Tracing anthropogenically driven groundwater discharge into a coastal lagoon from southern Brazil

We investigated the distribution of naturally occurring geochemical tracers (²²²Rn, ²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, CH₄, δ¹⁸O, and δ²H) in the water column and adjacent groundwater of Mangueira Lagoon as proxies of groundwater discharge. Mangueira Lagoon is a large (90 km long), shallow (4–5 m deep), fresh, and non-tidal coastal lagoon in southern Brazil surrounded by extensively irrigated rice plantations and numerous irrigation canals. We hypothesized that the annual, intense irrigation for rice agriculture creates extreme conditions that seasonally change groundwater discharge patterns in the adjacent lagoon. We further supposed that dredging of irrigation canals alters groundwater fluxes.

While the activities of ²²²Rn in shallow groundwater were 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than in surface water, CH₄ and radium isotopes were only 1 order of magnitude higher. Therefore, ²²²Rn appears to be the preferred groundwater tracer in this system. Radon concentrations and conductivities were dramatically higher near the pump house of rice irrigation canals, consistent with a groundwater source. Modeling of radon inventories accounting for total inputs (groundwater advection, diffusion from sediments, and decay of ²²⁶Ra) and losses (atmospheric evasion, horizontal mixing and decay) indicated that groundwater advection rates in the irrigation canals (25 cm/d) are over 2 orders of magnitude higher than along the shoreline (0.1 cm/d). Nearly 75% of the total area of the canals is found in the southern half of the lagoon, where groundwater inputs seem to be higher as also indicated by methane and stable isotope trends. In spite of the relatively small area of the canals, we estimate that they contribute nearly 70% of the total (57,000 m³/d) groundwater input into the entire Mangueira Lagoon. We suggest that the dredging of these canals cut through aquitards which previously restricted upward advection from the underlying permeable strata. The irrigation channels may therefore represent an important but previously overlooked source of nutrients and other dissolved chemicals derived from agricultural practices into the lagoon.     

Links between global CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> variability and climate anomalies of biomes

The global rate of fossil fuel combustion continues to rise, but the amount of CO₂ accumulating in the atmosphere has not increased accordingly. The causes for this discrepancy are widely debated. Particularly, the location and drivers for the interannual variability of atmospheric CO₂ are highly uncertain. Here we examine links between global atmospheric CO₂ growth rate (CGR) and the climate anomalies of biomes based on (1986–1995) global climate data of ten years and accompanying satellite data sets. Our results show that four biomes, the tropical rainforest, tropical savanna, C₄ grassland and boreal forest, and their responses to climate anomalies, are the major climate-sensitive CO₂ sinks/sources that control the CGR. The nature and magnitude by which these biomes respond to climate anomalies are generally not the same. However, one common influence did emerge from our analysis; the extremely high CGR observed for the one extreme El Niño year was caused by the response of the tropical biomes (rainforest, savanna and C₄ grassland) to temperature.     

Wave characteristics and tectonic-sedimentation evolution of foreland thrust fault of Micang Mountain

In this paper,the technology of wave process method for sedimentation is first adopted in the research of the foreland thrust fault of Micang Mountain with respect of oil and reservoir’s formation and tectonic and sedimentary evolution. From the fluctuation characteristics,we could make conclusions in the foreland thrust belt of Micang Mountain that,there existed 2 first-order sedimentary cycles (220 Ma),corresponding to Caledonian-Hercynian and Indo-Chinese-Yanshan-Himalayan tectonic cycles respec-tively; there existed 4 second-order sedimentary cycles (10 Ma),corresponding to two sedimentation peak period and two denudation peak periods in research zone; there existed 12 third-order sedimen-tary cycles (35 Ma) and 21 fourth-sedimentary cycles (20 Ma). These 33 cycles in the research zone corresponded to the sedimentation-denudation process in different periods,furthermore,their fluctua-tion characteristics bore the genetic relationship with the development law of source,reservoir and cap rocks: the source rock had the tendency to develop at the turning part between wave crest and wave trough,or at the superposition of wave turning part in different periods,presenting like "X"; most res-ervoir rocks developed at the place of wave peak; the development of cap rock was located in the wave trough on the right of sedimentation-denudation datum line. As a result,through the application of wave process method for sedimentation,we could rediscover the understanding of the tectonic and sedimentary evolution from another prospective,meanwhile,it enables to make prediction about the development rule of source,reservoir and cap rocks,which means a significant importance to the re-search of oil and reservoir’s forming condition.     

Behavior of Cu, Ni and Cd during nutrient depletion in a spring bloom in Funka Bay

The concentrations of Cu, Ni and Cd were determined in Funka Bay during a spring phytoplankton bloom, consisting of diatoms. Just after the bloom, both dissolved Cd and nutrients were removed in the euphotic zone. However, the removal ratio of Cd to phosphate was very different from that in seawater. The removal of Cd took place at a Cd/phosphate ratio of 0.07×10⁻³, which was lower than in seawater before the bloom (0.25×10⁻³), leading to an increase in this ratio in seawater exceeding 0.7×10⁻³ at the end of the bloom. Elevated concentrations of Cd and phosphate were observed in the deeper layer after the bloom due to the decomposition of detrital materials produced in the bloom. The ratio of Cd/phosphate in the regeneration step was 0.24×10⁻³ which was different from the removal ratio of 0.07×10⁻³. These observations suggest that the high Cd/phosphate ratio in the regeneration would reflect a relatively high regeneration rate of Cd than that of phosphate. No significant decrease in Cu and Ni concentrations was observed during the development of the bloom, suggesting that biological removal of these metals was not so significant during the spring bloom. The concentrations of Cd, Cu and silicate in surface waters increased after the bloom with decreasing salinity due to the influence of a spring thaw.     

杭州湾沿岸平原晚第四纪沉积特征和沉积过程

本文采用层序地层学基本原理,以海平面升降旋回为主线,根据３００口钻井,静力触探井和分析化验等资料。探讨了杭州湾地区晚第四纪地层层序,沉积特征,控制沉积的主要地质作用及沉积层的形成过程。结果表明,该区晚第四纪地层底界面为区域不整合面,是末次冰期海面下降时形成的。     

Palaeoclimatic cycles, global environmental changes and new glacial periods induced by the impact of extraterrestrial bodies

In terms of Earth-Sun geometry, the Milankovitch theory has successfully explained most of the cyclic palaeoclimatic variations during the history of the Earth, especially in the Quaternary. In this paper, the authors suggest that the impact of extraterrestrial bodies on the Earth may be another mechanism to cause palaeoclimatic cycles, global environmental changes and new glacial periods. Based on geological and geochemical records in the boundary layers produced by six huge Cenozoic bolide-impact events (65, 34, 15, 2.4, 1.1, 0.73 Ma B.P.), including those at 34, 15, 1.1 and 0.73 Ma B. P. which are represented by four famous tektite-strewn fields, the process and mechanics of palaeoclimatic cycles and global environmental catastrophes induced by extraterrestrial impact are discussed in detail. Impact-generated dust, soot and aerosol floating in the stratosphere could result in short-term (<1 year), rapid drop in temperature immediately after impact. Through self-regulation of the Earth’s climate system, the temperature at the surface slowly went up within 100a and maintained stable for a long time at 250K. If there were no other factors leading to the break-down of the newly-established equilibrium, a new glacial pound would be initiated. Estimating from the thickness of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O anomalies in sediments across the impact boundary layer and deposition rate, the duration of two stages of the palaeoclimate cycle in the form of cold weather—greenhouse effect—normal weather was 10⁴ – 10⁵a, respectively. The conclusion deduced from the above model is supported by palaeotemperature change recorded by oxygen isotope in sediments across the impact boundary layer. The study was granted by the Scientific and Technological Bureau of Resources and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZ952-J1-031) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

腾冲地区晚新生代火山活动浅析

腾冲火山喷发活动具有多期多次性,并且各期各次火山岩在空间上存在复杂的重叠关系。本文应用数学地质方法对火山岩地质年龄值和某些重要化学组分进行研究,结合火山岩岩石化学特征、野外产状、风化剥蚀程度等进行分期分类。在此基础上,将该区火山活动划分为５个喷发期。它们组成由基性喷发向中酸性喷发过渡的２个喷发旋回。最后,对该区未来火山喷活动进行了预测。     

Cambrian Sequence Stratigraphy and Sea Level Cycles of North China Platform

ＴｈｅＮｏｒｔｈＣｈｉｎａｐｌａｔｆｏｒｍｉｓｏｎｅｏｆｔｈｅｍｏｓｔｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｃｒａｔｏｎｉｃｂａｓｉｎｓｉｎＣｈｉｎａ．ＳｉｎｃｅｉｔｗａｓｕｐｌｉｆｔｅｄａｔｔｈｅｅａｒｌｙＮｅｏｐｒｏｔｅｒｏｚｏｉｃ,ｔｈｅｐｌａｔｆｏｒｍｈａｄｂｅ...     

基准面识别技术在古地理分析中的应用——以柴达木盆地中生代地层为例

利用基准面识别技术对柴达木盆地中生代地层进行了分析,划分出４ 个长期基准面旋回：ＬＳＣ１ 、ＬＳＣ２ 、ＬＳＣ３ 和ＬＳＣ４ ,并以此为作图单元进行古地理分析,对研究区的沉积面貌有了更详细的认识     

鞍本地区鞍山式铁矿区地质构造

鞍本地区,从太古宙到新生代地层齐全。其中有鞍山式铁矿、菱镁矿、煤、粘土矿等沉积矿产,有古基底构造和盖层构造,有径向裂谷构造和纬向地粮构造。特别是在鞍山狭小范围内出现多期回归性垂直运动,蔚为地质构造奇观。所有这些都体现了两极挤压构造运动史。