Assessing potential abiotic and biotic complications of crayfish-induced gravel transport in experimental streams

Biogeomorphology adds the element “biological dynamics” (of populations or communities) to chemical and physical geomorphic factors and thus complicates the framework of geomorphic processes. Such biological complications of the animal-induced transport of solids in streams should be particularly important in crayfish, as crayfish affect this transport through their overall activity and intraspecific aggression levels, which could be modified by shelter availability or the establishment of dominance hierarchies among individuals not knowing each other. Using experimental streams, we tested these hypotheses by measuring how shelter availability or residential crayfish group invasion by unknown individuals affected the impact of the crayfish Orconectes limosus on the (i) transport of gravel at baseflow (during 12 experimental days); (ii) sediment surface characteristics (after 12 days); and (iii) critical shear stress causing incipient gravel motion during simulated floods (after 12 days). The two potentially important factors shelter availability or residential group invasion negligibly affected the crayfish impact on gravel sediments, suggesting that habitat unfamiliarity (a third potentially important factor affecting crayfish activity) should increase the crayfish-induced sediment transport. Because habitat unfamiliarity is associated with sporadic long-distance migrations of a few crayfish individuals, this third factor should play a minor role in real streams, where crayfish biomass should be a key factor in relations with crayfish effects on sediments. Therefore, we combined the results of this study with those of previous crayfish experiments to assess how crayfish biomass could serve in modelling the gravel transport. Crayfish biomass explained 47% of the variability in the baseflow gravel transport and, in combination with the coefficient of variation of the bed elevation and algal cover, 72% of the variability in the critical gravel shear stress. These results encourage more research on the topic, as an increasing number of eliminations of abiotic and biotic factors that could complicate the animal-induced sediment transport in streams would facilitate the use of biological variables (e.g., bioturbator biomass) in future modelling of the transport of solids.     

Short-term beach–dune sand budgets on the north sea coast of France: Sand supply from shoreface to dunes, and the role of wind and fetch

Three experimental plots, covering the transition from the upper beach to the dune, on the North Sea coast of France were monitored at various intervals over a period of 18–24 months via high resolution terrain surveys in order to determine inter-site sand budget variability, as well as patterns and processes involved in sand exchanges between the upper beach and dune. The wind regime consists of a fairly balanced mix of moderate (80% of winds are below 8 m/s) onshore, offshore and shore-parallel winds. Sustained dune accretion over several years depends on the periodic local onshore welding of shoreface tidal banks that have developed in the storm- and tide-dominated setting of the southern North Sea. The only site where this has occurred in the recent past is Calais, where bank welding has created a wide accreting upper beach sand flat. At this site, significant sand supply from the subtidal sand bank reservoir to the upper beach flat occurred only once over the 18-month survey following a major storm. The bulk of the sand deposited over this large flat is not directly integrated into the adjacent embryo dunes by onshore winds but is progressively reworked in situ into developing dunes or transported alongshore by the balanced wind regime, thus resulting in alongshore stretching of the embryo dune system. The Leffrinckoucke site near Belgium shows moderate beach–dune mobility and accretion, while the Wissant site exhibits significant upper beach bedform mobility controlled by strong longshore currents that result in large beach budget fluctuations with little net budget change, to the detriment of the adjacent dunes. Accretion at these two sites, which are representative of the rest of the North Sea coast of France, is presently constrained by the absence of a shore-attached sand bank supply reservoir, while upper beach–dune sand exchanges are further limited by the narrow wave-affected upper beach, the intertidal morphology of bars and troughs which segments the aeolian fetch, and the moderate wind energy conditions. The balanced wind regime limits net sand mobilisation in favour of either the beach or the dune, and may explain the relatively narrow longshore morphology of the dune ridges bounding this coast.     

Influence of Cyclic Wetting Drying on Collapse Behaviour of Compacted Residual Soil

The climatic zones where residual soils occur are often characterized by alternate wet and dry seasons. Laboratory studies of earlier workers have established that the alternate wetting and drying process affects the swell-shrink potentials, water content, void ratio and particle cementation of expansive soils. The influence of cyclic wetting and drying on the collapse behaviour of residual soils has not been examined. This paper examines the influence of alternate wetting and drying on the collapse behaviour of compacted residual soil specimens from Bangalore District. Results of such a study are useful in anticipating changes in collapse behaviour of compacted residual soil fills. Experimental results indicated that the cyclic wetting and drying process increased the degree of expansiveness of the residual soils and reduced their collapse tendency. Changes in the swell/collapse behaviour of compacted residual soil specimens from wetting drying effects are attributed to reduction in water content, void ratio and possible growth of cementation bonds.     

云南元-磨公路某高堑坡灾害发生机制及防治对策

论文根据现场地质调查,应用地质力学分析方法,分析了元-磨公路K235 160~600段高堑坡地质条件、病害发生机制和诱发因素。堑坡所在区域位于红河深大断裂与哀牢山深大断裂所夹持的哀牢山褶皱带内,属强烈侵蚀切割的低中山区,河流下切严重,河流阶地不发育。南溪河及其支流小曼萨河、叉河依附于不同时期生成的构造发育而成,堑坡位于小曼萨河注入南溪河的交汇部位小曼萨河的左岸。小曼萨河及南溪河所夹持的山体,尤其是堑坡所在的部位,已严重破碎、松弛,岩石似大块石堆垒状,坡面上的树木均明显地向小曼萨河方向倾倒。经地质力学配套分析,堑坡所依附的山梁形成于红河深大断裂生成期(γ4),堑坡岩体受多期构造活动的作用,其中NW65/°SW64°及NW63/°SW35°两组倾向临空的构造面控制坡体的稳定。堑坡具备发生变形破坏的地质条件,分析认为由于组成坡体的岩土强度不足而引起既有构造面的大型坍塌。连续降雨及温差是诱发因素。基于目前国内边坡防治技术、施工能力,提出了以“治”或“避”为主的防治对策。     

江西省宜春城区地面塌陷特征及防治建议

宜春城区属岗阜低丘地形,分布石炭系-二叠系覆盖型及裸露型碳酸盐岩,占城区面积近70%。浅部岩溶发育,覆盖层厚度一般小于20m,土洞较多,基岩面起伏大,第四系岩性结构复杂,地下水埋藏浅。由于抽采地下水及建筑施工振动等人为因素影响,诱发地面塌陷12处,造成重大经济损失。在城市规划功能布局时应充分考虑地面塌陷的易发程度及场地建设适宜性;应限制诱发塌陷因素的强度,在易发区须严格控制地下水开采,严禁新建开采井;塌陷治理的主要方法有填堵、跨越、灌注、深基础控制抽排水强度、及其它综合治理或避让方法,同时做好灾害的监测预报工作。     

江苏省矿山的主要生态环境问题及治理对策

江苏的经济发展较快,对矿产资源的需求量亦大。多年来的无序开采,对生态环境造成很大的破坏和影响,出现了山体植被遭受破坏、土地被占用、环境受污染、诱发地面沉降、地面塌陷等一系列问题,已影响到国民经济的发展。随着省人大和省政府关于限制开山采石和保护环境等政策、法规出台和落实,近几年乱采滥挖现象基本得到了有效的遏制。人们的环保意识得到了加强,不少矿山已逐步开始对环境治理,且初见成效。文章介绍了江苏生态环境现状、存在的主要问题和治理对策,以期引起各级政府和广大民众在对矿产资源开采的同时更要注重环境保护。     

早涝碱咸综合治理与生态环境良性循环

华北平原东部淡水资源短缺，旱涝碱成灾害限制了农业生产的可持续发展。海河的治理，解决了排洪排涝排咸出路。春季开发利用地下水包括微咸水和半咸水抗旱灌溉。夏季利用伏雨洗盐排咸，增大降雨入渗，减少径流流失，防治渍涝灾害，把降雨转化为地下水资源。秋冬引蓄河水，回灌地下水补源。以土壤与潜水的地层空间作为调节大气降水、土壤水、地下水、地表水的地下水库，以调控地下水埋深在临界动态为指标，最大限度地把时空分布不均的天然降雨转化为可持续利用的水资源。地表水地下水联合运用，促使水资源采补平衡，降雨灌溉淋洗脱盐强于干旱蒸发积盐过程，地下水淡化强于矿化过程。实现旱涝碱咸综合治理，水土资源可持续利用，经济社会可持续发展，生态环境良性循环。     

漳河上游入河排污口调查与分析

本文在调查、分析了漳河上游入河排污口分布、度污水入河量及污染物入河量的基础上,提出了对入河排污口的治理措施及管理办法.     

青藏高原中部的东西向扩张构造运动

系统分析了1933~2003年间青藏高原及其周缘发生的745个中、强地震的震源机制解,研究了高原地壳构造运动及其动力学特征。结果表明,大量正断层型地震集中发生在青藏高原中部海拔4000m以上的地区,其中许多地震是纯正断层型地震。震源机制结果显示,该区正断层型地震的断层走向多为南北方向,断层位错矢量的水平分量均位于近东西方向,这表明青藏高原高海拔地区存在着近东西方向的扩张构造运动。地震震源应力场的研究结果表明,在高原中部高海拔地区,E-W向或WNW-ESE向的水平扩张作用控制着该区的地壳应力场。青藏高原高海拔地区近东西方向的扩张构造运动是该区引张应力场的作用结果,其动力学原因可能与持续隆升的高原自重增大引起的重力崩塌及其周边区域构造应力状况有关。而青藏高原周缘地区,除了东部边缘外,南部的喜马拉雅山前沿以及青藏高原的北部、西部边缘所发生的绝大部分地震都是逆断层型或走滑逆断层型地震。在青藏高原周缘地区,北东或者北北东方向水平挤压的构造应力场为优势应力场。在中国西部的大范围内,主压应力P轴水平分量位于NE-SW方向,形成了一个广域的NE-SW方向的挤压应力场。青藏高原及其周缘应力场特征表明,印度板块的北上运动以及它与欧亚板块之间的碰撞所形成的挤压应力场是高原强烈隆起的直接原因。在青藏高原中南部形成了近东西向引张应力场为主的区域,并以东西向扩张构造运动部分释放其应力积累。研究高原高海拔地区的引张应力场和近东西向扩张构造运动的特征,对于认识青藏高原强烈隆起的地球动力学过程与机制,有着重要的理论意义。     

塔里木河下游河道疏浚段水文地质和工程地质特征研究

塔里木河下游河道长期断流,生态环境恶化,必须实施河道疏浚工程,从根本上改善塔里木河下游的生态环境.掌握塔里木河下游河道的水文地质和工程地质特征是实施河道疏浚工程的关键,是沿线生态闸堰设置及两岸提防工程修建的基础.通过区域地质特性、水文地质条件、工程地质特征几个方面的研究,得出河道疏浚段的地层岩性、地下水类型、地下水化学类型等特征,为河道疏浚工程奠定了基础.