Contamination,chemical speciation and vertical distribution of heavy metals in soils of an old and large industrial zone in Northeast China

Heavy metal pollution of soils has become a major concern in China as a consequence of rapid urbanization and industrialization in recent years. However, the evaluation on soil heavy metal pollution in Shenyang, the largest heavy industrial base city in China, has not yet been conducted. In this study, accumulation, chemical speciation, and vertical distribution Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in soils were studied and pollution condition was assessed in Tiexi Industrial District of Shenyang, the largest and oldest industrial zone in Northeastern China. The results showed that in topsoil, the average concentration of total Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd was 209.06, 599.92, 470.19 and 8.59 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, much higher than the national threshold limit. The values of pollution index and integrated pollution index showed that the pollution level was Cd > Cu > Zn > Pb, and Cd, Cu and Zn belong to heavy pollution level. The residual, Fe and Mn oxide-bound, and organic-bound species accounted for about 90%, while carbonate-bound and exchangeable species accounted for about 10%. This study indicates that the soils in the industrial zone were widely and extremely polluted by multi-heavy metals as a result of long-term industrial activities.     

Effect of Soil Parameters on Dynamic Cone Penetration Indices of Laterite Sub-grade Soils from India

The focus of this study was on correlating the effect of grain-size, maximum dry-density (MDD), field moisture content, and the void ratios on penetration measured using the dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) for laterite soils blended with fines. Tests were performed on soil samples compacted to MDD for moulding water contents set to the optimum moisture content (OMC), dry of OMC, and wet of OMC un-soaked condition. The results indicated that an increase in the fines-content caused a decrease in the MDD, and an increase in the OMC and the DCP penetration. Regressions were developed correlating various parameters.     

Stabilization of Expansive Clays Using Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) and GBFS-Cement

Expansive clays undergo swelling when subjected to water. This can cause damage, especially to light weight structures, water conveyance canals, lined reservoirs, highways, and airport runways unless appropriate measures are taken. In this study, granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and GBFS-cement (GBFSC) were utilized to overcome or to limit the expansion of an artificially prepared expansive soil sample (sample A). GBFS and GBFSC were added to sample A in proportions of 5–25% by weight. The effects of these stabilizers on grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, swelling percentage and rate of swell of soil samples were determined. GBFS and GBFSC were shown to successfully decreasing the total amount of swell while increasing the rate of swell.     

Statistical Distributions of Hydraulic Conductivity from Reliability Analysis Data

This paper describes a first-order reliability-based analysis to identify the best-fit probability distributions for hydraulic conductivity. The analysis involved the use of existing hydraulic conductivity model developed from laboratory data and applied to lateritic soils, considering variations in soil parameters. Plots of reliability indices versus coefficients of variation were first made for hydraulic conductivity as well as for initial degree of saturation, plasticity index and clay content, considering three compactive efforts and log-normally distributed hydraulic conductivity. The traditional two-parameter log-normal distribution was compared to four alternative distributions: normal, gamma, Gumbel (extreme value type I-EVT-I) and Weibull (extreme value type III-EVT-III). The analysis showed that the Weibull and normal are the best-fit probability distributions for the hydraulic conductivity based reliability data. Hydraulic conductivities predicted from reliability analysis were used to demonstrate the possibility of applying the results obtained in this research by practising engineers. Experimentally-determined hydraulic conductivities were shown to be in good agreement with predicted values.     

软弱夹层速度对瑞利面波频散曲线的影响

文章以弹性波横波速度为参数,利用瑞利面波频散曲线的快速标量传递算法进行正演模拟计算,系统研究软弱层速度对瑞利面波基阶模频散曲线的影响,分析和总结了频率与相速度（f-c）、频率与波数（f-k）、深度与相速度（h—c）等瑞利面波基阶模曲线随软弱层速度变化的规律。     

利用主被动微波数据联合反演土壤水分

在黑河中游干旱区水文试验的基础上,以临泽站为研究区域,探讨主被动微波数据联合反演土壤水分的方法。针对ALOS/PALSAR数据,使用AIEM理论模型计算地表的同极化后向散射系数,Oh半经验模型描述交叉极化散射特征,通过对大量后向散射模拟数据的分析,建立裸露地表粗糙度计算模型;利用模拟数据分析地表辐射亮温随土壤水分和粗糙度的变化规律,在此基础上构建NN模型结合粗糙度计算结果和辐射计飞行数据反演研究区域的土壤水分。地面同步测量数据的验证结果表明,该方法充分发挥了主被动微波数据各自的优势,同时避免了主被动协同过程中的尺度问题,为流域尺度的土壤水分监测提供了一种新的有效途径。     

High-Frequency Rayleigh-Wave Method

High-frequency (≥2 Hz) Rayleigh-wave data acquired with a multichannei recording sys-tem have been utilized to determine shear (S)-wave velocities in near-surface geophysics since the early 1980s. This overview article discusses the main research results of high-frequency surface-wave tech-niques achieved by research groups at the Kansas Geological Survey and China University of Geosciences in the last 15 years. The multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method is a nou-iuvasive acoustic approach to estimate near-surface S-wave velocity. The differences between MASW results and direct borehole measurements are approximately 15% or less and random. Studies show that simultaneous inversion with higher modes and the fundamental mode can increase model resolution and an investigation depth. The other important seismic property, quality factor (Q), can also be estimated with the MASW method by inverting attenuation coefficients of Rayleigh waves. An inverted model (S-wave velocity or Q) obtained using a damped least-squares method can be assessed by an optimal damping vector in a vicinity of the inverted model determined by an objective function, which is the trace of a weighted sum of model-resolution and model-covariance matrices. Current developments include modeling high-frequency Rayleigh-waves in near-surface media, which builds a foundation for shallow seismic or Rayleigh-wave inversion in the time-offset domain; imaging dispersive energy with high resolution in the frequency-velocity domain and possibly with data in an arbitrary acquisition geometry, which opens a door for 3D surface-wave techniques; and successfully separating surface-wave modes, which provides a valuable tool to perform S-wave velocity profiling with high-horizontal resolution.     

四套土壤湿度再分析数据在中国西北东部—华北—江淮地区的适用性研究

基于1992~2010年全国778个农业气象站土壤湿度观测资料、ERA-Interim、JRA55、NCEP-DOE R2和20CR土壤湿度再分析资料,通过平均差值、相关系数、差值标准差、标准差比四个参数,利用Brunke排名方法和EOF(Empirical Orthogonal Function)分析,对四套土壤湿度再分析资料在中国西北东部—华北—江淮区域的适用性进行了分析。主要结论如下:不同季节的平均偏差空间分布上,JRA55资料同观测数据的平均偏差在±0.08m~3 m~(-3)之间,春、夏季西北东部JRA55土壤湿度偏小,ERA-Interim、NCEP-DOE R2、20CR资料较观测数据偏湿,华北南部、江淮地区平均偏差小于西北东部、华北北部。在年际变化上,各个季节ERA-Interim资料同观测资料最为接近,能稳定地再现西北东部、华北、江淮地区土壤湿度干湿变化趋势,反映出重要的旱涝年。整体而言,四套再分析资料中ERA-Interim资料同观测资料接近,JRA55、NCEP-DOE R2资料次之,20CR资料最差。     

Statistical analysis of soil variability in a humid forest landscape of Central Cameroon

The quantitative evaluation of key factors of soil variability together with the spatial pattern of underlying variables are important steps in understanding the functioning of soilscapes. Fifteen physical and chemical variables describing 24 pedons were used to elucidate processes of soil differentiation in a humid forest environment in Southern Cameroon. Landscape positions delineated on the basis of remote-sensed imageries included flat convex summits (FCS), linear valley slopes (LVS), colluvial inland valleys (CIV), and alluvial floodplain. Ordination by principal component analysis (PCA) resulted in a three-factor model, which efficiently summarized the dataset explaining 81.4% of total soil variance (TSV). The pedogenetic factor of ferralitization emerged as the main factor accounting for 43.7% of TSV. Identified underlying processes included basic cation leaching, solum acidification, and in situ clay build up. Cation exchange properties as influenced by organic constituents and soil available P were the second and third most important factors associated with 26.7 and 11.4% of TSV respectively. Organic constituents and related biological processes had strong control on nutrient availability and cation-exchange properties, while soil available phosphorus (AP) showed a strong dependence on potential acidity and organic matter mineralization status. The analysis of variance highlighted significant differences for most soil properties across landscape position and soil depth except for organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus. All the soils, however, have low pH, low basic cation saturation, and correlatively high exchangeable Al irrespective of their position in the landscape.     

LONGITUDINAL DISPERSION IN SEDIMENT-LADEN OPEN CHANNEL FLOWS

Laboratory experiments on longitudinal dispersion in clear-water and sediment-laden open channel flows are reported. Data from these experiments and those available from previous studies indicate that the suspended sediment present in the flow affects the longitudinal dispersion process. The observed velocity distributions over the depth of sediment-laden flows indicate that the velocity deviates from the mean velocity more in sediment-laden flows than in clear-water flows. The velocity distributions over the cross section and secondary flow in the channel are also expected to be altereddue to the presence of suspended sediments in the flow. For these reasons, more dispersion is found in sediment-laden flows than in corresponding clear-water flows. A predictor for the dispersion coefficient in sediment-laden flows is proposed.