain ophiolite of SouthIsland, New Zealand, is assumed to have been produced in a paleo-mid-oceanridge tectonic setting. The peridotite is composed mostly ofharzburgite and dunite, which represent residual mantle andthe Moho transition zone (MTZ), respectively. Dunite channelswithin harzburgite blocks of various scales represent the MTZcomponent. Plagioclase- and clinopyroxene-bearing dunites occursporadically within common dunites. These dunites representproducts of melt–wall-rock interaction. Chondrite-normalizedrare earth element (REE) patterns of MTZ clinopyroxenes showa wide compositional range. Clinopyroxenes in plagioclase dunitesare extremely depleted in light REE (LREE) ([Lu/La]_N >100),and are comparable with clinopyroxenes in abyssal peridotitesfrom normal mid-ocean ridges. Interstitial clinopyroxenes inthe common dunite have flatter patterns ([Lu/La]_N 2) comparablewith those for dunite in the Oman ophiolite. Clinopyroxenesin the lower part of the residual mantle harzburgites are evenmore strongly depleted in LREE ([Lu/La]_N = 100–1000) thanare mid-ocean ridge peridotites, and rival the most depletedabyssal clinopyroxenes reported from the Bouvet hotspot. Incontrast, those in the uppermost residual mantle harzburgiteand harzburgite blocks in the MTZ are less LREE depleted ([Lu/La]_N= 10–100), and are similar to those in plagioclase dunite.Clinopyroxenes in the clinopyroxene dunite in the MTZ are similarto those reported from mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) cumulates,and clinopyroxenes in the gabbroic rocks have compositions similarto those reported from MORB. Strong LREE and middle REE (MREE)depletion in clinopyroxenes in the harzburgite suggests thatthe harzburgites are residues of two-stage fractional melting,which operated initially in the garnet field, and subsequentlycontinued in the spinel lherzolite field. The early stage meltingproduced the depleted harzburgite. The later stage melting wasresponsible for the gabbroic rocks and dunite. Strongly LREE–MREE-depletedclinopyroxene in the lower harzburgite and HREE-enriched clinopyroxenein the upper harzburgite and plagioclase dunite were formedby later reactive melt migration occurring in the harzburgite. KEY WORDS: clinopyroxene REE geochemistry; Dun Mountain ophiolite; Moho transition zone; orogenic peridotite; Red Hills     

国家自然科学基金资助体系下的地下水科学领域发展总结和分析

地下水属于基础性、战略性水资源,其科学开发利用和保护关系到人类社会与生态系统的协同健康发展。因此,地下水一直是自然科学关注的热点和焦点之一。笔者统计分析了1986~2022年期间国家自然科学基金委对地下水科学领域的资助情况,从受资助项目的学部学科分布、项目类型和主要研究方向入手,总结了地下水科学研究现状,揭示了目前存在的短板和瓶颈问题,并分析了地下水科学发展趋势。研究结果表明：①地下水科学领域资助项目的数量和类型均呈快速增长态势;②地下水科学领域与其他学科领域的交叉融合越来越频繁、紧密,涉及多个学部和学科,申报与资助均呈现“多点开花”态势;③地下水科学作为地球科学的分支学科,面临新的机遇和挑战,许多重大科学问题亟待解决,需进一步提高重大项目支持力度;④地下水科学研究具备与更多相关领域交叉渗透的潜力,如海洋学、化学、气象学和大气科学等,国家自然科学基金委可为地下水科学与其他学科交叉提供培育平台。     

国道213汶川—松潘段滑坡隐患遥感识别与易发性评价

国道213汶川—松潘段位于强震山区,滑坡灾害频发,每年都会因滑坡灾害导致交通中断,迫切需要查明沿线滑坡隐患的空间分布,并对其易发性进行评价。利用光学遥感和InSAR综合遥感技术对沿线滑坡隐患进行识别,共识别滑坡隐患288处,其中InSAR探测出有形变的滑坡隐患点27处。以识别出的滑坡隐患为评价样本,选取高程、坡度、坡向、地表曲率、工程地质岩组、归一化植被指数(normalizied difference vegetation index,NDVI)、距道路距离、距河流距离、距断层距离等9个影响因素作为评价因子,采用Logistic回归模型评价该沿线滑坡隐患易发性,评价结果可为国道213汶川—松潘段滑坡灾害防治提供参考。     

《北京西山地质志》中、英文本比较研究

依据文本对勘的方法,从图片和文字两个方面对《北京西山地质志》中、英文本进行比较研究。图片方面,英文本作了大量的增补和解说,内容更为详实准确。文字方面,中、英文本目录存在明显差异。英文本序言和注释有其独到的价值和意义。中文本正文的细节增补,应是吸收了当时的最新研究成果。中、英文本比较研究为认识《北京西山地质志》的价值与地位提供了准确可靠的学术依据。     

辽东山地老秃顶子冰缘地貌植物群落类型及基本特征

基于48个样地的群落调查数据,运用TWINSPAN分类方法,对辽东山地老秃顶子冰缘地貌植物群落类型进行了划分,并对群落结构、种类组成和生活型谱进行了系统研究.结果表明:老秃顶子冰缘地貌植被可划分为16个森林群系、6个灌丛群系,归并为落叶阔叶林、针阔混交林、暗针叶林、矮曲林、灌丛、灌草丛6个植被型.其中,石海地貌主要发育灌丛和灌草丛,也有针阔混交林和矮曲林分布;石河地貌主要发育针阔混交林和落叶阔叶林,也有暗针叶林分布;石流坡地貌主要发育针阔混交林、落叶阔叶林和灌丛,也有矮曲林分布.老秃顶子冰缘地貌植被由68科138属193种维管束植物组成;石海与石河间植物群落物种组成属中等不相似,而石河与石流坡间属中等相似.老秃顶子冰缘地貌植物群落中高位芽植物占38.0%,隐芽植物占36.3%,地面芽植物占21.8%,地上芽植物和一年生植物均很少,反映出辽东山地冰缘地貌区具有夏季温暖多雨、冬季寒冷漫长的气候特点.相对而言,石海、石流坡地貌中隐芽植物较多,石河地貌中高位芽植物较多,表明石海、石流坡地貌具有更为冷湿的小气候环境.     

一种亮星识别算法及其在天文定向中的应用

基于全站仪对任意亮星的观测采样,提出了一种利用高度角序列和水平角速率进行联合匹配的任意亮星识别算法。通过引入天体地平坐标计算程序,算法可正确辨别行星和恒星。本文分析了任意亮星高度角和水平角速率的观测误差和计算误差,以此给出了匹配阈值条件的设定依据,并在此基础上制定了有效的匹配策略。仿真计算及实际观测试验均表明,该算法具有100%的识别成功率,远优于现有算法。将此算法应用于任意亮星天文定向,定向结果的内符合精度达到2″,外部检核精度达到1.6″。采用多颗任意亮星进行定向,可有效减弱由测站位置误差引入的定向系统误差,提高绝对定向精度。本文提出的天文定向适用于多云及雾霾天气。     

Linking pesticides and human health: A geographic information system (GIS) and Landsat remote sensing method to estimate agricultural pesticide exposure

Accurate pesticide exposure estimation is integral to epidemiologic studies elucidating the role of pesticides in human health. Humans can be exposed to pesticides via residential proximity to agricultural pesticide applications (drift). We present an improved geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing method, the Landsat method, to estimate agricultural pesticide exposure through matching pesticide applications to crops classified from temporally concurrent Landsat satellite remote sensing images in California. The image classification method utilizes Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values in a combined maximum likelihood classification and per-field (using segments) approach. Pesticide exposure is estimated according to pesticide-treated crop fields intersecting 500 m buffers around geocoded locations (e.g., residences) in a GIS. Study results demonstrate that the Landsat method can improve GIS-based pesticide exposure estimation by matching more pesticide applications to crops (especially temporary crops) classified using temporally concurrent Landsat images compared to the standard method that relies on infrequently updated land use survey (LUS) crop data. The Landsat method can be used in epidemiologic studies to reconstruct past individual-level exposure to specific pesticides according to where individuals are located.