Variability of aerosol properties during the 2007–2010 spring seasons over central Europe

Aerosol optical properties have been studied for spring seasons when increased values of PM10 are registered. Measurements of aerosol optical properties were taken by collocated lidar and sun-photometers at Belsk, Poland, and Minsk, Belarus. A significant increase of registered aerosol optical thickness (AOT) was found during episodes with elevated PM10 concentrations. An increase of AOT at 1020 nm amounted to 50% in the case of Minsk and 18% in the case of Belsk, while an increase of AOT at 400 nm was 66% and 33%, respectively. We noted an increase of Ångström exponent by 6% at both stations and no significant increase of single scattering albedo. The LIDAR measurements together with NAAPS model results and backtrajectory analysis suggest that both the biomass burning products and the Saharan dust are responsible for increased PM10 concentrations and large AOT values during spring time. The smoke aerosol is transported over Central Europe mainly in the boundary layer, increasing both PM10 concentration and AOT. The dust aerosol transported in the free troposphere slightly affects the AOT values only. Statistically significant correlation between PM10 concentration and AOT was found during reporting period.     

Influence of shallow infiltration on time-lapse ERT: Experience of advanced interpretation

Previous time-lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) studies have experienced difficulties in reconstructing reliable calculated resistivity changes in the subsurface. Increases or decreases of resistivity appear in the calculated ERT image where no changes were noted in the subsurface, leading to erroneous hydrological interpretations of the geophysical results. In this article, we investigate how a variation of actual resistivity with time and at shallow depth can influence time-lapse ERT results and produce resistivity artefacts at depth. We use 1 and 2-D numerical modelling to simulate infiltration scenarios. Using a standard time-lapse inversion, we demonstrate the resistivity artefact production according to the electrode spacing parameter. We used an advanced inversion methodology with a decoupling line at shallow depth to attenuate or remove resistivity artefacts. We also applied this methodology to a field data set obtained in a semi-arid environment in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Here, time-lapse ERT shows several resistivity artefacts of calculated resistivity if a standard inversion is used. We demonstrate the importance of a dense sampling of shallow resistivity variations at shallow depth. Advanced interpretation allows us to significantly attenuate or remove the resistivity artefact production at intermediate depth and produce reliable interpretation of hydrological processes.     

Contribution of geophysical surveys to groundwater modelling of a porous aquifer in semiarid Niger: An overview

Subsurface geophysical surveys were carried out using a large range of methods in an unconfined sandstone aquifer in semiarid south-western Niger for improving both the conceptual model of water flow through the unsaturated zone and the parameterization of numerical a groundwater model of the aquifer. Methods included: electromagnetic mapping, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), resistivity logging, time domain electromagnetic sounding (TDEM), and magnetic resonance sounding (MRS). Analyses of electrical conductivities, complemented by geochemical measurements, allowed us to identify preferential pathways for infiltration and drainage beneath gullies and alluvial fans. The mean water content estimated by MRS (13%) was used for computing the regional groundwater recharge from long-term change in the water table. The ranges in permeability and water content obtained with MRS allowed a reduction of the degree of freedom of aquifer parameters used in groundwater modelling.     

土的力学性质对冻胀力影响的试验研究

Frost heaving stresses are a result of thermal, mechanical, and chemical forces. The process is complicated, and despite numerous publications on the subject, as yet there is no clear consensus on the model of mechanical interaction for soil freezing. Frost heaving stresses depends on mechanical properties of soil and conditions of measurements. Mechanical equilibrium between water, ice and soil particles based on the generalized Clapeyron equation and deformability of the components is considered. Increase of volume of freezing soil due to water flow to freezing fridge and phase transfer affects surrounding soil layers and appears to be the major reason of change of stress-strain conditions. A simplified model of mechanical interaction between soil and engineering construction is proposed. Experimental results of study of frost heaving forces by sensors of variable frigidity are presented. The experiments with different types of soil in conditions of open and close system were performed to provide a basis for the model and further estimations. Ongoing improvements and possible applications are discussed.     

Simulation of triggered earthquakes in the laboratory

The experiments were conducted for the study of stick-slip at the contact between two granite blocks. Three cases were studied under the following conditions: 1) the increase of load at a constant rate; 2) the additional application of sinusoidal oscillations in the frequency range from 1 to 30 Hz; 3) subjection to the impulse in the kilohertz frequency range. The imposition of sinusoidal oscillations with the amplitude of 15% of the maximal load caused the reduction of time by 10% for the discussed in terms of durability. The high frequency impulse influence increased this effect and also caused essential changes in the amplitude of elastic oscillations generating during the stick-slip. The trigger phenomena should be integrated in prediction models of the time and magnitude of earthquakes.     

An experimental study of triggered stick-slip

Stick-slips have been studied in the laboratory on granite, labrodorite and sandstone samples of two different sizes. Different roughness was achieved on the sawcut surfaces by finishing them with different grinding compounds ranging from grit 40 to grit 1000. Stick-slips occurred as a result of 1) slowly increasing the shear and normal stresses, 2) superimposing a sinusoidal stress modulation (0.1 and 10 Hz) on the slowly increasing stresses, 3) triggering by a stress impulse when the shear stress was well below the levels where stick-slips occurred without the impulse, and 4) foreshocks.Stick-slips triggered by impulses or foreshocks occurred long after the beginning of the triggering events, i.e., long in comparison with elastic wave travel times through the sample. All triggered events were very rich in high frequencies (corner frequency of 100 kHz). The untriggered stick-slips did not contain much energy at the high frequencies (corner frequency of 10 kHz). The dynamic friction coefficients for the triggered stick-slips were smaller than for the untriggered events.The long delay between the onset of the trigger and the stick-slip, and the high frequencies may be a consequence of corrosion of asperities. The ultimate triggering and the rate of corrosion are likely related to the interplay of the normal and shear stresses as they load and unload the fault surface. The consistent shape of the high frequency spectra is probably due to sample resonances which are excited rather than being characteristic of the details of the stick-slips. If these laboratory observations are directly applicable to earthquake seismology, the spectra of earthquakes which were triggered by other earthquakes should be anomalously rich in high frequencies.