Analyzing Slug Tests in Wells Screened Across the Watertable: A Field Assessment

The slug test is the most widely used technique for the in situ estimation of hydraulic conductivityin confined and unconfined formations. Currently, there are no generally accepted methods in thegroundwater literature for the analysis of response data from slug tests performed in wells screenedacross the watertable. A field study was undertaken in an attempt to develop a set of practicalguidelines for tests conducted in such wells. Three wells, screened within unconsolidated materialexhibiting a range of hydraulic conductivities (.05–30.0 m/day), were installed to depths of up to9 m (30 ft) in Kansas River alluvium that ranges in thickness from 15 m to 21 m (50 ft to 70 ft)near Lawrence, Kansas. Intensive well-development efforts removed any drilling debris that couldinterfere with well-formation hydraulics. Once the wells were developed properly, a series of slugtests was performed at each well. The tests were designed to assess the role of the unsaturatedzone and the appropriateness of assuming a fixed hydraulic head upper boundary. The results ofthis investigation can be summarized as follows: (1) the sufficiency of well development shouldbe based on repeat slug tests and not the clarity of pumped water; (2) the effective screen radiusfor best model analysis should be based on a mass balance and not nominal screen dimensions;(3) the watertable can be represented as a constant head boundary and flow in the unsaturatedzone can be ignored in most situations; (4) conventional techniques for the analysis of slug-testdata seem to be reasonable for slug tests conducted in wells screened across the watertable, whenused with the appropriate effective screen radius and normalized head range; and (5) fluctuationsin the watertable elevation through time can be exploited to obtain some insight into the natureof vertical variation in hydraulic conductivity at a well. The results of this investigation indicatethat multiple slug tests should be performed at wells screened across the watertable in order toreliably assess the sufficiency of well development and the appropriateness of conventional theory.     

A new method to characterize the spatial structure of soil macropore networks in effects of cultivation using computed tomography

Soil macropore networks are subsurface connected void spaces caused by processes such as fracture of soils, micro‐erosion and fauna burrows. Axial X‐ray computed tomography (CT) scanning provides a convenient means of recording the spatial structure of soil macropore networks. The objective of this study were to (1) based on CT technique and GIS digitized image method, construction a new technique for tracing, visualizing and measuring the soil macropore networks and (2) investigate the effects of farming activities on soil macropore networks characteristics. Our technique uses left‐turning and nine‐direction judgment methods, a combination of the layer‐by‐layer analysis method and the up‐down tracking algorithm. The characteristics for the overall structure patterns of macropores, the spatial distribution of the macropore networks and each single macropore network can be conveniently identified by our technique. Eight undisturbed soil columns from fields with two distinct land uses (under cultivation and not been cultivated) and four different depths (0–20, 20–40, 40–60 and 60–80 cm) were investigated. The soil columns were scanned using X‐ray CT at a voxel resolution of 0.075 × 0.075 × 3.000 mm. Results indicate that farming activities can destroy the initial structure of macropores, and those remaining are mainly small‐sized and medium‐sized networks with lower extension and hydraulic conductivity. The network properties show a significant difference between upper and lower layer. The results can provide beneficial reference to further research centered on non‐equilibrium flow prediction and chemical transport modeling in field soils. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improving the spatial representation of soil properties and hydrology using topographically derived initialization processes in the SWAT model

Topography exerts critical controls on many hydrologic, geomorphologic and biophysical processes. However, many watershed modelling systems use topographic data only to define basin boundaries and stream channels, neglecting opportunities to account for topographic controls on processes such as soil genesis, soil moisture distributions and hydrological response. Here, we demonstrate a method that uses topographic data to adjust spatial soil morphologic and hydrologic attributes: texture, depth to the C‐horizon, saturated conductivity, bulk density, porosity and the water capacities at field (33 kpa) and wilting point (1500 kpa) tensions. As a proof of concept and initial performance test, the values of the topographically adjusted soil parameters and those from the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO; available at 1 : 20 000 scale) were compared with measured soil pedon pit data in the Grasslands Soil and Water Research Lab watershed in Riesel, TX. The topographically adjusted soils were better correlated with the pit measurements than were the SSURGO values. We then incorporated the topographically adjusted soils into an initialization of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model for 15 Riesel research watersheds to investigate how changes in soil properties influence modelled hydrological responses at the field scale. The results showed that the topographically adjusted soils produced better runoff predictions in 50% of the fields, with the SSURGO soils performing better in the remainder. In addition, the a priori adjusted soils result in fewer calibrated model parameters. These results indicate that adjusting soil properties based on topography can result in more accurate soil characterization and, in some cases, improve model performance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

刺激隐核虫ADP/ATP 载体蛋白基因的克隆和分子特征分析

刺激隐核虫(Cryptocaryon irritans)是严重危害海水鱼类的寄生纤毛虫,为了对其进行分子水平的研究,采用SMART技术构建了刺激隐核虫滋养体期的cDNA文库,并随机挑取克隆做EST测序,获得大量克隆的基因。从中挑选ATP/ADP载体蛋白基因同源物(CiAAC)的克隆进一步测序获得全长的cDNA序列。该序列全长为1029bp,包含编码287个氨基酸的开放阅读框。用RT-PCR分析了其在刺激隐核虫各时期的表达情况,并应用生物信息学分析方法,对CiAAC基因进行不同物种的系统进化树分析、功能区分析、物理性质分析、疏水性分析、跨膜结构域预测、亚细胞定位、二级结构预测等等。结果表明:CiAAC蛋白在刺激隐核虫各时期均有表达;据预测,它为六次跨膜蛋白,与卵形肠虫(Nyctotherus ovalis)的ADP/ATP载体蛋白的同源性最高,相似性达65%;蛋白为疏水性,并定位于刺激隐核虫的细胞质中。随后实验中通过对基因的定点诱变,将纤毛虫的非通用密码进行改造后,构建了pGEX-4T-1/CiAAC表达载体。以上实验为病原生物刺激隐核虫CiAAC载体蛋白的研究及应用提供了基础资料。     

Lithology-controlled subsidence and seasonal aquifer response in the Bandung basin,Indonesia, observed by synthetic aperture radar interferometry

Land subsidence in the Bandung basin, West Java, Indonesia, is characterized based on differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) and interferometric point target analysis (IPTA). We generated interferograms from 21 ascending SAR images over the period 1 January 2007 to 3 March 2011. The estimated subsidence history shows that subsidence continuously increased reaching a cumulative 45 cm during this period, and the linear subsidence rate reached ∼12 cm/yr. This significant subsidence occurred in the industrial and densely populated residential regions of the Bandung basin where large amounts of groundwater are consumed. However, in several areas the subsidence patterns do not correlate with the distribution of groundwater production wells and mapped aquifer degradation. We conclude that groundwater production controls subsidence, but lithology is a counteracting factor for subsidence in the Bandung basin. Moreover, seasonal trends of nonlinear surface deformations are highly related with the variation of rainfall. They indicate that there is elastic expansion (rebound) of aquifer system response to seasonal-natural recharge during rainy season.     

Paleokarst system development in the San Andres Formation, Permian Basin, revealed by seismic characterization

Paleokarst systems are one of the major factors resulting in carbonate reservoir heterogeneity and compartmentalization. Nevertheless, few effective workflows have been proposed to map the 3D distribution of such systems. We describe a detailed seismic characterization approach integrating core, well log and rock physics analysis, to reveal a complex subsurface paleokarst system in the San Andres Formation, Permian basin, West Texas. In the area of high volume production, the collapsed paleokarst system is characterized by irregularly developed crackle and fracture breccias, mosaic breccias and cave fillings in the Upper San Andres Formation, which are delineated using seismic acoustic impedance. Along the transition from platform to basin, the paleokarst system is marked by a linear collapse including sags and small vertical faults that are recognizable in seismic imaging. Production data indicates that tight paleokarst zones cause reservoir compartmentalization and influence fluid communication between wells. The complex paleokarst system development is explained using a carbonate platform hydrological model, an outcrop analogue similar to modern marine hydrological environments within carbonate islands. Our method of model development for complex subsurface paleokarst systems may be applicable to other paleoenvironments.     

Water storage mapping of pyroclastic covers through electrical resistivity measurements

The knowledge of the geological setting of pyroclastic covers and their water content distribution represents crucial information for stability analyses of slopes potentially subject to debris-flow phenomena. The study we here present would provide a contribution to this issue by means of an approach based on electrical resistivity measurements. Specifically, we describe the results of high-resolution 2D resistivity surveys carried out in a test area on Sarno Mountains (Campania Region – Southern Italy), where shallow landslides involving pyroclastic soils periodically occur triggered by critical rainfall events. We discuss the results in relation to the geology of the area in order to locate characteristic horizons of pyroclastic soils below the ground surface. Then, on the basis of a laboratory characterization of pyroclastic samples collected from the same test area at representative depths, we provide an estimation of the soil water content distribution in the field. Finally, we analyze temporal variations of the soil water content distribution by comparing the data of two surveys carried out in the autumnal and spring seasons, respectively.     

Atmospheric data assimilation on the equatorial beta plane

Abstract

Kalman filter theory shows great promise when applied to the assimilation of atmospheric observations. Previous work has concentrated on extratropical dynamics, and tropical aspects have not yet been seriously tackled. In this article, a Kalman filter is applied to the linearized shallow water equations on an equatorial beta plane. The system or model error is constructed from the slow eigenmodes of the model and is based on an expansion in parabolic cylinder functions. The resulting second‐moment statistics are discussed in some detail. The Kalman filter is applied to a special observation network that allows the diagonalization of the system. Following Daley and Ménard (1993), it is then possible to obtain the complete space and time solution for the second‐moment forecast and analysis error statistics. The slow (low‐frequency) and fast (high‐frequency) error statistics are examined separately for both the optimal and suboptimal cases.     

Bounding the required sample size for geologic site characterization

The proposed objective of limited sample geologic site characterization is to minimize the chance of unknown and unexpected extremes. This problem proves to be extremely difficult when the data are spatially correlated. A generalization of the classical one-sided nonparametric tolerance interval, based upon the statistical concept of associated random variables, establishes a rigorous, almost distribution-free, tool for computing the minimum required sample size for site characterization. An upper bound on the required number of samples follows from a heuristic measure for the quantity of information in a spatially dependent sample; the measure presented is the equivalent number of uncorrelated samples and is calculated using an estimated variogram. An empirical check of the upper and lower bounds, using more than 2 million simulations and seven real data sets produces a heuristic rule for quantifying the required number of samples.This paper was presented at Emerging Concepts, MGUS-87 Conference, Redwood City, California, 13–15 April 1987.     

Boundary assessment under uncertainty: A case study

Estimating certain attributes within a geological body whose exact boundary is not known presents problems because of the lack of information. Estimation may result in values that are inadmissible from a geological point of view, especially with attributes which necessarily must be zero outside the boundary, such as the thickness of the oil column outside a reservoir. A simple but effective way to define the boundary is to use indicator kriging in two steps, the first for the purpose of extrapolating control points outside the body, the second to obtain a weighting function which expresses the uncertainty attached to estimations obtained in the boundary region.