Sediments grain size and geo-chemical interpretation of three successive cutoff meanders of the Danube Delta,Romania

The paper presents the results of granulometric and geochemical analyses of the superficial bed sediments of the St. George branch, one of three Danube River distributaries. Three cutoff meander reaches (the Mahmudia, Dunavăţ de Sus (Upper Dunavăţ) and Dunavăţ de Jos (Lower Dunavăţ) meanders, noted here as M, DS and DJ meanders) was selected as an example to analyse the impact of the meanders rectification on the grain size and sediment quality. The cut-offs of the meanders by navigational canals since 1984–1988 caused dramatic changes in the distribution of velocities, discharge and sediment fluxes (Popa, 1997; Panin, 2003, Tiron and Provansal, 2010, Tiron Dutu et al., 2014). The correction of the studied meanders induced different hydro-sedimentary impacts: strong modifications by acceleration of the fluxes through the artificial canals combined with dramatically enhanced deposition in the former meander in two cases (Mahmudia and Dunavăţ de Jos meanders) and slight modifications in Dunavăţ de Sus meander, where the natural channel still keeps almost its initial conveyance capacity. Sediment samples were acquired throughout several cross-sections of both natural and artificial canals of the three rectified meanders, in order to investigate the bed sediment characteristics. Grain size parameters (such as Median, Standard deviation, Skewness) show the predominance of fine fraction (silt and medium/ fine sand), relatively good sorted depending of the sample location (on the natural course of the branch, on the rectification canals or the former meanders. The statistical analysis of chemical data evidenced a high compositional variability, with concentration variation coefficients ranging between 27.4% – Sr and 178.3% – TOC (Total Organic Carbon). Generally, the highest concentrations of terrigenic compounds appear in the samples collected from the rectified natural canals. These results are validated by comparison with aDcp measurements made on each investigated profile.     

Risks for poisoning of coastal and inland population due to asteroid impacts in Southern regions of Black Sea

The hydrogen sulfide rich waters of the Black Sea pose a potential danger for the surrounding land regions. The impact of an asteroid exceeding tens of meters in size may cause both a tsunami wave and a catastrophic poisonous gas release in the atmosphere. Some effects of this last phenomenon on the Southern Black Sea coastal regions are evaluated in this paper. The initial surface area of the poisonous cloud depends on asteroid size. The initial thickness of the cloud depends, in addition, on sea depth at impact location. The wind speed plays an important role in H₂S cloud dynamics. At 10 m/s wind speed, the cloud margins reach 185 km from the impact location in about 3 h. The maximum distance traveled by the hydrogen sulfide cloud increases by increasing the asteroid size and wind speed. The influence of the impact position on the distance traveled by hydrogen sulfide clouds is rather weak, as long as the seawater depth does not change significantly. The land surface area covered by the H₂S cloud generated by a 1,000 m size asteroid ranges between about 6,400 and 12,000 km². This may affect up to 3,000,000 people. When a 250 m size asteroid is considered, the covered land surface area ranges between about 1,400 and 2,100 km² and up to 120,000 people may be affected. In case of a 70 m size asteroid, the cloud covers up to 280 km² of land. This may affect up to about 70,000 people. These evaluations do not include the population of the towns on or near the seashore. A simple methodology to estimate the environmental risks of the potential asteroid impact was proposed. Sites less than 160 km from the impact place are at risk.     

Spatiotemporal distributions and environmental drivers of diversity and community structure of nosZ-type denitrifiers and anammox bacteria in sediments of the Bohai Sea and North Yellow Sea,China

Denitrification and anammox processes are major nitrogen removal processes in coastal ecosystems. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving factors of the diversity and community structure of involved functional bacteria have not been well illustrated in coastal environments, especially in human-dominated ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the distributions of denitrifiers and anammox bacteria in the eutrophic Bohai Sea and the northern Yellow Sea of China in May and November of 2012 by constructing clone libraries employing nosZ and 16S rRNA gene biomarkers. The diversity of nosZ-denitrifier was much higher at the coastal sites compared with the central sites, but not significant among basins or seasons. Alphaproteobacteria were predominant and prevalent in the sediments, whereas Betaproteobacteria primarily occurred at the site near the Huanghe (Yellow) River estuary. Anammox bacteria Candidatus Scalindua was predominant in the sediments, and besides, Candidatus Brocadia and Candidatus Kuenenia were also detected at the site near the Huanghe River estuary that received strong riverine and anthropogenic impacts. Salinity was the most important in structuring communities of nosZ-denitrifier and anammox bacteria. Additionally, anthropogenic perturbations (e.g. nitrogen overloading and consequent high primary productivity, and heavy metal discharges) contributed significantly to shaping community structures of denitrifier and anammox bacteria, suggesting that anthropogenic activities would influence and even change the ecological function of coastal ecosystems.     

孤立波对礁坪上直墙冲击试验和RANS数值模拟

在有、无礁冠两种典型岛礁剖面地形上开展孤立波冲击礁坪上直墙的二维水槽试验和数值模拟研究。通过OpenFOAM结合k-ε湍流模型进行RANS数值模拟,基于试验数据和验证后的RANS模拟结果,研究了岛礁剖面上孤立波传播的水动力特性及其对直墙的作用,并探讨了礁冠的存在对直墙所受冲击的影响。结果表明:RANS(k-ε)模型能够准确还原孤立波在岛礁地形上的主要传播特征,但在波浪破碎的情况下,RANS数值模拟不够精细,尤其对直墙所受瞬击荷载的捕捉能力欠缺;礁冠的存在,增强了波浪反射,使得波浪提前破碎,减小了直墙上的波浪爬升和最大动压。     

Impulse modelling of wave impact pressures on vertical wall

Breaking waves on coastal structures cause high magnitude impact pressures which may be important for the structural stability. In estimating the impact pressure distribution on the wall, there have been a lot of theoretical and experimental work. The present study is concerned with a theoretical approach which is based on the pressure impulse, to find the impact pressures on vertical wall. The numerical solution of the governing equation is carried out using the boundary element method. The theoretical impact pressures are determined using the experimental values of impact pressure rising time. The computational results of the impact pressures from the pressure impulse model are found to agree well with the experimental data of an earlier study.     

Growth,abundance, morphometric and metabolic parameters of three populations of Diplodon chilensis subject to different levels of natural and anthropogenic organic matter input in a glaciar lake of North Patagonia

Three populations of Diplodon chilensis (Hiridae, Bivalvia) from North Patagonia (Lacar lake, Argentina) have been studied to determine how organic matter (OM) influence their growth, density, morphometric and metabolic parameters in two pristine sites (Yuco and Nonthué) and in a growing touristic locality (San Martín de los Andes Bay, site SMA) affected by urban discharges. In Nonthué (chemical and biological oxygen demand ratio COD/BOD ratio of 4.7), a dense neighboring forest provides higher quantities of vegetal detritus compared to Yuco, while in SMA the OM input increase is related to anthropogenic impact, mainly sewage discharges, which is more biodegradable (COD/BOD ratio of 1.7). Our results show that population's size distribution and growth rates are affected positively by increased OM, independently of its natural or anthropogenic origin. The modal shell length interval for SMA and Nonthué is two-fold higher (70 mm), in agreement to the growth rate increase (k = 0.079), compared to Yuco (35 mm, k = 0.045). The morphometric relationships between size–size and size–mass show a higher slope for SMA and Nonthué, which underline allometric differences between these two populations and the Yuco's one. The lower population densities in both sites (SMA 33 ind./m² and Nonthué 76 ind./m²) compare to Yuco (176 ind./m²) and the absence of individuals younger than 7 and 5 years old, respectively, in SMA and Nonthué could be related to the higher allochthonous OM content in the sediments and total suspended solids in water. Increased OM due to urban pollution in SMA bivalves leads to higher oxidative damage to lipids, which is not counterbalanced by the higher detoxification enzyme glutathione-S-transferase activity. Hence, we can conclude that pollution would explain the drastic reduction in population density, probably related to a high impair in the juvenile's survival/recruitment, the higher observed mortality and the lower population longevity. When increased OM is supply by the forest, like in Nonthué, this has less negative effect on population density and no effect on longevity at all. However, a negative effect of oxygen depletion due to increased OM (either anthropogenic or natural) on juvenile survival cannot be discarded, but further studies should be carried out to support this idea.     

Control and Recovery of Environment after the Construction

The Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project will bring very deep, far, and long lasting influence on the environment inevitably. This article focuses on what shall be done considering environmental issues after the construction. Herein an environmental protection program with a four-step procedure is particularly illustrated, including setting environmental objectives, formulation of environment protection program, plan of environmental survey, and management of environmental event. This procedure based on the outcome of environmental impact assessment formulates an environment protection program to control and recover environmental problems after the project completed. Two case studies will illustrate the special design and considerations adopted that make the project coexist with the environment successfully, peacefully, and friendly.     

不均匀沙起动理论及戈壁风蚀层形成动力学

定义了不均匀沙有别于均匀沙的起动概念, 得出了不均匀沙中各粒径沙具有不同的流体起动风速, 且不等于对应粒径均匀沙流体起动风速的结论, 具体表现为: 不均匀沙中小粒径沙的流体起动风速大于相同粒径均匀沙的流体起动风速, 而其中大粒径沙的流体起动风速又小于相同粒径均匀沙的流体起动风速。然后应用不均匀沙起动风速理论, 讨论了戈壁风蚀层与环境风力之间动态平衡的建立过程。     

水利工程环境影响评价的综合分析法

本文基于AHP原理, 分析了水利工程环境影响特点及区域环境因素的递阶结构体系, 指出了复杂条件下适合于工程环境影响评价的综合层次分析法, 并以甘肃省拟建的南阳渠水利工程为例, 论述了该方法的应用过程及其有效性。     

Holocene development of the River Lippe valley,Germany: a case study of anthropogenic influence

The characteristics of the Holocene valley floor of the River Lippe, Germany, are atypical for a river in central Europe. The valley floor consists of three terrace levels, which are not always clearly separated from each other. Analysis of the sediments making up the terraces indicates that they accumulated during the course of the entire Holocene, although there is insufficient information available to allow detailed determination of phases of fluvial change and stability responsible for terrace formation. Two of the terraces exist only in the lower reaches of the valley, where they converge and diverge with the third. The lowest terrace consists only of a narrow strip, running parallel to the river channel. The configuration of the valley floor may be explained by a series of anthropogenic influences. The earliest human impact probably occurred about 2000 years ago when, during their campaign against German tribes, the Romans built a towpath and may have changed the channel planform from its natural, anabranching pattern to a meandering form by building small dams on local distributary forks. Implementation of artificial meander cut‐offs to improve navigation on the river began in medieval times. The morphological response to these human interventions was primarily degradational. In the 19th century, artificial lateral fill was used to narrow the channel and the towpath was renewed several times. The trace of the most recent towpath is still discernible as a narrow strip parallel to the river channel, and it constitutes the lowest terrace level. Comparison between the bankfull discharge of a 4000‐year‐old abandoned channel and the formative flow for the modern channel supports the premise that, prior to anthropomorphic influence, the natural planform was anabranched. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.