Horizontal water trap for measurement of aeolian sand transport

A new type of horizontal trap was developed for measuring the aeolian sand transport rate on a flat surface. The trap consists of an adjustable frame that is embedded level with the sand surface, into which a plastic liner is installed and filled with water to capture the blown sand. The water trap has high efficiency and does not disturb the wind field or induce upwind scour. Deployment on Padre Island, Texas, indicated that this portable and adjustable trap catches and retains all the sand blown into it, even under relatively strong wind. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

库木库里背斜活动性初步研究

库木库里盆地位于青藏高原北缘,与柴达木盆地一山之隔,是二者的过渡地带,也是高原主体部分向NE扩展的前缘地区;现今构造表现为被3条大型活动构造带(走滑的阿尔金断裂带、东昆仑断裂带和逆冲的祁漫塔格褶皱逆冲系)所夹持。因此,该盆地对于研究青藏高原北缘的构造活动性、活动历史,探讨高原的扩展模式具有十分重要的意义。虽然库木库里盆地南、北两侧均发育活动性很强的大型走滑断裂,但是在盆地中央发育1条大型背斜,走向NWW-SEE,与祁漫塔格褶皱逆冲系和柴达木盆地内的褶皱构造走向一致,说明盆地目前遭受NNE向的挤压。通过对盆地地形横、纵剖面和阶地展布形态的分析,得出背斜有自西向东扩展变形的特征;野外调查和测年结果显示,背斜东段冰川融水形成了大型冰水扇,形成年龄为(87.09±2.31)~(102.4±3.7)ka,进而获得背斜东段自晚更新世以来平均隆升速率的最大值为(2.78±0.28)~(3.28±0.28)mm/a。库木库里盆地整体的活动性很强,在构造上与其北边的柴达木盆地类似,都受控于阿尔金断裂南侧的NNE向的区域挤压作用。     

塔里木西缘明尧勒背斜的弯滑褶皱作用与活动弯滑断层陡坎

塔里木西缘明尧勒活动背斜两翼河流阶地面上多处发育活动弯滑断层陡坎。这些断坎主要分布在活动轴面附近较陡的等斜岩层(地层倾角分别为74°~89°、18°~20°和45°~60°)一翼,往往成排发育在距活动轴面50~1 200m范围内,宽90~1 000m,长40~950m,随着离活动轴面的距离加大弯滑断层陡坎规模渐小。同一阶地面上发育的弯滑断层陡坎几乎以等间距或间距倍数关系产出。这些断坎走向与下伏基岩地层走向一致,基岩地层大多为中-厚层块状砂岩或粉砂岩互层,岩层间力学性质差异较小。明尧勒背斜南翼克孜勒苏河北岸T3阶地面废弃以来,单条弯滑断层的地表最大缩短速率为0.31mm/a,地表最大抬升速率为0.34mm/a。这些弯滑断层的活动具有重复性和新生性。     

Quantifying the environmental impacts of artisanal fishing gear on Kenya's coral reef ecosystems

The environmental impacts of artisanal fishing gear on coral reef ecosystems were studied in the multi-gear fishery of southern Kenya to evaluate which types of gear have the greatest impact on coral reef biodiversity. The gear types studied were large and small traps, gill nets, beach seines, hand lines and spear guns. Levels of coral damage, proportion of juvenile fish and discards, size and maturity stage at first capture were quantified and compared amongst the gear types. Results indicate that fishers using beach seines, spears and gill nets cause the most direct physical damage to corals. Spear fishers showed the highest number of contacts to live corals per unit catch followed by fishers using gill nets (12.6 ± 1.8 and 5.9 ± 2.0 coral contacts per kg fish caught per trip respectively). Apart from discarding 6.5% of their daily catch in the sea, as it was too small, beach seine fishers also landed the highest percentage of juvenile fish (68.4 ± 15.7%), a proportion significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in any other gear. The size and maturity stage at first capture for 150 of 195 species caught by all gear types was well below the lengths at which they mature. For example, 100% of Lethrinus xanthochilus, 99% of Lethrinus nebulosus and 94% of Lethrinus harak caught were juveniles. Across all gear types, 50.1 ± 22.7% of the catch consisted of juvenile fish, indicating serious growth overfishing. Field assessment of levels of coral density showed that fishing grounds where beach seines were still in use had a significantly lower density than where beach seining was not used. This correlation is likely to arise in part because seines cannot be used in the most coral rich areas, and in part because coral loss is a consequence of seine use. On a per gear basis therefore, beach seines had the most impact on coral reef biodiversity. This study emphasizes the need to enforce restrictions on destructive gear and mesh sizes.     

Main models and distribution patterns of gas reservoirs in large-medium gas fields of China

Based on characteristics and trap types of gas reservoirs in large and medium gas fields in China, 4 gas reservoir models have been established:(i) structural trap gas reservoir model I, formed earlier than or simutaneously with generating of gases; (ii) structural trap gas reservoir model II, formed later than generating of gases; (iii) fossil weathered residuum gas reservoir model; and (iV) mud diapir abnormal temperature and pressure gas reservoir model. Distribution patterns of large-medium gas fields are described with the concept of “sealed compartment”. It is concluded that the inner-compartment area, marginal area of the compartment and the areas between two overlapped sealed compartments are the most favourable areas for discovering large-medium gas fields. Project supported by the “85–102” Chinese National Key Science and Technology Project.     

熊坡背斜构造变形与蒲江-新津断裂活动特征

熊坡背斜位于龙门山构造带东南端的成都盆地内,是龙门山逆冲推覆构造向前推挤进入盆地内部的一个主要变形区域,与其配套发育的断裂为蒲江-新津断裂,断裂与背斜褶皱之间在构造变形模式上表现出明显的一致性。在褶皱和断裂的构造变形和活动特征上,熊坡背斜南段表现为一种不对称的褶皱,向NE方向发展表现为较为宽缓的对称褶皱形态,卷入的地层主要是中生代及其以前的地层,对蒲江-新津断裂的地貌调查结果表明,断裂没有对该区域内广泛发育的冲沟Ⅰ级阶地产生影响,而对山前发育的相当于南河(岷江Ⅰ级支流)Ⅳ级阶地的洪积台地有明显的控制作用,说明断裂活动时间应该为第四纪早期,到第四纪晚期活动减弱或是趋于静止     

Pb and Th in settling particles in the western Northwest Pacific Ocean: Particle flux and scavenging

A mooring of three conical time-series sediment traps was deployed at two sites in the western Northwest Pacific Ocean for 9 months. Total mass fluxes and activities of ²¹⁰Pb and ²³⁰Th were determined for the settling particles to elucidate their scavenging and transport processes. Sediment samples also were analyzed for ²¹⁰Pb activities. Total mass fluxes, ²¹⁰Pb fluxes and ²³⁰Th fluxes showed large seasonal variations and their weighted mean fluxes tended to increase with depth, with an especially large increase near-bottom. The ratios of the observed ²¹⁰Pb fluxes to the ²¹⁰Pb deficiency fluxes in the upper traps at the two sites were only 0.02 and 0.12, and were attributable to advective export of ²¹⁰Pb from the surface waters. Those ratios in the near-bottom traps ranged between 1.22 and 2.63. This suggests that these high ratios are due to effective particle scavenging, large lateral ²¹⁰Pb import and input of resuspended particles that have not become incorporated into the sediments. The mean total ²³⁰Th fluxes at the near-bottom traps were 4.2–6.7 times higher than that expected from production in the overlying water column. The ²¹⁰Pb activities in the surficial sediments were much lower than those in the near-bottom traps. The ²¹⁰Pb accumulation rates estimated from the excess ²¹⁰Pb inventory in the sediment column were 40–70% higher than the mean ²¹⁰Pb fluxes at the near-bottom traps. The ratios of the ²¹⁰Pb accumulation rates to the ²¹⁰Pb deficiency fluxes at the near-bottom traps ranged between 2.0 and 3.7. The high fluxes of particulate ²¹⁰Pb and ²³⁰Th at the near-bottom traps reflected a combination of enhanced scavenging of dissolved nuclides and the lateral redistribution of particulate matter by downslope and alongshore transports. However, it was not possible to discriminate among the various processes contributing to high nuclide fluxes.     

褶皱陡坎中相关断层在缩短量计算中的作用——以东秋里塔格背斜为例

通过对东秋里塔格背斜地区内与褶皱陡坎伴生的次级断层进行的地质调查,确定了该次级断层属于伸出向斜的逆冲断层,也给出了次级断层的发生时间晚于褶皱作用起始时间的1个变形实例。褶皱陡坎中发育的次级断层使得陡坎上盘地层沿断层面整体向上迁移,不仅次级断层使得阶地面发生掀斜并增大褶皱陡坎的坡度,而且直接影响了区域缩短增量计算的真实性。计算结果显示,当不考虑次级断层对褶皱陡坎高度的影响时,计算所得缩短增量为51.42m,考虑次级断层对褶皱陡坎高度的影响时,计算得到的地壳缩短量为45.23m。二者相差6.19m,偏差占总缩短增量的13.7%,是一个不可忽视的量值。东秋里塔格背斜北翼和南翼的褶皱陡坎发育于相同岩性的基岩中而且具有相同的形成机制。但是背斜北翼在水平距离不足300m的范围内发育了3级褶皱陡坎,这表明北翼相对于南翼,其活动枢纽带更为紧闭。这是由于北翼存在更加强烈的挤压应力及更加快速的隆升作用。因此,次级断层的研究对于正确认识区域构造演化、了解褶皱与断层相互作用关系具有重要意义。但是仍存在很多问题:1)受观察剖面范围有限、次级断层分布不连续和断距沿延伸方向不断增大等因素的制约,次级断层对缩短增量造成的影响可能被低估,计算结果应为缩短量的最小值。2)次级断层增加的陡坎高度与断层的断距、倾角具有怎样的定量关系?3)若次级断层只发育于活动枢纽带内,又会产生怎样的影响?这些问题还需更多的研究实例来进行更加深入的研究。     

The use of riparian vegetated filter strips to reduce river sediment loads: an overestimated control measure?

The spatially distributed soil erosion and sediment delivery model WATEM/SEDEM was used to simulate the impact of riparian vegetated filter strips (RVFSs) on river sediment delivery at different spatial scales. For a field plot with a straight slope, sediment reduction by the RVFSs is comparable to results obtained through experimental set‐ups elsewhere (i.e. >70%). However, at the scale of an entire catchment, sediment reduction is much less (i.e. ±20%) due to (1) overland flow convergence, which reduces the sediment trapping efficiency of an RVFS, and (2) because part of the sediment bypasses the RVFSs through ditches, sewers and road surfaces. These results suggest that, at the catchment scale, RVFSs should be accompanied with other conservation techniques that are more appropriate for reducing river sediment loads, and that also reduce on‐site soil erosion. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.