Water quality in a polluted lowland stream with chronically depressed dissolved oxygen: Causes and effects

Abstract

The Whangamaire Stream (North Island, New Zealand) has high concentrations of nitrate nitrogen (NO^? ₃‐N), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), and Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) as a result of catchment land use practices. The lower reaches of the stream drain intensively farmed land and have dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of 10–50% saturation. The dominant riparian vegetation, Apium nodiflorum, provides a large organic loading by intercepting nutrients in run‐off and then decaying in the stream channel. Water quality and reaeration aspects of the stream were studied in order to explain the observed low DO levels. Measurements of the reaeration coefficient at 20°C, K₂ ²⁰, using methyl chloride (CH₃Cl) as a gas tracer, yielded values of 1.1–3.0 d^?1 for the upper part of the study reach and 15.5–16.2 d^?1 for the lower reach (overall average 12.5 ± 2.5 d^?1). These were in agreement with values inferred from single‐station diurnal curve analysis, which also showed that respiration was dominant in the lower reach where photo‐synthetic activity was inhibited by shade. The relatively large reaeration coefficients ensure that parts of the stream do not become anoxic at night time. Better riparian management and reduced nutrient inputs are likely to improve stream water quality.     

The impact of scour processes on a smothered reef system in the Irish Sea

The Irish Sea, like many marine areas, is threatened by anthropogenic activities. In particular the Pisces Reef system, a series of smothered rocky reefs are subject to fishing pressures as a result of their position within a Nephrops norvegicus fishery. In an area of sediment deposition and retention the reefs modify the environment by increasing the energy of near-bottom currents which results in localised scouring. This is the first study to attempt to characterise and investigate the ecological functioning of the Pisces Reef system. A multidisciplinary approach was essential for accurate investigation of the area. To facilitate more effective management of the benthic habitats of the Reef system, this study integrates acoustic, seismic, grab sampling and video ground-truthing methods for benthic habitat discrimination. Orientation of the scour hollows also suggest that seabed features could be used to infer dominant flow regimes such as the Irish Sea Gyre. The data revealed significant geology–benthos relationships. A unique biotope was described for the reef habitat and it was demonstrated that scouring may influence community composition through disturbance mechanisms. This study provides preliminary information required for management of a unique habitat within a uniform region.     

Stochastic evaluation of fluvial to marginal marine sealing facies

Hydrocarbon top seal analyses are particularly difficult in fluvial and marginal marine settings. Although these settings often contain beds comprised of a low-permeability, clay-rich lithology associated with high quality seals, their presence does not guarantee an effective seal because individual beds within the stratal unit may be laterally discontinuous. Lateral facies changes, truncation of fine-grained beds, or the presence of crevasse splays may provide cross-stratal migration pathways, reducing the effective sealing capacity to a magnitude less than the closure height.     

利用相关逼近法建立定位与姿态数据的同步模型

根据海道测量精密测量的需求,对姿态与定位数据融合的同步方法进行了研究。通过GPS大地高数据和升沉数据,建立了一种基于相关逼近原理的定位与姿态数据同步模型。该模型能够确定定位与姿态数据的相对延时,实现两类数据在同一时间基准下的同步。实例计算表明,定位与姿态数据的相对延迟时间已成为两类数据融合应用中必须考虑的因素。由同步模型解算后,GPS大地高数据与总升沉数据体现了更好的一致性,由此也验证了模型的有效性。     

类钠Ni17+离子双电子复合过程理论研究

使用基于相对论多组态方法的FAC程序,研究了类钠Ni¹⁷⁺(3s)离子通过双激发态Ni¹⁶⁺(3pnl,3dnl)(Δn=0激发)的双电子复合过程,得到了态选择的双电子复合截面和速率系数,并与文献中的实验和理论数据进行了对比.结果发现,计算通过3p_3/210l和3p_1/211l共振态的双电子复合积分截面在实验误差范围内与实验测量     

Optical properties of the red tide in Isahaya Bay,southwestern Japan: Influence of chlorophyll a concentration

Remote sensing reflectance [R _rs(λ)] and absorption coefficients of red tides were measured in Isahaya Bay, southwestern Japan, to investigate differences in the optical properties of red tide and non-red tide waters. We defined colored areas of the sea surface, visualized from shipboard, as “red tides”. Peaks of the R _rs(λ) spectra of non-red tide waters were at 565 nm, while those of red tides shifted to longer wavelengths (589 nm). The spectral shape of R _rs(λ) was close to that of the reciprocal of the total absorption coefficient [1/a(λ)], implying that the R _rs(λ) peak is determined by absorption. Absorption coefficients of phytoplankton [a _ph(λ)], non-pigment particles and colored dissolved organic matter increased with increasing chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a), and those coefficients were correlated with Chl a for both red tide and non-red tide waters. Using these relationships between absorption coefficients and Chl a, variation in the spectrum of 1/a(λ) as a function of Chl a was calculated. The peak of 1/a(λ) shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing Chl a. Furthermore, the relative contribution of a _ph(λ) to the total absorption in red tide water was significantly higher than in non-red tide water in the wavelength range 550–600 nm, including the peak. Our results show that the variation of a _ph(λ) with Chl a dominates the behavior of the R _rs(λ) peak, and utilization of R _rs(λ) peaks at 589 and 565 nm may be useful to discriminate between red tide and non-red tide waters by remote sensing.     

A real-time, event-triggered storm surge forecasting system for the state of North Carolina

A new real-time, event-triggered storm surge prediction system has been developed for the State of North Carolina to assist emergency managers, policy-makers and other government officials with evacuation planning, decision-making and resource deployment during tropical storm landfall and flood inundation events. The North Carolina Forecast System (NCFS) was designed and built to provide a rapid response assessment of hurricane threat, accomplished by driving a high-resolution, two-dimensional, depth-integrated version of the ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation) coastal ocean model with winds from a synthetic asymmetric gradient wind vortex. These parametric winds, calculated at exact finite-element mesh node locations and directly coupled to the ocean model at every time step, are generated from National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast advisories the moment they are inserted into the real-time weather data stream, maximizing the number of hours of forecast utility. Tidal harmonic constituents are prescribed at the open water boundaries and applied as tidal potentials in the interior of the ocean model domain. A directional surface roughness parameterization that modulates the wind speed at a given location based on the types of land cover encountered upwind, a forest canopy sheltering effect, and a spatially varying distribution of Manning’s–n friction coefficient used for computing the bottom/channel bed friction are also included in the storm surge model. Comparisons of the simulated wind speeds and phases against their real meteorological counterparts, of model elevations against actual sea surface elevations measured by NOAA tide gauges along the NC coast, and of simulated depth-averaged current velocities against Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data, indicate that this new system produces remarkably realistic predictions of winds and storm surge.     

Numerical study on salinity stratification in the Pamlico River Estuary

The variations of current circulation, salt intrusion, and vertical stratification under different river flow and wind conditions in the Pamlico River Estuary (PRE) were investigated in this paper using a three-dimensional numerical model. The model was calibrated and verified against water level variation, temperature, and salinity variations during 2003 and 2001, respectively. Eight sensitivity tests were conducted with different river flow and wind conditions specified in the model. Model results show that salinity intruded further upstream under scenarios with low flow, downriver local wind, and remote-wind-caused water level set-up conditions. In contrast, the responses of salinity stratification to different environmental forcing functions were different in different portions of the estuary. Salinity stratification was enhanced under high flow condition at the lower part of the estuary, under upriver wind near the river mouth, under downriver wind at the upstream to middle portion of the estuary, and under remote-wind-caused water level set-up condition at the majority of the estuary except near the river mouth. Model results also show that across-channel wind tended to reduce salt intrusion and salinity stratification in the PRE through increased vertical mixing.     

青岛陆上观测点的气溶胶光学厚度特征分析及与渤海气溶胶光学厚度的比较

阐述了气溶胶散射对太阳光衰减的影响和对观测数据的统计分析.作者使用手持式五波段太阳光度计和臭氧监测仪对青岛崂山区陆域和渤海海域的大气衰减进行了较长时间的观测.分析表明,对可见光和近红外波段电磁渡的大气衰减贡献最大的是气溶胶散射,气溶胶散射的光学厚度随波长的增大而减小,但是它在大气总光学厚度中占的比例随波长的增大而增加.在青岛崂山区冬季,对应于440nm波长的气溶胶散射光学厚度主要分布在0.4～0.6和1.5～1.6区间,浑浊度系数α主要分布在0.15～0.45区间,埃斯特朗指数β主要分布在1.0～1.4区间.从时间上看,α和β在1d内的变化不大,但逐日变化非常显著.与晴天相比,青岛崂山区冬季雾天的气溶胶散射光学厚度增加了大约一倍,较大的浑浊度系数和较小的埃斯特朗指数表明,雾天的大气具有气溶胶散射的光学厚度大、粒子浓度大和粒径尺度大的特点.通过与海上观测数据的比较可见,青岛崂山区陆地冬季在雾天时的气溶胶分布与渤海夏季时相似,青岛崂山区陆地冬季在晴天无云时的气溶胶分布与渤海秋季时相似.     

广东一次寒潮8级大风物理过程分析

本文利用NCEP1°×1°的网格点分析资料和常规观测资料对2006年1月4～7日广东寒潮造成的广东海面8级大风过程进行了物理机制分析.结果表明:受强冷空气南下影响,有着较深厚的强冷平流输送,加之高空动量下传的共同作用,故而造成了广东东、西部海面先后出现了8级大风过程.这为以后更准确地预报广东海面大风提供了良好的依据.