SENSITIVITY OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS TO CLIMATIC AND ANTHROPOGENIC CHANGES: THE BASIN AND RANGE,AMERICAN SOUTHWEST AND MEXICO

Variability and unpredictability are characteristics of the aquatic ecosystems, hydrological patterns and climate of the largely dryland region that encompasses the Basin and Range, American Southwest and western Mexico. Neither hydrological nor climatological models for the region are sufficiently developed to describe the magnitude or direction of change in response to increased carbon dioxide; thus, an attempt to predict specific responses of aquatic ecosystems is premature. Instead, we focus on the sensitivity of rivers, streams, springs, wetlands, reservoirs, and lakes of the region to potential changes in climate, especially those inducing a change in hydrological patterns such as amount, timing and predictability of stream flow. The major sensitivities of aquatic ecosystems are their permanence and even existence in the face of potential reduced net basin supply of water, stability of geomorphological structure and riparian ecotones with alterations in disturbance regimes, and water quality changes resulting from a modified water balance. In all of these respects, aquatic ecosystems of the region are also sensitive to the extensive modifications imposed by human use of water resources, which underscores the difficulty of separating this type of anthropogenic change from climate change. We advocate a focus in future research on reconstruction and analysis of past climates and associated ecosystem characteristics, long-term studies to discriminate directional change vs. year to year variability (including evidence of aquatic ecosystem responses or sensitivity to extremes), and studies of ecosystems affected by human activity. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

深部咸水层CO2地质储存地质安全性评价方法研究

CO2地质储存工程属于环保型工程项目,地质安全性是影响CO2长期封存的首要因素。深部咸水层CO2地质储存地质安全性影响因素主要包括盖层适宜性、场地地震安全性、水文地质条件、地面场地地质条件四个方面,其中盖层适宜性是CO2安全储存的最关键因素,场地地震安全性和水文地质条件次之,而地面场地地质条件也是影响工程施工的重要因素。本文基于CO2地质储存的地质安全性影响因素分析,建立了层次分析结构的地质安全性评价指标体系,并初步计算了评价指标的权重;提出可以利用模糊综合评价方法进行深部咸水层CO2地质储存地质安全性综合评价,为中国深部咸水层CO2地质储存的地质安全性评价方法和安全选址指明了方向。     

Combined effects of groundwater and aeolian processes in the formation of the northernmost closed saline depressions of Europe: north-east Spain

A genetic and evolutionary model is established for saline depressions in continental areas. These depressions are located in arid or subarid areas, and are developed on low permeability geological mediums (K<10 mm/day) with a lack of streams reaching the small lakes. The phenomenon of evaporation is fundamental, since it is the basic requirement for the presence or absence of a free water surface in the lake, and also for depression of the phreatic surface, which causes inflow of groundwater towards the lake. With these conditions, the proposed model includes the following stages: (i) initiation of the close depression; (ii) deepening of the depression; (iii) formation of the lake basin and the end of the deepening; and (iv) levelling and lateral extension of the lake basin. The combined effects of groundwater flows and aeolian action offer a coherent explanation for the origin and evolution both of the closed depressions found in the Ebro Valley, and of the salt lakes that subsequently form. The processes described form morphologies of oval shape with the main axis parallel to the direction of the wind, flat floors and evaporitic sedimentation, although they act on geological materials with different lithologies. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Turbidite stratigraphy in proglacial lakes: Deciphering trigger mechanisms using a statistical approach

Turbidites embedded in lacustrine sediment sequences are commonly used to reconstruct regional flood or earthquake histories. A critical step for this method to be successful is that turbidites and their trigger mechanisms are determined unambiguously. The latter is particularly challenging for prehistoric proglacial lake records in high-seismicity settings where both earthquake-generated and flood-generated turbidites interrupt the background varved sedimentation. This calls for a new method to allow efficient and objective identification and classification of turbidites. This study examined turbidites in five long (9 to 17 m) sediment cores from Eklutna Lake, a proglacial lake in south-central Alaska, using standard core logging and grain-size data. A novel statistical approach is presented, in which varve-thickness distributions were first analyzed to objectively identify the thickest turbidites and distinguish them from background sedimentation. For each turbidite, a selection of variables were then measured, including: basal grain-size, thickness, magnetic susceptibility and spectrophotometric variables. Triggering mechanisms were discriminated by a combination of principal component analysis and clustering, and by calibration with historical events. Using this approach, a 2250 year long lake-wide event stratigraphy was constructed, with 94 prehistoric events, including 24 earthquake and 70 flood events. Basal grain-size and thickness variables turn out to be the most effective proxies for discrimination. This statistical approach is a powerful and new method to identify turbidites and their triggering mechanisms in long prehistoric sediment records. It opens up new prospects for palaeoseismological, palaeohydrological and palaeoclimate studies in proglacial lakes worldwide.     

Effect of Saline Sludge on Anaerobic Digestion of Kitchen Waste for Methane Generation: Modeling and Fertilizer Recovery

A comparative study of methane recovery by co-digesting kitchen waste and saline sewage sludge is performed to evaluate its feasibility for waste minimization. The experiment is performed at 37 °C having a mixing speed of 100 rpm and pH of 6.49–7.5 in anaerobic mixed batch reactors. The higher salinity level of the saline sewage sludge reduces the degradation rate of kitchen waste causing an enhancement in soluble chemical oxygen demand by 133% compared with 280% when co-digesting with the non-saline sample. The inhibitory behavior is in line with the low volatile solid elimination efficiency of 31% of saline against 55% of non-saline sludge. The Gompertz modeling, based on the outcomes, fits the cumulative methane generation trends quite well, with a strong correlation coefficient (>0.994). Besides, use of the non-saline sludge results in three times more methane production than the saline sample digestion. Sludge recovery is 0.07 m³ sludge m⁻³ wastewater, and water recovery is 0.84 m³ m⁻³ wastewater. The liquid produced from the fermentation of the slurry can be used for irrigation as well as fertilization. Kitchen waste co-digestion with both sludge samples has been proven to be a practical method for exploiting the extra digestion capacity of wastewater treatment plants currently in operation, but it is more practical for non-saline sludge.     

青藏高原盐湖类沉积及盐湖矿物

上新世盐类沉积仅分布于柴达木盆地两部、昆仑山和唐古拉山北坡;晚更新世-全新世盐类沉积广布于羌塘和柴达木盆地。盐湖沉积只有蒸发岩和碎屑沉积物互层特点, 系干湿交替的内陆气候和动荡浅水环境下的湖相沉积。迄今已发现62种盐类矿物, 其析出具有阶段性特征, 青藏更新世-全新世盐湖自析阶段的起始时间分别为¹⁴C 24000和9000a B.P., 钾盐和硼酸盐各有两种典型的矿物共生组合。丰富的盐湖矿物资源是该区走向繁荣的物质基础之一。     

川西北岷山灰岩区喀斯特堰塞湖形成中的生物作用

川西北岷山灰岩区内的喀斯特堰塞湖是一种特殊的湖泊地貌类型,它是在一定的地质地貌条件及水化学条件下由生物作用参与并促进生物型灰华的快速沉积并堰塞河道而成。野外沉积构造和湖泊形态观察、水化学分析及室内对灰华体的光学显微镜和扫描电镜的观察结果表明,生物作用以多种方式存在着。多种生物(苔藓、藻类、灌草丛等)在生物型灰华堤堰的形成(也即喀斯特堰塞湖的形成)过程中的不同生物作用(包括同化作用、拦截作用、毛管作用、捕获粘结作用及构架作用)贯穿于灰华沉积的复杂循环过程之中。     

察尔汗盐湖物质来源的研究

柴达木盆地察尔汗盐湖是一个以氯化物为主的盐湖,然而今天补给该盐湖的水是碳酸盐和硫酸盐型的。所以,该盐湖的物质来源问题是研究其成因的根本问题,也一直是中外学者感兴趣。同时又感到非常棘手的问题,他们提出了各种假说。本文综合了六化学、岩相古地理、Sr和Br的地球化学、古生态、同位素和构造方面的资料,对前人提出的各种假说逐一进行了论证,最后的结论是,察尔汗盐湖的盐类物质有三个来原:通过河流补给的地表化学风化淋滤物质、通过断层补给的油田水和柴达木古湖的遗留物质。否定了海水来源和第三纪含盐系风化淋滤来源的假说。 中更新世末,察尔汗湖从柴达木古湖中完全蚀立出来,并继承了部分从古湖遗留下来的盐类物质。在察尔汗湖蚀立过程中和独立后早期,构造运动比较强烈,通过断层补给的油田水较多,后来随着构造运动的减弱,油田水补给量逐渐减少,而地丧化学风化淋滤物质的补给一直是比较稳定的。     

1975-2007年中亚干旱区内陆湖泊面积变化遥感分析

中亚干旱区内陆湖泊的湖面变化反映了气候波动和人类活动对流域水文过程的影响.本文以中亚干旱区平原区尾闾湖泊、吞吐湖泊和高山湖泊三类典型内陆湖泊为研究对象,利用1975-2007年Landsat遥感影像,基于归一化水体指数提取湖泊水域边界信息,分析近30年来内陆湖泊湖面变化特征.结果表明,近30年来,研究区内有超过一半的内...     

浅型富营养湖泊的生态恢复——五里湖水生植被重建实验

依据浅型湖泊生态系统的多稳定态理论,在富营养湖泊治理过程中,当外来污染得到有效控制时,通过人工重建水生植被可以加速湖泊的生态恢复。在五里湖中,挺水植物和浮叶植物都能很好地生长,水底光照不足是沉水植物难以生长的主要原因。在自然条件下建成了永久性挺水植物群落和浮叶植物群落,在人工控制的围隔环境中改善了水底光照条件,建成了沉水植物群落。但这些沉水植物仍不能渡过夏季,主要原因是湖水过深和水温较高,降低水位和建造人工浅滩可为五里湖沉水植被恢复创造有利条件。本研究可为富营养水体的水质控制和植被恢复提供多种实用技术,但在水生植被的结构与环境功能等方面仍需开展深入的定量研究。