The geological characteristics of the large-and medium-sized gas fields in the South China Sea

By the end of 2019, more than 220 gas fields had been discovered in the South China Sea. In order to accurately determine the geological characteristics of the large-and medium-sized gas fields in the South China Sea, this study conducted a comprehensive examination of the gas fields. Based on the abundant available geologic and geochemical data, the distribution and key controlling factors of the hydrocarbon accumulation in the South China Sea were analyzed. The geological and geochemical features of the gas fields were as follows:(1) the gas fields were distributed similar to beads in the shape of a "C" along the northern, western, and southern continental margins;(2) the natural gas in the region was determined to be composed of higher amounts of alkane gas and less CO_2;(3) the majority of the alkane gas was observed to be coal-type gas;(4) the gas reservoir types included structural reservoirs, lithologic reservoirs, and stratigraphic reservoirs, respectively;(5) the reservoir ages were mainly Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene, while the lithology was mainly organic reef, with some sandstone deposits; and(6) the main hydrocarbon accumulation period for the region was determined to be the late Pliocene-Quaternary Period. In addition, the main controlling factors of the gas reservoirs were confirmed to have been the development of coal measures, sufficient thermal evolution, and favorable migration and accumulation conditions.     

Groundwater flow path determination during riverbank filtration affected by groundwater exploitation: a case study of Liao River,Northeast China

The groundwater flow path plays an important role in maintaining hydrological and ecological quality and security, which are important in the comprehensive management and use of both groundwater and surface water. In this study, an integrated multi-tracer-constrained framework was used to determine the groundwater flow path. The results show that there are shallow and deep flow paths in riverbank filtration, controlled by the different permeabilities of riverbed sediments and aquifers at different depths. The contribution of river water to shallow groundwater is less than that to deep groundwater because of the low permeability of the riverbed sediment in the dense muddy layer in the shallow slope of the river valley. This contribution decreases with increasing distance from the Liao River. The shallow groundwater quality is better than the deep groundwater quality because of its longer residence time.     

Geomorphic controls on floodplain sediment and soil organic carbon storage in a Scottish mountain river

River floodplains constitute an important element in the terrestrial sediment and organic carbon cycle and store variable amounts of carbon and sediment depending on a complex interplay of internal and external driving forces. Quantifying the storage in floodplains is crucial to understand their role in the sediment and carbon cascades. Unfortunately, quantitative data on floodplain storage are limited, especially at larger spatial scales. Rivers in the Scottish Highlands can provide a special case to study alluvial sediment and carbon dynamics because of the dominance of peatlands throughout the landscape, but the alluvial history of the region remains poorly understood. In this study, the floodplain sediment and soil organic carbon storage is quantified for the mountainous headwaters of the River Dee in eastern Scotland (663 km²), based on a coring dataset of 78 floodplain cross-sections. Whereas the mineral sediment storage is dominated by wandering gravel-bed river sections, most of the soil organic carbon storage can be found in anastomosing and meandering sections. The total storage for the Upper Dee catchment can be estimated at 5.2 Mt or 2306.5 Mg ha^-1 of mineral sediment and 0.7 Mt or 323.3 Mg C ha^-1 of soil organic carbon, which is in line with other studies on temperate river systems. Statistical analysis indicates that the storage is mostly related to the floodplain slope and the geomorphic floodplain type, which incorporates the characteristic stream power, channel morphology and the deposit type. Mapping of the geomorphic floodplain type using a simple classification scheme shows to be a powerful tool in studying the total storage and local variability of mineral sediment and soil organic carbon in floodplains. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The sources and seasonal fluxes of particulate organic carbon in the Yellow River

The Yellow River transports a large amount of sediment and particulate organic carbon (POC), which is thought to mainly derive from erosion of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). However, the compositions, sources and erosional fluxes of POC in the Yellow River remain poorly constrained. Here we combined measurements of mineralogy, total organic carbon content (OC_total), stable organic carbon isotopes (δ¹³C_org), radiocarbon (¹⁴C) activity of organic matter in bulk suspended sediments collected seasonally from the upper and middle Yellow River, to quantify the compositions and fluxes of the POC and to assess its sources (biospheric and petrogenic POC, i.e. POC_bio and POC_petro, respectively). The results showed that the POC loading of sediments was controlled by mineralogy, grain size and specific surface area of loess particles. The F_mod of POC (0.71 to 0.31) can be explained by mixing of POC_petro with modern and aged POC_bio. A binary mixing model based on the hyperbolic relationship of the F_mod and OC_total revealed a wide range of ages of POC_bio from 1300 to 11100 ¹⁴C years. Relative to the upstream station, the annual POC_bio and POC_petro fluxes in the Yellow River are more than doubled after it flows crossing the CLP within 35% drainage area gain, resulting in POC_bio and POC_petro yields of the CLP at 3.50 ± 0.59 and 0.48 ± 0.49 tC/km²/yr, respectively. POC flux seasonal variation revealed that monsoon rainfall exerts a first-order control on the export of both POC_bio and POC_petro from the CLP to the Yellow River, resulting in more than 90% of the annual POC exported during the monsoon season. Around one third of annual POC erosional flux was transported during a storm event period, highlighting the important role of extreme events in POC export in this large river. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment detachment in piping-prone soils: Cohesion sources and potential weakening mechanisms

Soil piping is a widespread land degradation process that may lead to gully formation. However, the processes involved in sediment detachment from soil pipe walls have not been well studied, although their recognition is a crucial step to protect soils from piping erosion. This study aims to recognize the factors affecting cohesion and to identify the mechanisms which are likely to be responsible for the disintegration of soil. The study has been conducted in mid-altitude mountains under a temperate climate (the Bieszczady Mountains, the Carpathians, SE Poland). The research was based on the detailed field and laboratory analyses of morphology, and the physical and chemical properties of soil profiles with and without soil pipes. Moreover, experiments with flooding the undisturbed soil samples using different solutions (deionized water, ammonium oxalate, dithionate citrate, 35% hydrochloric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide) were conducted in order to check the role of air slaking, the removal of soil organic carbon (SOC), and Fe and Al oxides on sediment detachment. The obtained results have confirmed that soil pipes develop in quite cohesive soils (silt loams), which allow the formation and maintenance of pipes with a diameter up to 30 cm. Soil cohesion, and thus susceptibility to piping, are impacted by the content of major oxides, soil particle size distribution, biological activity and porosity. The tested soils affected by piping erosion have a lower content of Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃, and free Fe (Fe_(DCB)), lower clay content, higher biological activity (more roots and animal burrows), higher porosity, and more and larger pores than the profile without soil pipes. The experiments have indicated that especially SOC along with Fe and Al oxides are an important cohesion source in the study area. This suggests that the removal of SOC, and Fe and Al oxides may weaken and disintegrate aggregates in soil pipes. Further study of soil leaching and tensile strength will broaden understanding of which chemical processes control where pipes will develop in other cohesive piping-prone soils. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

江汉平原江陵剖面有机碳含量、碳同位素和磁化率的古气候意义

湖泊中的有机碳及其同位素与磁化率指标广泛应用于古气候的重建,但由于各地自然条件的差异,其气候意义具有一定的区域性.对江汉平原江陵剖面沉积物中磁化率参数、总有机碳(TOC)、总氮(TN)及其碳同位素δ(13C)值影响因素与环境气候关系的研究结果表明:沉积物总有机碳(TOC)的变化与总氮(TN)呈正相关关系,而总有机碳(TOC)与同位素δ(13C)、磁化率值则呈负相关关系,其组合可以很好地反映江汉平原地区的环境演变.在暖湿期,沉积物中总有机碳、总氮较高,有机质的δ(13C)值偏负,磁化率偏低;反之,在凉干期,沉积物中总有机碳、总氮较低,有机质的δ(13C)值偏正,磁化率偏高.江汉平原地区6 000 a PB以来的古气候演化经历了3个阶段:即冷干-暖湿-凉干的变化过程.     

含水层中有机物对地下水水质的影响

化学热动力学和稳定碳同位素[δ(13C)]的研究表明浅层地下水中的碳源是地下含水层中有机物淋溶和降解作用的结果.根据天然有机物的降解规律以及CO2在水中的溶解平衡,采用CO2分压[p(CO2)]来表征有机物的影响,通过计算p(CO2)与地下水中部分化学指标的相关关系,讨论了有机物对地下水化学性质的影响.结果表明地下含水层中有机物的增加会导致地下水酸度的增大以及HCO-3、Na 和F-等质量浓度的增大;且由于地层中有机物含量较高,导致地下水中含氮物质总量升高,同时,由于大量有机物的存在而导致地下水处于还原性环境,促使地下水的氮组分更多地以NO-2-N的形式存在.     

海南儋州湾红树林区沉积有机质来源及碳储量

本文测定了海南儋州湾南岸柱状沉积物的粒度、总有机质参数(TOC、C/N和 δ13C)和类脂生物标志物含量,并通过端元混合模型使用红树植物特征标志物蒲公英萜醇含量、长链正构烷烃含量和δ13C值半定量区分了海南儋州湾南岸沉积有机质来源,尤其是红树林的贡献.另外,通过估算沉积物的有机碳储量来评估儋州湾红树林区域的储碳能力.在...     

藻源性有机质对高原深水湖泊沉积物矿化作用的激发效应

湖泊营养水平提升,浮游植物快速增殖,大量藻类碎屑沉降到沉积物表面。藻屑作为新生不稳定有机质,对湖泊沉积物有机质(SOM)产生激发效应,影响湖泊沉积物碳循环过程。本文以深水湖泊抚仙湖南湖心沉积物为研究对象,采用优势种水华束丝藻(Aphanizomenon flos-aquae),进行不同浓度藻屑添加(×1倍组、×5倍组和×10倍组)的培养实验。应用碳同位素在线监测仪,探究藻屑添加对于SOM矿化作用的激发效应并预测可能产生的环境效应。结果表明：(1)添加的藻屑对上覆水和间隙水发光性溶解性有机质(CDOM)组成和性质产生影响,前期CDOM中类蛋白组分含量显著增加,但后期CDOM腐殖化程度升高。同时,藻屑的添加使二氧化碳(CO₂)释放量增大,蛋白酶活性和转化酶活性增强;(2)3个不同浓度的藻屑添加组均检测到不同程度激发效应,其中×1倍组和×5倍组对SOM矿化过程前期体现为正激发效应,最大值分别达到(12.18±0.65)和(26.60±9.14)μg/(mL ws),后期两个组别都转为负激发效应;×10倍组则在整个实验过程中均表现为负激发效应;(3)藻屑的添加使得间隙水易...