Arsenic in mine waters: an international study

 Hydrochemical data are presented for arsenic (As) in the mine waters of 34 gold and base-metal mining localities in seven countries of south-east Asia, Africa and Latin America, encompassing contrasting climatic settings and at least eight discrete styles of primary mineralization. Peak dissolved As concentrations at these sites range from 0.005–72 mg/l, with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) potable water threshold of 50 μg/l exceeded in 25 cases. Arsenate (As⁵⁺) constitutes the dominant species at over 80% of sites. Very high dissolved As concentrations (>1 mg/l) show no systematic between-site relationship with mine water pH/Eh regime. Important determinants of mine water As fluxes include iron hydrochemistry, the presence of cyanic ore processing effluents, site geology, the paragenetic sequence that follows sulphide oxidation, climate and mine management. Human toxicological impacts of As contamination have been recognized at only one case-study site, with a further four considered to warrant more detailed risk assessment. Received: 2 November 1999 · Accepted: 21 March 2000     

Groundwater resources evaluation case study via discrete fracture flow modeling

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is preparing to upgrade State Route 260 between Payson and Heber. It is estimated that a total of about one million cubic meters of water will be required for embankment construction during a period of about 84 months to upgrade the first 33.8 km of the highway. ADOT is investigating various sources of construction water for use in the highway improvement project, including groundwater resources along the highway corridor. A region known as the RV site, underlain by fractured granite, is located 12.9 km east of Payson. The site includes three springs, a creek and several wells. Several boreholes and observation wells were made to a maximum depth of 157 m to obtain fracture data and to conduct pumping tests with monitoring. Fracture data recorded by acoustic televiewer logs were used to build a fracture network model for the rock mass. Results of a 24-hour and a 7-day pumping tests were used to calibrate hydraulic parameters of a finite element discrete fracture fluid flow model considering the region as a heterogeneous, anisotropic, fractured medium. A 38-day multi-well pumping test was used to validate the calibrated numerical model. The calibrated model showed the capability to provide reasonably accurate predictions for new pumping tests conducted in the same well field. The validated model was then used to simulate pumping exceeding a 7 year period under different scenarios incorporating different sets of boundary conditions and different pumping rates at multi-wells, with and without recharge, to evaluate the yield of the aquifer and to assess the effect of long-term pumping on the environment. The results indicated that (a) the combined yield of the wells in the RV site is sufficient to meet the water demand for the ADOT highway project and (b) the water levels in the well field would decline between 3.0 and 7.6 m after one year of pumping and by 12.2 to over 30.5 m during the life of the project.     

Caspian Sea amphipods: biodiversity,systematic position and ecological peculiarities of some species

In the Caspian Sea, one group of crustaceans, the Amphipoda, is represented by 72(70?) species, 60(58?) of which are gammarids, arranged in 20 genera. Almost all are endemic to the Ponto-Caspian zoogeographical region. To simplify the taxonomy of the genusGammarus Fabricius s.l., the Caspian gammarids ought to be grouped in 4 genera:Dikerogammarus Stebbing,Pontogammarus Sowinsky,Stenogammarus Martynov, andChaetogammarus Martynov. Taking into account the influence of different ecological factors on the external morphology of gammarids, we consider that all described forms ofDikerogammarus haemobaphes (Eichwald),D. villosus (Sowinsky),D. palmatus Martynov,D. fluviatilus Martynov, and perhapsD. aralensis (Uljanin) are one species —D. haemobaphes. Study of the ecological area and distribution ofIphigenella andrusovi Sars,Pandorites podoceroides (Grimm) andChaetogammarus placidus Sars indicates that these species are endemic to the Caspian Sea.     

菲尔德斯半岛东南附近海域的两种仔鱼

198 7年 1 1月至 1 988年 4月在菲尔德斯半岛东南附近海域采集到的仔鱼体长为 1 3 .1 -1 5 mm,它们都处于早期发育阶段。经鉴定隶属一科 (南极鳕鱼科 Nototheniidae) ,一属 (Notothe-nia)两种 :(N.larseni Lonnb,N.gibberifrons Lonnb)。 N.larseni占 88 ,N.gibberifrons占1 2 %。本文对仔鱼形态作了详细的描述。     

NGC 4650 A: A nearly edge-on ring galaxy?

The peculiar galaxy NGC 4650 A (α=12^h 42^m. 1; = δ—40° 26′; 1950·0) has been studied by means of direct and spectral observations with the ESO 3·6-m telescope. It is interpreted as a prolate, elliptical galaxy surrounded by a warped ring of H II regions, dust and stars. The distance is 47 Mpc (H ₀=55 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹). The ring is seen nearly edge-on (inclination 85°) and it rotates. It has a diameter of about 21 kpc and is bluer than the elliptical galaxy for which the (M/L _v) ratio is ∼12 in solar units. The observed configuration may be the result of interaction with the nearby galaxy, NGC 4650.     

弱窄带回波在分析和预报强对流天气中的应用

灵敏的多普勒雷达经常能探测到弱窄带回波,这些弱窄带回波一般对应于边界层的辐合线,对弱窄带回波的仔细分析有利于及早做出强对流天气的临近预报以及对其发展变化作深入了解。文章结合发生在上海的3次强对流天气个例,详细分析了弱窄带回波在分析和预报强对流天气中的作用,得出以下结论:(1)上游移动强回波的出流边界导致的弱窄带回波是大风预警的重要判断参考;(2)在合适的层结状态和抬升条件下,弱窄带回波会强烈发展,并导致局地雷雨大风,这类强对流天气的发展有两个比较重要的阶段:弱窄带回波上初始回波的发展和回波跃增;(3)下击暴流造成的地面出流在雷达回波上表现为近似圆弧的弱窄带回波,这种弱窄带回波与其他雷达观测特征以及地面观测相结合,有助于对产生下击暴流的对流云的发生发展过程进行细致分析。     

2003年一次梅雨大暴雨成因的动力学研究

运用中尺度非静力模式MN5对2003年梅雨期一次大暴雨天气进行数值模拟，在降雨模拟基本正确的基础上分析暴雨发生原因。结果表明：该次梅雨大暴雨属于切变类暴雨，对流层低层有能量锋区、高层有惯性不稳定活动，暴雨区位于低空急流的左前方、高空急流的右前方。暴雨中心物理量要素的时间一高度演变显示：低层正涡度、辐合，高层负涡度、辐散，深厚的上升运动，等相当位温线抬升，湿位涡及其正、斜压分量3者负值加大均有利于降雨加强；暴雨减弱阶段，这些要素一般向相反方向转变。该次大暴雨的直接影响系统具有明显的中尺度时、空特点，大暴雨的发生与高层惯性不稳定和低层对流不稳定有关。     

Differences Between Mode I and Mode II Crack Propagation

Although mode I and mode II crack propagation show many similarities, in particular when analysed by linear elastic fracture mechanics, they differ significantly in the micro-structural behaviour. These differences, which are clearly noticeable in the fracture surface morphology, lead to fundamental differences in the macroscopic behaviour. Thus, mode II crack expansion under remote loading, appears to obey micro-structural scaling laws, implying that the dimensions of the process region stay essentially constant during crack expansion, rather than increasing with crack length. Therefore, expanding mode II cracks can almost reach the Rayleigh velocity, and actually also intersonic velocities. An expanding mode I crack, on the other hand, seems to obey continuum scaling laws, implying that the dimensions of the process region increase in proportion to crack length, leading to self-similar crack expansion at a velocity significantly below the Rayleigh speed and dependent on the remote load.     

Stellar models for very low-mass main-sequence stars: the role of model atmospheres

We present very low-mass stellar models as computed using non-grey model atmospheres for selected assumptions about the stellar metallicities. The role of atmospheres is discussed and the models are compared with models based on the Eddington approximation, and with similar models that have appeared in the recent literature. Theoretical predictions concerning both the HR diagram location and the mass–luminosity relation are presented and discussed in terms of expectations in selected photometric bands. Comparison with available observational data concerning both galactic globular clusters and dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood reveals a satisfactory agreement together with the existence of some residual mismatches.