Solute transport in a single fracture with negligible matrix permeability: 1. fundamental mechanisms

This report describes the fracture-scale mechanisms acting on solute transport in fractured aquifers under natural-flow conditions. It focuses on low-permeability rocks where advection in the matrix is negligible compared with that in fractures. The relevant transport mechanisms detailed have been identified by experimental and theoretical studies over the past 30 years: advection and hydrodynamic dispersion, channeling effects, matrix diffusion, and sorption reactions. This review is intended to emphasize the fundamental concepts and to draw up a reader's guide through an extensive bibliography by linking key problems to key papers. These concepts might be integrated into transport models, but their influence at the large scale, however, remains an open question that is not dealt with in this review.

---

Resumen Este informe describe los mecanismos que actúan a escala de fractura en el transporte de solutos en acuíferos fracturados, bajo condiciones de flujo natural. Se centra en rocas de baja permeabilidad en las que la advección en la matriz es despreciable en relación con la advección en las fracturas. Los mecanismos de transporte relevantes han sido identificados mediante estudios experimentales y teóricos realizados en los últimos 30 años. Consisten en advección y dispersión hidrodinámica, influencia de los canales, difusión en la matriz y reacciones de sorción. Esta revisión pretende enfatizar en los conceptos fundamentales y generar una guía para el lector por medio de una bibliografía abundante que relaciona los problemas clave con artículos clave. Estos conceptos podrían ser integrados en modelos de transporte, pero su influencia a gran escala es todavía un tema no resuelto, el cual no se aborda en este trabajo.

---

Résumé Ce rapport décrit les mécanismes agissant sur le transport de soluté dans les aquifères fissurés en régime d'écoulement naturel. L'accent est mis sur les roches peu perméables, où le transport par convection dans la matrice est négligeable devant la convection dans les fractures. Les mécanismes de transport sont analysés à l'échelle de la fracture: convection et dispersion hydrodynamique, chenalisation, diffusion dans la matrice et réactions de sorption. L'objectif de ce travail est double: d'une part, mettre en avant les concepts fondamentaux pouvant être intégrés dans les modèles de transport, et d'autre part, établir un "guide" permettant au lecteur de s'orienter à travers une bibliographie abondante, en reliant chaque sujet abordé à quelques articles clés. Notons que l'influence de ces mécanismes sur le transport à grande échelle reste un problème clé qui ne sera pas abordé ici.

---

     

Fluvial process and morphology of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India

The Brahmaputra River finds its origin in the Chema Yundung glacier of Tibet and flows through India and Bangladesh. The slope of the river decreases suddenly in front of the Himalayas and results in the deposition of sediment and a braided channel pattern. It flows through Assam, India, along a valley comprising its own Recent alluvium. In Assam the basin receives 300 cm mean annual rainfall, 66–85% of which occurs in the monsoon period from June through September. Mean annual discharge at Pandu for 1955–1990 is 16,682.24 m³ s^{− 1}. Average monthly discharge is highest in July (19%) and lowest in February (2%). Most hydrographs exhibit multiple flood peaks occurring at different times from June to September. The mean annual suspended sediment load is 402 million tons and average monthly sediment discharge is highest in June (19.05%) and lowest in January (1.02%). The bed load at Pandu was found to be 5–15% of the total load of the river. Three kinds of major geomorphic units are found in the basin. The river bed of the Brahmaputra shows four topographic levels, with increasing height and vegetation. The single first order primary channels of this braided river split into two or more smaller second order channels separated by bars and islands. The second order channels are of three kinds. The maximum length and width of the bars in the area under study are 18.43 km and 6.17 km, respectively. The Brahmaputra channel is characterised by mid-channel bars, side bars, tributary mouth bars and unit bars. The geometry of meandering tributary rivers shows that the relationship between meander wavelength and bend radius is most linear. The Brahmaputra had been undergoing overall aggradation by about 16 cm during 1971 to 1979. The channel of the Brahmaputra River has been migrating because of channel widening and avulsion. The meandering tributaries change because of neck cut-off and progressive shifting at the meander bends. The braiding index of the Brahmaputra has been increasing from 6.11 in 1912–1928 to 8.33 in 1996. During the twentieth century, the total amount of bank area lost from erosion was 868 km². Maximum rate of shift of the north bank to south resulting in erosion was 227.5 m/year and maximum rate of shift of the south bank to north resulting in accretion was 331.56 m/year. Shear failure of upper bank and liquefaction of clayey-silt materials are two main causes of bank erosion.     

Intelligent Transportation Systems and Travel Behavior in Connecticut

In the past decade, there has been significant investment in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies that provide information to both en‐route and pre‐trip travelers. However, there is no definitive evidence that en‐route travelers actually use the information and alter their travel patterns. Previous research employed surveys that relied on motorists' written or spoken responses to questions involving travel information and hypothetical roadway scenarios. This research examines travel behavior on freeways equipped with ITS technologies in Connecticut using collected real‐time traffic count data from the diversionary roadways. Results find that more travel is occurring on the diversionary routes during periods of variable message sign (VMS) messages than during equivalent periods having no messages, indicating a motorist travel response to these messages.     

克州地区一场特大暴雪天气过程分析

对2003年3月初发生在南疆西部的一次特大暴雪天气进行了天气成因分析。着重从大尺度环流的演变、高低空急流的配置、物理量场的特征入手，探讨了南疆西部大降水形成的物理、动力条件。     

平均经圈环流质量流函数两种计算方案的比较

质量流函数(Φ)是直观、定量描述纬向平均经圈环流的物理量。用相同格点网、相同资料(1958-1998年NCEP／NCAR再分析资料)比较了迭代方案、叠加方案求得Φ在描述平均经圈环流气候态、强El Nino年异常态以及Hadley环流双层结构时的异同。比较表明，二者计算结果间不存在明显差异；但叠加方案只用v资料，计算也简单。     

Couplex Benchmark Computations Obtained with the Software Toolbox UG

This paper describes the numerical results for the COUPLEX benchmark obtained with the simulation software UG using vertex centered finite volume and higher order discontinuous Galerkin schemes. Multigrid solvers on unstructured grids, local mesh refinement and parallel computation are employed to yield very accurate solutions. Since the full range of results required in the benchmarks is too large to be displayed in this paper we focus on the comparison of discretization schemes, assessment of numerical errors and the presentation of parallel computations.     

Mobility of a remobilised parabolic dune in Kennemerland, The Netherlands

A parabolic dune in the Netherlands was remobilised in December 1998 by removing vegetation and soil. The main aim of the experiment was ecological: to investigate whether permanent rejuvenation at the landscape scale is possible by restoration of natural processes. If processes can be reactivated at coarse scale, periodic rejuvenation of the landscape over the long term is possible, without the need for managers to interfere further. The experiment provides the opportunity to address another important question: can large parabolic dunes in the Netherlands be mobile in the present climate? Mobility of the dune is investigated by means of erosion pins, aerial photography and measurement of cross sections. Activity indices are derived from erosion pin recordings and correlated to weather conditions. From 1999 to 2001, displacement of the dune ranged from 0 to 12 m in east–northeasterly direction. Activity of the dune is related to wind conditions, but the relationship is strongly influenced by precipitation and therefore differs for wet and dry periods. Periods with extreme wind speeds resulted in much less geomorphic change than expected.     

Movement of a small slipfaceless dome dune in the Namib Sand Sea, Namibia

The migration of a small slipfaceless dome dune close to the northern edge of the Namib Sand Sea has been measured by topographic survey. The dune dimensions are 45-m wide and 1-m high with a volume of 551 m³ that has been calculated as the difference between the dune's surface elevation and an interdune surface extrapolated from measurements around the edge of the dune. The migration direction, 64°, and distance moved, 90 m, are measured against stakes set out in 1976. The dune has moved about 90 m between 1976 and 1999. This is an average linear migration rate of around 4 m year⁻¹, and is equivalent to an annual sand transport rate of about 1.2 tonnes m⁻¹ year⁻¹. The calculated total potential sand flow in this part of the Namib Desert is 119 tonnes m⁻¹ year⁻¹, and the resultant potential sand flow is 63 tonnes m⁻¹ year⁻¹. The dune migration is therefore about 1% of the total potential sandflow and 2% of the resultant indicating that dune migration is only a small part of total potential sand transport. The results suggest that small slipfaceless dome dunes are very inefficient at trapping sand, and that winds blowing across the interdune in this area are undersaturated with sand.     

Geographic Patterns of Air Passenger Transport in China 1980–1998: Imprints of Economic Growth,Regional Inequality,and Network Development*

This research analyzes the geographic patterns of domestic air passenger transport in China from 1980 to 1998, with three foci: (1) impacts of economic reforms, (2) regional inequality in air transport development, and (3) network development. Accessibility to air transport improved significantly as China expanded its air transport system, 1980–1998. The dominance of major airports declined as the air transport system expanded to medium and small cities. The centroid of passenger volume migrated toward southeast, consistent with the expansion of economic growth in southeast coastal areas. The rule of distance decay in air traffic was more applicable to China in 1998 than in 1985 as the market economy worked its way into China's air transport system. The East Region had a much higher share of air passengers than its share of population and GDP, followed by the West and the Middle Regions, reflecting an interesting “flyover” effect. By 1998, a hub‐and‐spoke air transport system was clearly in place in China.     

水及溶质在有大孔隙土壤中运移的研究（I）：田间实验

通过田间原状土和回填土渗透比较试验，揭示了大孔隙对水及溶质在土壤中运移的影响。通过回填土和原状土中含水率实验结果比较分析，指出回填土和原状土含水率的变化呈现不同分布特征。而对回填土和原状土中溶质浓度实验结果分析比较，发现回填土中水分运动和溶质运移的速度显著低于原状土，回填土和原状土都有位置深的检测点先于其上面的检测点出现溴离子的现象，回填土中硝酸根离子的浓度远低于其在原状土相应深度的浓度。