Brine transport in porous media: On the use of Von Mises and similarity transformations

In this paper we use a Von Mises transformation to study brine transport in porous media. The model involves mass balance equations for fluid and salt, Darcy's law and an equation of state, relating the salt mass fraction to the fluid density. Application of the Von Mises transformation recasts the model equations into a single nonlinear diffusion equation. A further reduction is possible if the problem admits similarity. This yields a formulation in terms of a boundary value problem for an ordinary differential equation which can be treated by semi‐analytical means. Three specific similarity problems are considered in detail: (i) one‐dimensional, stable displacement of fresh water and brine in a porous column, (ii) flow of fresh water along the surface of a salt rock, (iii) mixing of parallel layers of brine and fresh water. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

12-μm fine-structure emission line and continuum images of G333.6–0.2

We present high spatial resolution (∼0.8 arcsec) diffraction-limited 12.8-μm Ne  ii fine-structure emission line and 12.5-μm continuum images of the bright southern compact H  ii region G333.6–0.2, taken with the mid-infrared imaging polarimeter NIMPOL. The two images show remarkably similar, compact, yet asymmetric, flux distributions. The [Ne  ii ] image shows a complex structure near the ionizing source(s) which we interpret in terms of the ionization structure of the H  ii region. It is found that G333.6–0.2 is more likely to be excited by a cluster of O and B stars than by a single star.     

Stereoscopic observations of gamma rays at the Whipple observatory

Observations of photons at E ≥ 550 GeV from the Crab Nebula are presented and used to assess the potential of multi-telescope systems for γ-ray astronomy.

The Whipple observatory 10 m and 8 m imaging atmospheric erenkov telescopes have been used to provide a stereoscopic view of air showers to make a more complete measurement of air shower parameters. Here we present a measurement of the spread in the arrival direction of primary γ-rays originating from a point source. The data show that the shower arrival direction can be reconstructed with an accuracy of σ = 0.°14.     

Water-resources reconnaissance of Île de la Gonâve,Haiti

Île de la Gonâve is a 750-km² island off the coast of Haiti. The depth to the water table ranges from less than 30 m in the Eocene and Upper Miocene limestones to over 60 m in the 300-m-thick Quaternary limestone. Annual precipitation ranges from 800–1,400 mm. Most precipitation is lost through evapotranspiration and there is virtually no surface water. Roughly estimated from chloride mass balance, about 4% of the precipitation recharges the karst aquifer. Cave pools and springs are a common source for water. Hand-dug wells provide water in coastal areas. Few productive wells have been drilled deeper than 60 m. Reconnaissance field analyses indicate that groundwater in the interior is a calcium-bicarbonate type, whereas water at the coast is a sodium-chloride type that exceeds World Health Organization recommended values for sodium and chloride. Tests for the presence of hydrogen sulfide-producing bacteria were negative in most drilled wells, but positive in cave pools, hand-dug wells, and most springs, indicating bacterial contamination of most water sources. Because of the difficulties in obtaining freshwater, the 110,000 inhabitants use an average of only 7 L per person per day.

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Resumen La Isla de la Gonavê, cercana a la costa de Haití, tiene 750 km². La profundidad al nivel freático está comprendida entre menos de 30 m para las calcitas del Eoceno y Mioceno Superior y más de 60 m en el acuífero de calcitas cuaternarias, el cual posee 300 m de espesor. La precipitación anual varía entre 800–1.400 mm, si bien la mayor parte se pierde por evapotranspiración y prácticamente no hay aguas superficiales. Según un balance de masas de cloruros, alrededor del 4% de la precipitación recarga el acuífero kárstico. Las cavidades y manantiales son una fuente habitual de agua. Los pozos excavados proporcionan agua en las áreas costeras. Pocos pozos productivos se han perforado a más de 60 m. El reconocimiento de los análisis de campo indica que las aguas subterráneas son de tipo bicarbonatado-cálcico en el interior, mientras que es de tipo clorurado-sódico en la costa, donde se sobrepasan las concentraciones recomendadas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud para sodio y cloruro. Los ensayos efectuados para detectar la presencia de bacterias productoras de sulfuro de hidrógeno resultaron negativos en la mayoría de los pozos perforados, pero fueron positivos en la muchos manantiales explotados y en todos los manantiales, cavidades y pozos excavados, hecho que indica la contaminación bacteriana de la mayor parte de fuentes de agua. Debido a las dificultades para obtener agua dulce, los 110.000 habitantes utilizan una media de sólo 7 L por persona al día.

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Résumé LÎle de la Gonâve est une île de 750 km² au large de la côte dHaïti. La profondeur de la nappe varie entre moins de 30 m dans les calcaires de lÉocène et du Miocène supérieur à plus de 60 m dans les calcaires quaternaires épais de 300 m. Les précipitations annuelles sont comprises entre 800–1.400 mm. La plus grande partie des précipitations est perdue par évapotranspiration et il ny a pratiquement pas deau de surface. Le bilan de masse des chlorures permet destimer à 4% des précipitations le montant de la recharge de laquifère karstique. Des bassins dans les grottes et des sources sont la source deau courante. Des puits creusés à la main fournissent de leau dans les zones côtières. Quelques puits productifs ont été forés dépassant 60 m de profondeur. Lanalyse des reconnaissances de terrain indique que les eaux souterraines à lintérieur de lîle sont de faciès bicarbonaté calcique, tandis que leau près de la côte a un faciès chloruré sodique dépassant les valeurs recommandées par lOMS pour le sodium et les chlorures. Des tests pour la présence de bactéries productrices dhydrogène sulfuré se sont révélés négatifs dans la plupart des forages, mais positifs dans la plupart des sources captées et tous les autres sources, bassins de grottes et puits creusés à la main, ce qui indique une contamination bactérienne de la plupart des sources deau. Du fait des difficultés pour sapprovisionner en eau douce, les 110.000 habitants utilisent en moyenne seulement 7 L par personne et par jour.

     

The Mesoproterozoic basement in the southern Baltic Sea: insights from the G 14–1 off-shore borehole

The continuation of the Mesoproterozoic basement of the southern Fennoscandian Shield is documented in the G 14–1 off-shore borehole, northeast of the island of Rügen, where crystalline rocks of monzogranitic composition occur beneath flat-lying early Palaeozoic sediments at a depth of approximately 2,000 m. The greenish-grey, or partly reddish-grey, granites show a slightly porphyritic texture marked by plagioclase crystals or aggregates in a groundmass dominated by fresh microcline. Chloritized biotite occurs as a subordinate mafic phase. Ductile and brittle deformation is indicated by a weak foliation and the occurrence of several cataclastic zones, respectively. Major and trace element geochemistry suggest that these rocks are K-rich calc-alkaline granites and represent a restite-poor melting product of a granodioritic protolith. The low MgO, Cr, Ni and Co concentrations and relatively high content of accessory phases (apatite, zircon) point to formation of water undersaturated, high temperature (>900 °C) melts at low degrees of partial melting. Although the G 14 granite lacks hornblende, in contrast to most of the granites from Bornholm, it seems geochemically related to them. Analysed samples mostly fit an intermediate position between the Rønne and Vang granitoids, which both belong to a group of Mesoproterozoic intrusions showing partial ductile deformation. (Y+Nb) vs. Rb plots suggest that all these granitic rocks were generated in intracratonic conditions. A genetic relationship between them and contemporaneously intruded Karlshamn-group granites in Blekinge, eastern Scania and Småland is supported by intrusion age of 1,460±3 Ma obtained from Pb-Pb isotope ratios measured on single zircons of the G 14 granite.