Flow of groundwater with variable density and viscosity, Atikokan Research Area, Canada

 Flow of groundwater with variable density and viscosity was simulated at the Atikokan Research Area (ARA) in northwestern Ontario, Canada. An empirical viscosity–concentration equation was modified to include total-dissolved-solids (TDS) data from the ARA. The resulting equation was used successfully to estimate reasonably accurate viscosity values over the expected range of temperature and concentration, in comparison with experimental values derived for sodium chloride solutions. A three-dimensional finite-element code, MOTIF, developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, was used in the simulations. The inclusion of the effects of depth-increasing temperature and TDS-dependent fluid-density distribution, while maintaining only a temperature-dependent viscosity relationship in a simulation, resulted in a more penetrative flow against expected buoyancy effects (i.e., the physics of the system was not honored). Accounting for concentration in the viscosity equation caused water to be less penetrative and more in accordance with the expected physics of the system. A conclusion is that fluid concentration should be considered simultaneously in calculating the density and viscosity of a fluid during modeling of variable-density flow in areas underlain by fluids with high TDS. Results of simulations suggest that both flow directions and magnitudes should be employed simultaneously during the calibration of a model. Large-scale groundwater movement in the ARA may be analyzed with carefully selected vertical no-flow boundaries. By incorporating the geothermal temperature gradient, groundwater recharge increases by 12%; thus, this gradient plays a significant role in groundwater flow at the ARA. Variability in the fluid concentration at the ARA neither decreases nor increases recharge into the groundwater system. The hypothesis that an isolated continuous regional flow system may exist at depth in the ARA is not supported by these simulations. Received, September 1996 Revised, September 1997, February 1998 Accepted, February 1998     

环境污染及保护对策

环境保护中一个非常重要的工作,是广泛深入地开展环境地质工作。在赣南、江西乃至全国,环境地质工作的主要内容是防治水土流失,严禁废渣、废水随意排放,控制人口激增,保护有限耕地;为保护生态平衡,必须加强环境立法与执法,提高环境保护的重要性和必要性的认识,大规模切实地保护耕地,因地制宜植树造林。     

Changes in an urban water resource,an example from Sydney,Australia

This paper examines present and future resource utilization in the tidal section of the Georges River in the southern part of Sydney. Over the last 30 years, the physical characteristics of the river have changed as a result of urbanization, changed hydrologic regime and sand dredging. Urbanization has resulted in an increase in population from 190,000 in 1947 to 550,000. This has resulted in an increase in runoff, sediment input to the river and waste disposal. The change in hydrologic regime has resulted in a substantial increase in the magnitude and frequency of flooding which has increased erosion. Sand dredging has increased the channel capacity, enlarged the tidal prism and increased water turbidity. It has also resulted in extensive bank erosion in the upper part of the river and extensive deposition lower down as tailings are deposited. Although most of these changes have resulted in the deterioration of environmental quality, use of the river for recreation and as an urban amenity has increased.     

A coupled model for prediction of settlement and gas flow in MSW landfills

Prediction of long‐term settlement and control of gas pollution to the environment are two principle concerns during the management of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The behavior of settlement and gas flow in MSW landfills is complicated due to the combined effect of mechanical deformation of the solid skeleton and continuous biodegradation of the waste. A one‐dimensional settlement and gas flow model is presented in this paper, which is capable of predicting time evolution of settlement as well as temporal and spatial distribution of gas pressure within multi‐layered landfills under a variety of operating scenarios. The analytical solution to the novel model is evaluated with numerical simulation and field measurements. The resulting efficiency and accuracy highlight the capability of the proposed model to reproduce the settlement behavior and gas flow in MSW landfills. The influences of operating conditions and waste properties on settlement and gas pressure are examined for typical MSW landfills. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative assessment of dissolved radiotracers in the English Channel: Sources, average impact of la Hague reprocessing plant and conservative behaviour (1983, 1986, 1988, 1994)

Knowledge of long-term movements of water-masses in the English Channel has been substantially improved using hydrodynamic modelling coupled with radio-tracers studies; nevertheless, the precision of results so obtained is still largely dependent on measurement precision. New tools are now available to make more accurate determinations of radio-tracer distribution: (1) Repositioning of station locations at the same tide reference-time, giving a homogeneous spatial data set, coupled with the possibility of interpolating and quantifying the amounts of dissolved radioactivity flowing through the English Channel; (2) the first measurements of tritium (³H) in seawater on a large scale in the English Channel demonstrate that this fully conservative radionuclide is a clearly identifiable marker of industrial releases; (3) recent campaigns carried out during the FLUXMANCHE II CCE (1994) programme show the general distribution of dissolved radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ⁶⁰Co, ¹²⁵Sb, ¹⁰⁶Ru and ³H in the English Channel and the Irish Sea; and (4) the re-utilisation of data from previous campaigns (1983, 1986, 1988) provides indications, at any given location in the English Channel, about the average dilution and distribution of releases derived from the La Hague reprocessing plant. Excesses and losses of radionuclides are now quantified with respect to known source terms; estimates of losses are provided for non-conservative radionuclides, while an excess of ¹³⁷Cs was observed in the English Channel during the period 1983–1994. This excess, which has the same order of magnitude as the quantities released from La Hague plant in the English Channel, could be explained by about 1% of the Sellafield reprocessing plant releases entering the Channel. These results confirm and give a more detailed picture of the previously known distribution of water masses in the English Channel. They lead to clear information about transit times and dilution at this scale, and provide directly comparable data for the validation of hydrodynamic models.     

Responses of benthic macroinvertebrates to thin-layer disposal of dredged material in Mississippi Sound, USA

Benthic community responses to thin-layer disposal of dredged material were assessed at three sites in Mississippi Sound, USA. Community composition differed between disposal and reference sites (ANOSIM) for each disposal event. Oweniid sand worms, Amphinomid fire worms, and brittle stars (Ophiuriodea) contributed the most to community distinctions between disposal and reference sites (SIMPER), with higher abundances at the disposal sites. Total infaunal abundance was similar to pre-disposal and reference conditions within 3-10 months of thin-layer disposal. Distinctions in community composition between disposal and reference sites (nMDS) persisted throughout the 16-month study period, but were less pronounced at the site where sediment composition was unchanged by disposal. Size distributions of some taxa (e.g., gastropod and hemichordate) suggest adults recolonized the newly deposited sediments either through vertical migration or lateral immigration from adjacent areas. Thin-layer disposal offers a viable alternative to conventional open-water disposal practices and warrants further exploration for other areas with deeper bathymetries and different hydrodynamic regimes.     

我国高放废物处置库的选址与能动断层研究

随着我国核电工业建设步伐的加快,高放废物处置库的场址选择成为当前极为紧迫的课题。本文分析了甘肃北山高放废物处置库的选址现状,提出应加快相关核安全法规的建设以指导场址的选择;应对北山地区补充地震地质调查工作,特别是对区内的几条断层要进行断层能动性的研究。这对场址的适宜性是一个带有颠覆性的问题。     

武夷山石源龙铀矿区地质环境治理效果初析

矿山地质环境治理,对消除地质灾害隐患、恢复生态环境、保护水源地、保证矿山安全生产及当地人民的生命安全,稳定经济发展具有重要意义,针对武夷山石源龙铀矿区地质勘探设施放射性污染危害及造成的安全隐患,采取"封、挡、疏、填、清、盖、植"等方法进行综合治理,探讨铀矿区地质环境治理技术及其应用效果。     

深圳市环境放射性异常带识别与影响因素分析

在环境放射性调查的基础上,结合地质环境特征分析,对深圳市环境放射性异常带进行识别,并对相关影响因素进行分析。研究结果表明,沿NE、NW向断裂带附近土壤氡活度浓度和花岗岩出露区岩石放射性核素含量较高,根据分析结果,识别出深圳市范围内主要有3条放射性异常带。     

白龙江下游涉核地区的放射性环境水平现状调查

通过对白龙江下游涉核地区及周边地区的汽车能谱测量和地面伽玛能谱测量以及空气中的氡浓度的监测,得出区内各地层中的U、Th、K含量均符合当地各地层的特性,与当地本底基本一致,空气氡浓度范围为183.9~305.8 Bq/m3,均属正常,符合当地的天然放射性环境情况,对环境无任何影响。