Characterising deep vadose zone water movement and solute transport under typical irrigated cropland in the North China Plain

Understanding the dynamics and mechanisms of soil water movement and solute transport is essential for accurately estimating recharge rates and evaluating the impacts of agricultural activities on groundwater resources. In a thick vadose zone (0–15 m) under irrigated cropland in the piedmont region of the North China Plain, soil water content, matric potential, and solute concentrations were measured. Based on these data, the dynamics of soil water and solutes were analysed to investigate the mechanisms of soil water and solute transport. The study showed that the 0–15‐m vadose zone can be divided into three layers: an infiltration and evaporation layer (0–2 m), an unsteady infiltration layer (2–6 m), and a quasi‐steady infiltration layer (6–15 m). The chloride, nitrate, and sulphate concentrations all showed greater variations in the upper soil layer (0–1 m) compared to values in the deep vadose zone (below 2 m). The average concentrations of these three anions in the deep vadose zone varied insignificantly with depth and approached values of 125, 242, and 116 mg/L. The accumulated chloride, sulphate, and nitrate were 2,179 ± 113, 1,760 ± 383, and 4,074 ± 421 kg/ha, respectively. The soil water potential and solute concentrations indicated that uniform flow and preferential flow both occurred in the deep vadose zone, and uniform flow was the dominant mechanism of soil water movement in this study. The piston‐like flow velocity of solute transport was 1.14 m per year, and the average value of calculated leached nitrate nitrogen was 107 kg/ha?year below the root zone. The results can be used to better understand recharge processes and improve groundwater resources management.     

A discontinuous finite element suspended sediment transport model for water quality assessments in river networks

Suspended sediment plays an important role in the distribution and transport of many pollutants (such as radionuclides) in rivers. Pollutants may adsorb on fine suspended particles (e.g. clay) and spread according to the suspended sediment movement. Hence, the simulation of the suspended sediment mechanism is indispensable for realistic transport modelling. This paper presents and tests a simple mathematical model for predicting the suspended sediment transport in river networks. The model is based on the van Rijn suspended load formula and the advection–diffusion equation with a source or sink term that represents the erosion or deposition fluxes. The transport equation is solved numerically with the discontinuous finite element method. The model evaluation was performed in two steps, first by comparing model simulations with the measured suspended sediment concentrations in the Grote Nete–Molse Nete River in Belgium, and second by a model intercomparison with the sediment transport model NST MIKE 11. The simulations reflect the measurements with a Nash‐Sutcliffe model efficiency of 0.6, while the efficiency between the proposed model and the NST MIKE 11 simulations is 0.96. Both evaluations indicate that the proposed sediment transport model, that is sufficiently simple to be practical, is providing realistic results.     

The role of eddies in solute transport and recovery in rock fractures: Implication for groundwater remediation

A better understanding of solute transport and retention mechanism in rock fractures has been challenging due to difficulty in their direct observations in microscale rough‐walled fractures. Six representative troughs in a rough‐walled fracture were selected for microscale observations of eddy formation with increasing flow velocity and its effect on spatiotemporal changes of solute concentration. This experimental study was enabled by a microscale visualization technique of micro particle image velocimetry. With increasing flow velocity (Re ≤ 2.86), no eddies were generated, and solutes along the main streamlines transported rapidly, whereas those near the wall moved slowly. A larger amount of solutes remained trapped at all troughs at Re = 2.86 than Re < 1. For Re = 8.57, weak eddies started to be developed at the troughs on the lee side, which little contributed to overall solute flushing in the fracture. Accordingly, a large of amount of water was needed for solute flushing. The flow condition of 1 < Re < 10, before a full development of eddies, was least favourable in terms of time and amount of remediation fluid required to reach a target concentration. After large eddies were fully developed at troughs on the lee side for Re = 17.13, solutes were substantially reduced by eddies with less amount of water. Fully developed eddies were found to enhance solute transport and recovery, as opposed to a general consensus that eddies trap and delay solutes. Direct inflow into troughs on the stoss side also made a great contribution to solute flushing out of the troughs. This study indicates that fully developed eddies or strong inflows at troughs are highly possible to form for Re > 10 and this flow range could be favourable for efficient remediation.     

Pathways and distances of fluid flow during low-grade metamorphism: evidence from pyrite deposits of the Cameros Basin, Spain

New geochemical and sulphur isotopic data are presented for a number of pyrite deposits from the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Cameros Basin, Spain. The deposits were formed at, or close to, the peak of metamorphism and are always related to sandstone units in the mainly metapelite sequence. Iron remained immobile and conservative, pyrite iron being derived by sulphidation of chlorite in the host metapelites. Reduced sulphur, however, was supplied from two external sources: thermochemical reduction of sulphate and release of S during metamorphism of sedimentary sulphides. These sources provided isotopically heavy and light S, respectively, with variation in pyrite isotopic composition between different deposits resulting from differences in their relative importance at each site. During metamorphism, the sandstone units acted as aquifers, carrying the sulphidic pore waters to locations where permeability provided by syn-depositional fractures on a scale of 0.5–5  m allowed its interaction with the metapelites. Transport distances for sulphide during metamorphism were of the order of hundreds of metres.     

湖南禾库地区水系沉积物地球化学特征及找矿预测

依据1∶5万水系沉积物测量资料,分析研究了湖南禾库地区水系沉积物地球化学特征。对元素分布、单元素异常、元素相关性、异常元素组合等特征的研究表明水系沉积物地球化学测量方法在高山峻岭、地形复杂的禾库地区有良好的找矿效果,并优选了嗅脑和杉木冲2处铅锌找矿远景区。     

页岩气地震勘探数据采集参数选择的研究

我国页岩气重点开展区域为南方海相沉积地层,地震地质条件相对复杂,数据采集难度较大。贵州凤冈某页岩气勘查区块,属典型的喀斯特低山地貌,地形起伏大,地震施工困难,同时寒武系下统牛蹄塘组页岩层埋藏较深,反射波能量较弱,原始资料信噪比偏低。参考邻区地震勘探经验,采用二种方法论证野外施工参数:一是在勘探区选取论证点设计物理模型进行理论计算;二是以勘查区内向斜部位设计地质模型进行正演模拟求取。在此基础上通过进行不同岩性、井深、药量等激发接收参数的试验,确定了该区块的野外施工方案。该区页岩气地震勘探野外施工参数的选择方法,有效保障了其页岩气地震勘探效果。     

三门峡水库水文要素整编计算软件的设计与实现

本文针对三门峡水库工作实际,分析了目前数字技术条件下三门峡水库水文要素摘录蓄水量计算工作所处的困境和应解决的具体问题,以此为基础提出了三门峡水库水文要素整编计算软件的系统组成和功能模块构成,实现并完成了系统功能设计。     

离心实验在污染物迁移研究中的应用

离心实验模拟以其可以获得与原型一致的应力水平并且能够大大缩短原型历时而被应用于污染物迁移实验研究。在离心相似理论及离心实验模拟的相似基础上,重点回顾了离心机在饱和带水分、非饱和带水分、保守性溶质、NAPLs、重金属、核素迁移以及污染场地修复方面的实验应用。最后讨论了离心模拟中土壤预制和加速度选择的问题,并简单介绍了离心监测方法。可以得出结论:离心机能够成功用于各类物质迁移的实验研究中,离心实验模拟能够为理论和数值等分析方法快速提供真实可靠的参数依据,但离心实验的理论基础和监测方法需要进一步完善,此外也应积极开展更接近实际情况下的离心实验模拟研究。