How did the suspended sediment load change in the North Caucasus during the Anthropocene?

Quantifying and understanding catchment sediment fluxes is crucial both from a scientific and environmental management perspective. To deepen the understanding of landuse impacts and climate change on sediment load, we explore factors controlling the suspended sediment load formation in the Northern Caucasus during the Anthropocene. We examine how sediment flux of various river basins with different land-use/landcover and glacier cover changes during the 1925–2018 period. Our analysis is based on observed mean annual suspended sediment discharges (SSD, kg s⁻¹) and annual fluxes (SSL, t year⁻¹) from 33 gauging stations of The Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Russia). SSL series have been analysed to detect statistically significant changes during the 1925–2018 period. The occurrence of abrupt change points in SSD was investigated using cumulative sum (CUSUM) charts. We found that SSL has decreased by −1.17% per year on average at most gauges. However, the decline was not linear. Several transition years are expected in the region increasing trends from the 1950s and decreasing trends from 1988 to 1994. Correlation analyses showed that variation in SSL trend values is mainly explained by gauging station altitude, differences in landuse (i.e. the fraction of cropland), and catchment area. Nonetheless, more accurate quantifications of SSL trend values and more refined characterizations of the catchments regarding (historical) landuse, soil types/lithology, weather conditions, and topography may reveal other tendencies.     

Factors controlling specific sediment yield in the upper Indus River basin,northern Pakistan

Estimates of sediment yield are essential in water resources analysis, modelling and engineering, in investigations of continental denudation rates, and in studies of drainage basin response to changes in climate and land use. The availability of high resolution, global environmental datasets offers an opportunity to examine the relationships between specific sediment yield (SY_sp) and drainage basin attributes in a geographical information system (GIS) environment. This study examines SY_sp at 14 long‐term gauging stations within the upper Indus River basin. Twenty‐nine environmental variables were derived from global datasets, the majority with a 1 × 1 km resolution. The SY_sp ranges from 194 to 1302 t km^?2 yr^?1 for sub‐basins ranging from 567 to 212 447 km². The high degree of scatter in SY_sp is greatly reduced when the stations are divided into three groups: upper, glacierized sub‐basins; lower, monsoon sub‐basins; and the main Indus River. Percentage snow/ice cover (LC_s) emerges as the single major land cover control for SY_sp in the high mountainous upper Indus River basin. A regression model with percentage snow/ice cover (LC_s) as the single independent variable explains 73·4% of the variance in SY_sp for the whole Indus basin. A combination of percentage snow/ice cover (LC_s), relief and climate variables explains 98·5% of the variance for the upper, glacierized sub‐basins. For the lower monsoon region, a regression model with only mean annual precipitation (P) explains 99·4% of the variance. Along the main Indus River, a regression model including just basin relief (R) explains 92·4% of the variance in SY_sp. Based on the R²_adj and P‐value statistics, the variables used are capable of explaining the majority of variance in the upper Indus River basin. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the vulnerability to soil erosion of the Ukai Dam catchments using remote sensing and GIS

Abstract

The investigation of basins for planning soil conservation requires a selective approach to identify smaller hydrological units, which would be suitable for more efficient and targeted conservation management programmes. One criterion, generally used to determine the vulnerability of catchments to erosion, is the sediment yield of a basin. In India, sediment yield data are generally not collected for smaller sub-catchments and it becomes difficult to identify the most vulnerable areas for erosion that can be treated on a priority basis. An index-based approach, based on the surface factors mainly responsible for soil erosion, is suggested in this study. These factors include soil type, vegetation, slope and various catchment properties such as drainage density, form factor, etc. The method is illustrated with a case study of sub-catchments immediately upstream of the Ukai Reservoir located on the River Tapi in Gujarat State, India. The area is divided into 16 watersheds and different soil, vegetation, topography and morphology-related parameters are estimated separately for each watershed. Satellite data are used to evaluate the soil and vegetation indices, while a GIS system is used to evaluate the topography and morphology-related indices. The integrated effect of all the parameters is evaluated to find different areas vulnerable to soil erosion. Two watersheds were identified as being most susceptible to soil erosion. Based on the integrated index, a priority rating of the watersheds for soil conservation planning is recommended.     

A micromechanical modeling of ductile behavior of a porous chalk: Formulation,identification, and validation

Porosity strongly affects the overall ductile behavior of cohesive geomaterials undergoing plastic deformation. In the present paper, we proposed an original micromechanical approach that suitably couples Drucker–Prager‐type plasticity, evolving porosity under general triaxial loadings. The resulting model has the advantage to be based on a single macroscopic yield function, which also plays the role of plastic potential. It is shown that this yield function is particularly appropriate to account for the pore collapse and plastic shearing mechanisms that govern the mechanical behavior of the studied Lixhe chalk. Finally, the new model is implemented and validated by comparison to triaxial tests data, covering a wide range of confining pressures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

井下瞬变电磁法在巷道底板含水性探测的应用

某矿井目前主要开采山西组煤,为保证下部太原组煤的安全开拓,需查明其底板的水文地质条件。根据该矿井的地质条件,采用井下瞬变电磁法小线框的工作方式,在一采区-530m水平及其以上相关大巷及17煤首采工作面两顺槽内布置6条测线进行探测。在资料解释中,通过设定2级异常阀值对井下富水性进行评价,查明了巷道底板的含水性。经验证,资料处理解释结果与实际揭露地质构造对应良好。     

综合物探技术在山西某整合矿井的应用

山西某整合矿井地表条件复杂,目的层埋深变化大,部分区段煤层埋藏较浅,且有采空区存在,为解决该矿地质构造、采空区范围及其富水性以及影响煤层开采的其它水文地质问题,采用三维地震勘探与瞬变电磁法、直流电测深法相结合的综合物探技术。利用三维地震勘探解决目的层赋存形态及其地质构造问题;再利用瞬变电磁法进行平面控制,以使平面及深度解释误差达到勘探要求;应用直流电测深法及瞬变电磁进行勘探,在正反演解释的基础上对其资料综合分析、对比,并结合三维地震资料,确定地质构造的富水及导水性,取得了较好勘探效果。     

基于FLAC3D含SMP强度准则黏弹塑性模型的二次开发

在分析岩土工程时通常会用到强度准则,在众多强度准则中,SMP准则的物理意义最为明确,其屈服函数表达式是非线性形式,对其进行二次开发研究具有较为重要的意义。利用FLAC3D的二次开发平台,使用VC++环境在FLAC3D软件中实现了含SMP强度准则的黏弹塑性模型的开发,其中的SMP强度准则推广到了黏性土,通过一个简单的算例验证了程序编制的正确性和可靠性,所采用的相关二次开发的思路可以为其他强度准则及流变本构模型的二次开发提供参考。     

中间主应力对垂直井井壁坍塌压力的影响

运用线弹性本构模型来分析垂直井井壁应力分布,并分别用Mohr-Coulomb准则、Drucker-Prager准则和Mogi-Coulomb准则3个强度准则来计算平谷地应力测量与监测钻孔维持井壁稳定所需的最小钻井液液柱压力。通过对比分析得出考虑中间主应力的作用,会使岩石强度得到加强,使得维持井壁稳定所需的最小液柱压力降低;3个准则得出的最小液柱压力在与深度的对应图中表现出一致的变化趋势,说明3个准则有各自的适用性;比较而言Mohr-Coulomb准则偏于保守,Drucker-Prager准则偏于危险,而Mogi-Coulomb准则要优于前两个准则。     

喀斯特山地土壤侵蚀和产水量的最优解释力

喀斯特生态系统服务主导影响因子识别是科学治理石漠化的前提,然而环境因子对生态系统服务空间分布的解释力受尺度变换的影响,其尺度效应的定量研究仍需进一步加强。为定量厘定环境因子解释力的尺度效应,本文从多尺度视角出发,利用地理探测器定量分析不同空间分辨率下环境因子对土壤侵蚀和产水量的解释力,并探求其在不同地貌形态类型区的差异性规律。结果表明,坡度和植被覆盖度是影响土壤侵蚀空间分布的主导因子,两者的交互作用对土壤侵蚀空间分布的解释力更强。受研究区地形起伏普遍性和景观破碎化的影响,坡度和土地利用类型在低分辨率下解释力最优。降水、海拔和土地利用类型是产水量空间分异的主导因子。降水和土地利用类型的交互作用对产水量的解释力达95%以上,海拔在不同地貌形态类型区的空间变异性影响其最优解释力水平。具体表现为：在台地、丘陵类型区海拔空间变异性较小,在高分辨率下其解释力最优;在山地类型区,海拔空间变异性较大,在低分辨率下其解释力更强。本文通过多尺度分析定量甄别生态系统服务变量的最优解释力,以期为喀斯特山地生态系统服务的主导因子精准辩识和分区优化提供途径和依据。