Soluble organic compounds in fog and cloud droplets: what have we learned over the past few years?

We have recently set up a new procedure for characterising the water soluble organic compounds (WSOC) in fog water, for which information is still rather limited. Fog samples collected during the 1998–1999 fall–winter season in the Po Valley (Italy) were analysed following this procedure, which allows a quantitative determination of three main classes of organic compounds (neutral species, mono- and di-carboxylic acids, polycarboxylic acids), together accounting for ca. 85% of the total WSOC. This procedure also provides information on the main chemical characteristics of these three classes of compounds (functional groups, aliphatic vs. aromatic character, etc.). The enhanced chemical knowledge on fog/cloud chemical composition opens new scenarios as far as chemical and microphysical processes in clouds and fogs are concerned.     

A mathematical model of concentrate solids content for the wet drum magnetic separator

Low concentrate density from wet drum magnetic separators in dense medium circuits can cause operating difficulties due to inability to obtain the required circulating medium density and, indirectly, high medium solids losses. The literature is almost silent on the processes controlling concentrate density. However, the common name for the region through which concentrate is discharged—the squeeze pan gap—implies that some extrusion process is thought to be at work. There is no model of magnetics recovery in a wet drum magnetic separator, which includes as inputs all significant machine and operating variables.A series of trials, in both factorial experiments and in single variable experiments, was done using a purpose built rig which featured a small industrial scale (700 mm lip length, 900 mm diameter) wet drum magnetic separator. A substantial data set of 191 trials was generated in this work. The results of the factorial experiments were used to identify the variables having a significant effect on magnetics recovery.It is proposed, based both on the experimental observations of the present work and on observations reported in the literature, that the process controlling magnetic separator concentrate density is one of drainage. Such a process should be able to be defined by an initial moisture, a drainage rate and a drainage time, the latter being defined by the volumetric flowrate and the volume within the drainage zone. The magnetics can be characterised by an experimentally derived ultimate drainage moisture. A model based on these concepts and containing adjustable parameters was developed. This model was then fitted to a randomly chosen 80% of the data, and validated by application to the remaining 20%. The model is shown to be a good fit to data over concentrate solids content values from 40% solids to 80% solids and for both magnetite and ferrosilicon feeds.     

Monitoring of rapid salt weathering in the central Namib Desert using limestone blocks

Pre-weighed blocks of a Jurassic Limestone were exposed on the ground surface in the coastal Namib Desert for a period of 2 years. The environment is both salty and foggy. Some of the blocks suffered extensive disintegration, and laboratory analyses (including geochemistry, XRD and SEM) indicate that the weathered samples have a high halite (sodium chloride) content. Cycles of wetting and drying associated with the frequent fog events of the area cause cycles of halite crystallization. Rocks exposed at the surface absorb salts from the surrounding desert surface and then disintegrate, contributing to planation of the landscape.     

四川省巴塘县措普一带多金属成矿条件分析

义敦印支岛弧褶皱带地质构造演化复杂,岩浆活动十分活跃,成矿地质地球化学条件优越,金、银、铜、铅、锌、锡等金属矿产资源丰富。西南三江为有色、贵金属资源富集区,义敦为花岗岩型锡-银多金属矿集区。根据区域成矿环境及研究区成矿条件分析,找矿潜力巨大,有望取得找矿突破。     

重庆雾的特点及其变化分析

利用重庆市沙坪坝195l一2001年的资料，对重庆市区雾的生消时间、持续时间、能见度等主要特征变量及其相对湿度，温度差等相关气象要素做了较为全面的分析，认为城市热岛效应可能是造成重庆主城区雾日数减少的重要原因之一。     

尧都区雾害的分析

尧都区工业、交通业的快速发展和对空气污染治理的滞后，是当地雾El随年增多的主要原因。浓雾遮光挡阳有碍交通运输，有碍大棚农业生产，有碍幼儿正常发育；雾中含有亚硫酸等有毒物质，有害人们身体健康，有害室外农业和有损外露金属材料，属气象灾害。     

液氮消过冷雾对冷云催化增雨的启示

对用液氮消过冷雾和冷云催化增雨作业的宏、微观条件进行比较，找出其异同点，并根据消冷雾作业所出现的物理响应推演冷云催化后应出现的结果，以弥补飞机云中催化后缺少直接观测资料的缺陷，进而对液氮（LN）增雨效果进行探讨。     

雷州半岛雾的气候特征及生消机理

利用分别位于雷州半岛北部、中部和南部的湛江站59a、雷州站46a和徐闻站42a的气象资料,分析了雷州半岛雾发生的规律及生消机理。结果表明：三站年雾日数变化趋势基本一致,呈＂W＂状,局部峰值明显升高。三站的年平均雾日数分别为24.7d、30.4d和21.0d。雷州半岛雾日主要出现在每年的1—4月及12月,3月雾日数最多,7月雾日数最少。近10a湛江站夜间雾发生频率为90%;短雾多,持续时间在4h以内的占75%。雾形成的天气形势可分为高压入海型、低压前型、冷锋前型、静止锋前型、鞍形场或均压场型5类,主要是平流雾、锋面雾和辐射雾。3种雾消散的天气形势是新冷空气补充南下、雾滴出现碰并沉降形成小雨或日出后雾滴蒸发。统计雷州半岛三站2000—2009年雾次频数得出,成雾概率最大的气象条件是气温为15～25℃、T-Td≤1.0℃、Δp3在-3.5～-2hPa和1.5～2.5hPa之间、风向为NNE-ESE及风速小于5m/s。L波段雷达探空大雾个例分析表明：雾顶高度在1.5km左右,雾中温度随高度增加而减小;雾中相对湿度大于92%,1.5km之上急剧减小,3km以上保持不变;T-Td为1.2～6.4℃;近地面风速为2～6m/s,风向随高度顺时针旋转,雾中有暖平流。     

川西盆地雾和能见度的气候特征及其对飞行的影响

利用川西盆地广汉机场气象台1986年1月~1995年12月共10 a地面观测资料,对广汉机场低能见度的生消时间、持续时间和能见度的年季节变化及其日变化做了统计分析,研究广汉机场全年能见度的飞行气候特征,特别是低能见度气候特征对飞行的影响。结果表明,能见度日变化特征表现为:白天早、晚时段能见度较低,午后能见度达到最高。能见度的季节变化特征表现为:冬(12,1,2月)、春季(3,4,5月)能见度较低,而夏(6,7,8月)、秋季(9,10,11月)能见度较高。冬季能见度的变化主要受辐射雾影响,夏季能见度的变化主要受降水的影响,随着降水强度的变化而变化,低能见度时间短暂。各标准低能见度逐时频率的日变化特征在各季基本相似,低能见度高频率区均出现在早晨到上午,低频率区均出现在下午。     

重庆城区浓雾的基本特征

统计分析沙坪坝1951～2002年间发生的浓雾事件，结合2001年12月重庆市雾的外场试验资料，探索重庆市主城区浓雾的基本特征。重庆主城区浓雾随年代演变有减缓趋势；主城区浓雾是自然雾与烟尘等的混合物，河谷及城市效应使雾更浓；城市中出现浓雾的大气边界层特征是在近地面层有逆温及增湿降温现象；高浓度气溶胶的净辐射效应阻碍白天混合层发展，使大气边界层趋于稳定，它是重庆连续几天有雾的原因之一；浓雾具有一定的湿沉降作用，能有限地清洁空气；有浓雾的天气条件下，建议降低污染物的排放总量，以避免严重大气污染事件发生。