Radon transfer from groundwater used in showers to indoor air     

David S. Vinson  Ted R. Campbell  Avner Vengosh 《Applied Geochemistry》2008

Estimation of Rn transfer from water to indoor air based on multi-day measurements may underestimate alpha exposure that occurs at short time scales in confined spaces, such as from showering, in houses with high Rn activities in the water supply. In order to examine one such incremental increase in exposure, variations in Rn in water and indoor air in 18 houses with private wells in western North Carolina (USA) were investigated. Radon in well water ranged from 158 to 811 Bq L⁻¹ (median 239 Bq L⁻¹). After 20-min showers in bathrooms with closed doors, peak Rn in air increases (above background) ranged from 71 to 4420 Bq m⁻³ (median 1170 Bq m⁻³). Calculated transfer coefficients at the scale of a 40-min closed bathroom (20-min shower plus 20 min post-shower) are described by a lognormal distribution whose geometric mean exceeds the widely-used ∼10⁻⁴ whole-house transfer coefficient by about one order of magnitude. As short-lived decay products grow from shower-derived Rn, short-term alpha energy exposure occurs in bathrooms in addition to the exposure caused by Rn mixed throughout the volume of the house. Due to the increasing ratio of Rn decay products to Rn, alpha energy exposure is greatest several minutes after the shower is turned off. For a 7.2-min shower with 10 min of additional exposure before opening the door, a geometric mean 5.6% increase in exposure over the ∼10⁻⁴ whole-house transfer coefficient derived from longer measurement periods was estimated. In addition to Rn activity in water, short-term shower exposure to Rn progeny depends on exposure time, ventilation, attachment and deposition, among other variable factors that characterize individual houses and residents.  相似文献   

Coupled hydrogeological and reactive transport modelling of the Simpevarp area (Sweden)     

Jorge Molinero  Juan R. Raposo  Juan M. Galíndez  David Arcos  Jordi Guimerá 《Applied Geochemistry》2008

The Simpevarp area is one of the alternative sites being considered for the deep geological disposal of high level radioactive waste in Sweden. In this paper, a coupled regional groundwater flow and reactive solute transport model of the Simpevarp area is presented that integrates current hydrogeological and hydrochemical data of the area. The model simulates the current hydrochemical pattern of the groundwater system in the area. To that aim, a conceptual hydrochemical model was developed in order to represent the dominant chemical processes. Groundwater flow conditions were reproduced by taking into account fluid-density-dependent groundwater flow and regional hydrogeologic boundary conditions. Reactive solute transport calculations were performed on the basis of the velocity field so obtained. The model was calibrated and sensitivity analyses were carried out in order to investigate the effects of heterogeneities of hydraulic conductivity in the subsurface medium. Results provided by the reactive transport model are in good agreement with much of the measured hydrochemical data. This paper emphasizes the appropriateness of the use of reactive solute transport models when water-rock interaction reactions are involved, and demonstrates what powerful tools they are for the interpretation of hydrogeological and hydrochemical data from site geological repository characterization programs, by providing a qualitative framework for data analysis and testing of conceptual assumptions in a process-oriented approach.  相似文献   

An operational multiscale system for hazards prediction, mapping, and response     

David P. Bacon  Nash’at N. Ahmad  Thomas J. Dunn  Michael C. Monteith  Ananthakrishna Sarma 《Natural Hazards》2008,44(3):317-327

By definition, a crisis is a situation that requires assistance to be managed. Hence, response to a crisis involves the merging of local and non-local emergency response personnel. In this situation, it is critical that each participant: (1) know the roles and responsibilities of each of the other participants; (2) know the capabilities of each of the participants; and (3) have a common basis for action. For many types of natural disasters, this entails having a common operational picture of the unfolding events, including detailed information on the weather, both current and forecasted, that may impact on either the emergency itself or on response activities. The Consequences Assessment Tool Set (CATS) is a comprehensive package of hazard prediction models and casualty and damage assessment tools that provides a linkage between a modeled or observed effect and the attendant consequences for populations, infrastructure, and resources, and, hence, provides the common operational picture for emergency response. The Operational Multiscale Environment model with Grid Adaptivity (OMEGA) is an atmospheric simulation system that links the latest methods in computational fluid dynamics and high-resolution gridding technologies with numerical weather prediction to provide specific weather analysis and forecast capability that can be merged into the geographic information system framework of CATS. This paper documents the problem of emergency response as an end-to-end system and presents the integrated CATS–OMEGA system as a prototype of such a system that has been used successfully in a number of different situations.  相似文献   

Quantitative sinkhole hazard assessment. A case study from the Ebro Valley evaporite alluvial karst (NE Spain)     

Francisco Gutiérrez  Jesús Guerrero  Pedro Lucha 《Natural Hazards》2008,45(2):211-233

Quantitative sinkhole hazard assessments in karst areas allow calculation of the potential sinkhole risk and the performance of cost-benefit analyses. These estimations are of practical interest for planning, engineering, and insurance purposes. The sinkhole hazard assessments should include two components: the probability of occurrence of sinkholes (sinkholes/km² year) and the severity of the sinkholes, which mainly refers to the subsidence mechanisms (progressive passive bending or catastrophic collapse) and the size of the sinkholes at the time of formation; a critical engineering design parameter. This requires the compilation of an exhaustive database on recent sinkholes, including information on the: (1) location, (2) chronology (precise date or age range), (3) size, and (4) subsidence mechanisms and rate. This work presents a hazard assessment from an alluvial evaporite karst area (0.81 km²) located in the periphery of the city of Zaragoza (Ebro River valley, NE Spain). Five sinkholes and four locations with features attributable to karstic subsidence where identified in an initial investigation phase providing a preliminary probability of occurrence of 0.14 sinkholes/km² year (11.34% in annual probability). A trenching program conducted in a subsequent investigation phase allowed us to rule out the four probable sinkholes, reducing the probability of occurrence to 0.079 sinkholes/km² year (6.4% in annual probability). The information on the severity indicates that collapse sinkholes 10–15 m in diameter may occur in the area. A detailed study of the deposits and deformational structures exposed by trenching in one of the sinkholes allowed us to infer a modern collapse sinkhole approximately 12 m in diameter and with a vertical throw of 8 m. This collapse structure is superimposed on a subsidence sinkhole around 80 m across that records at least 1.7 m of synsedimentary subsidence. Trenching, in combination with dating techniques, is proposed as a useful methodology to elucidate the origin of depressions with uncertain diagnosis and to gather practical information with predictive utility about particular sinkholes in alluvial karst settings: precise location, subsidence mechanisms and magnitude, and timing and rate of the subsidence episodes.  相似文献   

The soilmodels.info project   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Gerd Gudehus  Angelo Amorosi  Antonio Gens  Ivo Herle  Dimitrios Kolymbas  David Mašín  David Muir Wood  Andrzej Niemunis  Roberto Nova  Manuel Pastor  Claudio Tamagnini  Gioacchino Viggiani 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》2008,32(12):1571-1572

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Reducing hazard vulnerability through local government engagement and action     

David King 《Natural Hazards》2008,47(3):497-508

The concept of a natural hazard is a human construct. It is the interaction with human communities and settlements that defines a natural phenomenon as a natural hazard. Thus the end point of hazard mitigation and hazard vulnerability assessment must involve an attempt to reduce, or mitigate, the impact of the natural hazard on human communities. The responsibility to mitigate hazard impact falls primarily upon governments and closely connected non-government and private institutional agencies. In particular, it is most often local government that takes the responsibility for safeguarding its own communities, infrastructure and people. Hazard vulnerability of specific local communities is best assessed by the local government or council, which then faces the responsibility to translate that assessment into community education and infrastructural safeguards for hazard mitigation. This paper illustrates the process of local government engagement in hazard mitigation in Australia, through the Natural Disaster Risk Management Studies, as a first step towards natural disaster reduction.  相似文献   

Methodology of hydrogeological characterization of deep carbonate aquifers as potential reservoirs of groundwater. Case of study: the Jurassic aquifer of <Emphasis Type="Italic">El Maestrazgo</Emphasis> (Castellón,Spain)     

M. Mejías  J. Garcia-Orellana  J. L. Plata  M. Marina  E. Garcia-Solsona  B. Ballesteros  P. Masqué  J. López  C. Fernández-Arrojo 《Environmental Geology》2008,54(3):521-536

A methodology for the characterization of deep carbonate aquifers has been developed and applied to El Maestrazgo Jurassic aquifer in Castellón, Spain. Characterization of these aquifer formations, located at more than 300 m deep, consisted of a previous phase of compilation, analysis and synthesis of the existing information about the area, followed by a coordinated combination of different speciality studies: geology, stratigraphy, structural analysis, hydrogeology, hydrochemistry, geophysics and remote sensing. Geological studies included geological mapping, definition of stratigraphical units and facies and structural analysis. The aim of the hydrogeology study was to define aquifer formations, recharge area, aquifer points inventory and groundwater flow directions for the establishment of piezometric and water quality observation nets. Special techniques were applied, like thermal infrared aerial images and the evaluation of submarine groundwater discharge by means of natural radium isotopes. Hydrochemical techniques, including majority elements characterization and stable isotopes (¹⁸O, ²H and ³H) determination, allowed classifying hydrochemical facies and establishing a renewal pattern for water within the system. Geophysics was useful in determining the aquifer geometry, the features of the basement and the petrophysical characteristics of the geological formations. Preliminary results show an important tectonic complexity and the possibilities for groundwater uses in the area of study.  相似文献   

Field Measurement of Suction, Water Content, and Water Permeability   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Alessandro Tarantino  Andrew M. Ridley  David G. Toll 《Geotechnical and Geological Engineering》2008,26(6):751-782

This paper presents a review of techniques for field measurement of suction, water content, and water hydraulic conductivity (permeability). Main problems in the use of field tensiometers are addressed and hints on how to improve tensiometer performance are given. Advantages and limitations of instruments for indirect measurement of suction including electrical conductivity sensors, thermal conductivity sensors, dielectric permittivity sensors, filter paper, and psychrometer are discussed. Techniques for water content measurement based on dielectric methods are then presented. These include time and amplitude domain reflectometry and capacitance. Finally, a brief overview of methods for measurement of water permeability in the field is presented.  相似文献   

CHANGES IN THE MORPHOLOGY OF THREE AMERICAN CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS 1952–1966     

David C. Weaver 《The Professional geographer》1969,21(6):406-410

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A calculation of the large scale three dimensional distribution of diabatic heating in the atmosphere     

David Drew Houghton 《Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics》1962,12(4):407-425

Summary The large scale three-dimensional diabatic heating in the atmosphere is computed at 12 isentropic surfaces for a particular twelve hour time period. Using a method due toErtel, the continuity equation is combined with the equations of motion to give an explicit relation between diabatic heating and changes in potential vorticity and stability along isentropic surface trajectories. The results are barely of useful accuracy and reliability and this only under favorable conditions. The distribution of diabatic heating is qualitatively reasonable in the regions near the tropopause, close to the ground, above a cloud or moist layer, and within an area of general condensation. Errors and approximations make the computed values completely unreliable in areas of large anticyclonic vorticity or large baroclinity. Comparison of magnitudes with those computed from rainfall observations and with those measured directly at the earth's surface shows agreement in sign and within a factor of three in the areas of best data. The results emphasize that there are regions and periods where diabatic heating in the free atmosphere may be important in controlling atmospheric behavior. Sample calculations in one of these regions using values of diabatic heating computed by this study illustrate that this process is of comparable importance with the adiabatic process in determining vertical velocity.

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Zusammenfassung Die großräumige nichtadiabatische Erwärmung der Atmosphäre in 12 isentropen Flächen während eines 12stündigen Zeitabschnittes wird berechnet. Unter Verwendung einer Methode vonErtel liefert eine Kombination der Kontinuitätsgleichung mit den Bewegungsgleichungen eine explizite Beziehung zwischen der nichtadiabatischen Erwärmung, der potentiellen Vorticity und der Stabilität entlang der isentropen Trajektorien. Das Resultat ist von beschränkter Genauigkeit — und auch dies nur unter günstigen Bedingungen. Qualitativ brauchbare Verteilungen der nichtadiabatischen Erwärmung erhält man nahe der Tropopause, in Bodennähe, über einer Schicht von Wolken oder feuchter Luft und innerhalb der Zonen mit verbreiteter Kondensation. In Gebieten mit großer antizyklonaler Vorticity oder großer Baroklinität werden die berechneten Werte infolge von Meß- und Approximationsfehlern völlig ungenau. In den Gebieten mit optimalen Voraussetzungen stimmen die berechneten Werte mit den aus Niederschlagsmessungen abgeleiteten oder am Boden direkt beobachteten im Vorzeichen und innerhalb eines Faktors von 3 überein. Die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Untersuchung weisen erneut darauf hin, daß in manchen Gebieten bzw. Zeitabschnitten das Verhalten der freien Atmosphäre durch nichtadiabatische Erwärmung wesentlich beeinflußt sein kann. Stichprobenweise Berechnungen für eines dieser Gebiete zeigen, daß die theoretisch ermittelte nichtadiabatische Erwärmung für die resultierende Vertikalgeschwindigkeit der Luft quantitativ von ähnlicher Bedeutung ist wie der adiabatische Prozeß.

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Résumé L'auteur a calculé le réchauffement non adiabatique, à grande échelle, de l'atmosphère à 12 niveaux isentropes pendant un intervalle de 12 heures. Une méthode établie parErtel combine l'équation de continuité et les équations de mouvement et aboutit à une relation explicite entre le réchauffement non adiabatique, la vorticity potentielle et la stabilité le long de trajectoires isentropes. Le résultat n'a qu'une exactitude approchée, et cela dans des conditions favorables seulement. On obtient une répartition utilisable du réchauffement non adiabatique au voisinage de la tropopause, du sol, au-dessus d'une couche de nuages ou d'air humide, ainsi qu'à l'intérieur des zones à forte condensation. Dans les régions à grande vorticity anticyclonique et à grande baroclinité, les valeurs calculées deviennent tout à fait inexactes par suite d'une approximation insuffisante et d'erreurs de mesure. Dans les régions à conditions favorables par contre, les valeurs calculées correspondent à celles que l'on peut tirer de la mesure des précipitations ou de celles que l'on mesure au sol, cela au signe et à un facteur 3 près. Le résultat de cette étude montre à nouveau que dans certaines régions ou certains laps de temps l'état de l'atmosphère peut être notablement conditionné par un réchauffement non adiabatique. Des épreuves faites pour l'une de ces régions montrent que le réchauffement non adiabatique obtenu par calcul est quantitativement aussi important pour la vitesse verticale résultante de l'air que le processus adiabatique.

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With 7 Figures  相似文献