Upper Pleistocene and Holocene paleosalinity and trophic state changes in relation to sea level variation in Rocha Lagoon, southern Uruguay

Paleolimnological data are presented on trophic development in relation to sea level variation in Rocha Lagoon, a 72 km² coastal lagoon in southern Uruguay. Using sediment cores that extended to ∼20,000 yr BP, analyses of grain size, organic matter, carbonate, total carbon, nutrients, and diatoms allowed us to infer changes in trophic state and paleosalinities, which were closely related to Holocene relative sea level variation. Higher trophic states were observed during regressive events, most probably due to increases in runoff and erosion as regressions progressed. Diatom Association Zones (DAZ) were identified in both cores. Those DAZ corresponding to transgressive events were dominated by marine/brackish taxa and relatively low organic matter and nutrient values, while those DAZ corresponding to regressive events showed increases in brackish/freshwater diatoms and both organic matter and nutrients. Although the lagoon formed after the first Holocene marine transgression, our data indicate the existence of a marine/brackish aquatic system during upper Pleistocene (i.e., before 15,000 yr BP), but by ∼20,000 yr BP, the system was still likely to be a semi-arid terrestrial system.     

Influence of groundwater level change on vegetation coverage and their spatial variation in arid regions

Sampling and testing are conducted on groundwater depth and vegetation coverage in the 670 km2 of the Sangong River Basin and semi-variance function analysis is made afterwards on the data obtained by the application of geo-statistics. Results showed that the variance curve of the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage displays an exponential model. Analysis of sampling data in 2003 indicates that the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage change similarly in space in this area. The Sangong River Basin is composed of upper oasis, middle ecotone and lower sand dune. In oasis and ecotone, influenced by irrigation of the adjoining oasis, groundwater level has been raised and soil water content also increased compared with sand dune nearby, vegetation developed well. But in the lower reaches of the Sangong River Basin, because of descending of groundwater level, soil water content decreased and vegetation degenerated. From oasis to abandoned land and desert grassland, vegetation coverage and groundwater level changed greatly with significant difference respectively in spatial variation. Distinct but similar spatial variability exists among the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage in the study area, namely, the vegetation coverage decreasing (increasing) as the groundwater depth increases (decreases). This illustrates the great dependence of vegetation coverage on groundwater depth in arid regions and further implies that among the great number of factors affecting vegetation coverage in arid regions, groundwater depth turns out to be the most determinant one.     

大震前井水位长周期波生成机理的实验证据

根据一些学者的岩石力学实验结果证实岩石在大破裂前能够产生一种长周期、小振幅的低频事件,并依此来解释大震前井水位长周期事件的物理机制.研究结果表明,大震前井水位长周期事件反映了震源的内部信息,是大震前断裂失稳扩展前预扩展所产生的一种波,是震源成核过程的反映.     

小波分析方法在提取井水位潮汐因子震前变化特征的初步应用

运用小波分析方法对1990年常熟、1995年苍山和1996年南黄海三个中强地震前江苏地区井水位固体潮的变化特征进行了研究，发现井水位M2波潮汐因子在地震前几个月几乎都出现一个幅度较大、周期为半月或一个月左右的异常信号，表明小波分析方法在处理和分析井水位潮汐资料方面可能是一种有效的方法。     

华北活动地块区南缘阜南-霍邱地区地壳活动习性初探

阜南-霍邱地区地处华北和华南活动地块区边缘构造带，通过对其进行地震地质调查和综合分析研究，发现晚更新世以来该区存在强度较弱的构造变形现象，即：小震沿着主要断裂呈线性条带状分布；研究区南部及断裂近侧的上更新统中发育共轭剪节理；1970年代，研究区固始、霍邱和阜南等地陆续发生过长度不一、宽窄不等、方向不同的地裂缝，展布与肥中断裂或王老人集断裂近乎一致。本文认为，研究区局部小震丛集、上更新统中赋存共轭剪节理、裂面充填物显微揉皱变形和现代地裂缝的生成等现象，反映出地壳能量被缓慢释放和相应断裂发生微弱活动；研究区曾发生过一次破坏性地震(江口集Ms43/4地震)。综上所述，研究区地壳晚第四纪以来具有微弱活动性，且主要表现为蠕滑活动方式。     

库水位变化对库岸边坡稳定性的影响

在假定坡体孔隙水水位为水平线且不考虑渗透作用影响的基础上,基于极限平衡法考察了水位上升及下降的快慢对边坡安全系数的影响。对比计算表明:在水位缓慢变化即坡体内外水位线等高的条件下,边坡的安全系数随着水位坡高比的增大先略减小后急剧增大,且在水位坡高比为0.3处取得最小值,在边坡完全淹没于水中时取得最大值。当边坡完全淹没于水中后,水位高于坡顶的多少对边坡安全系数没有影响;在水位骤降或陡升条件下,相同库水位对应的边坡安全系数基本上均小于水位缓慢变化情况下的安全系数,故工程实际中无论是排水还是蓄水,都应尽量保持水位缓慢变化,这样才能使边坡处于较安全的状态。     

Causes for continuous siltation of the lower Yellow River

Previous studies indicate that aggradation of a river channel is caused by upriver and/or downriver controls, but the evaluation of their relative importance is often difficult. A method is proposed to isolate the effect of the downriver control based on the slopes of the existing river profile, those of the graded profile estimated from the discharge-sediment relationship and slope reduction due to local base-level rise. The method was applied to the rapidly aggrading lower Yellow River. The downriver control in this case refers to the local base-level rise associated with deltaic extension during the period under discussion. The result shows that the main portion of siltation along the river is not caused by downriver control but by the slope difference between the existing and the graded profiles over a period within the last 700 years, assuming conditions of discharge and sediment load during the period from 1962 to 1985 are reflective of the long term. The marked slope difference between the existing and the graded profiles of the river is a result of changes in the river environment in the past several thousand years including the increase of sediment load, local base-level rise associated with river lengthening by deltaic growth, and relative sea-level rise due to tectonic subsidence of the coastal alluvial plain.