Shallow sloping drainage tunnels dug into the hillsides to intercept water tables are an important source of water supply in many semi-arid countries. This paper deals with the modelling of such drainage tunnels, with particular reference to the aflaj (singular falaj) of Oman; factors affecting their flow, their response to recharge and their imposition on the surrounding aquifer are investigated. The equations governing groundwater flow in unconfined aquifers are modified to realistically reproduce the observed flow response. In this way the effect of falaj flow can be incorporated into the strategy for the management of scarce water resources. The modelling results show that the falaj flow follows an exponential recession and its rate is related to aquifer geometry and parameters. The results have been used to estimate the contributing length of aflaj under various hydrological conditions and to indicate the most likely recharge mechanism for a falaj situated in wadi gravels. Furthermore, the close resemblance between the predicted falaj flow and field flow measurements, from Oman, is a measure of the model's applicability. 相似文献
A groundwater resource characterisation and assessment model was developed for Nasia river sub-basin in the White Volta Basin, Ghana. The model is useful to policymakers for planning and sustainable management of groundwater resources in the basin for domestic and irrigation purposes. A conceptual model was constructed that characterized boundary conditions and hydrostratigraphy, and estimated recharge rates and hydraulic and storage parameters. From current understanding of the hydrogeological dynamics, three hydrostratigraphic layers were delineated. The conceptual model was converted to a three-dimensional steady-state groundwater flow model using MODFLOW. Recharge rates estimated from the base model indicate a minimum of 1.1% and maximum of 6.2% of the total rainfall. The hydraulic conductivity ranged between 0.20 and 15 m/day. Four possible scenarios were simulated: (1) increased population, (2) climate variations (reduced recharge), (3) increased abstraction for irrigation, and (4) worst-case scenario which is a combination of the first three scenarios. Results from scenarios 1 and 2 indicated that, under such conditions, the groundwater resources could be sustained and no significant effect on any of the water budget indicators was observed. For scenario 3, there was significant drop in hydraulic head in the central portions of the study area. The scenario 4 simulation indicated that there was significant reduction in groundwater levels and groundwater discharge into streams under these stressors. Such reduction can affect stream levels in the basin and, subsequently, the ecosystem. These findings are valid within the limits of uncertainty in the hydrogeological data that were used in this study.
Global climate change mitigation action is hampered by systematic under-assessment of national ‘fair shares’, largely on the basis of perceived national interests. This paper aims to inform discussions centred on South Africa’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) by estimating (1) emissions reduction pathways for the country using the Climate Equity Reference Calculator (CERC) assuming a maximum 2°C aggregate warming target and (2) the likely economy-wide net mitigation costs or savings associated with reaching these pathways if known lower-cost mitigation measures, identified through the national mitigation potential analysis, are prioritised. The cumulative net savings associated with achieving the CERC ‘fair share’ emissions pathway, assuming the moderate use of low carbon power generation measures, would reach $5.3 billion by 2030. Net savings could be substantially greater reaching $46.8 billion by 2030 assuming power generation focuses on moving towards full decarbonisation. An unconditional commitment to the mitigation action implied by the ‘fair share’ emissions pathway therefore seems reasonable and prudent purely from the point of view of net country-wide savings. Only if power generation moves towards full decarbonisation would there be a reasonable chance of achieving the more ambitious CERC domestic emissions pathway. However, the significant additional cost associated with achieving the domestic emissions pathway should be conditional on international assistance.
Key policy insights
South Africa can only achieve its ‘fair share’ of the global mitigation effort if greater use is made of renewable energy options, and can realise significant net savings if it does so.
Further emissions reductions would incur costs and require significant upscaling of the share of renewable energy and full implementation of all non-power generation mitigation measures available.
Committing to this further mitigation action contingent on international finance would both strengthen the nation’s position in climate negotiations and support the provision of finance for those vulnerable developing nations that bear little or no responsibility for climate change.
The main freshwater source of arid/semi-arid Central Asia is stored in its high mountain glaciers. Water for the downstream countries is mainly supplied through the Syrdarya River that originates at the confluence of the Naryn and Karadarya rivers in the Ferghana Valley. Runoff generation from glaciers plays a crucial role, although a considerable number of small tributaries supply the river with additional runoff from snowmelt and rain in the mountains surrounding the Ferghana Valley. Observations of rising air temperature and accelerated glacier shrinkage make it most likely that the relative contributions of the smaller tributaries will increase. Hitherto, assessments of climate change effects on the water resource availability have largely neglected the growing importance of the runoff from smaller tributaries. We used a dynamically downscaled A1B SRES scenario for climate change effects for the period 2071–2100 in relation to the reference period of 1971–2000 and a version of the conceptual hydrological Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenavdelning model (HBV-light) to estimate runoff contributions with particular respect to the small tributaries. The simulations showed a 12–42% decrease in summer runoff; and a 44–107% increase in winter-spring runoff. This indicates the hydrological regime is shifting towards a runoff from snowmelt earlier in the year. The study suggests that actions for climate change adaptation should be complemented by land management configured to secure optimal runoff supplement from the smaller catchments. 相似文献
Hydrochemical data are presented for groundwater samples, collected from fractured aquifers in parts of northern Ghana. The
data was collected to assess the groundwater suitability for domestic and agricultural use. Results of the study reveal that
the pH of the groundwater in the area is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. The electrical conductivity values, total dissolved
solids (TDS) values and calcium, magnesium and sodium concentrations in the groundwater are generally below the limit set
by the WHO for potable water supply. On the basis of activity diagrams, groundwater from the fractured aquifers appears to
be stable within the montmorillonite field, suggesting weathering of silicate minerals. An inverse distance weighting interpolator
with a power of 2 was applied to the data points to produce prediction maps for nitrate and fluoride. The distribution maps
show the presence of high nitrate concentrations (50–194 mg/l) in some of the boreholes in the western part of the study area
indicating anthropogenic impact on the groundwater. Elevated fluoride level (1.5–4 mg/l), higher than the WHO allowable fluoride
concentration of 1.5, is recorded in the groundwater underlying the northeastern part of the study area, more specifically
Bongo and its surrounding communities of the Upper East region. Results of this study suggest that groundwater from the fractured
aquifers in the area exhibit low sodicity–low salinity (S1–C1), low sodicity–medium salinity (S1–C2) characteristics [United
States Salinity Laboratory (USSL) classification scheme]. All data points from this study plot within the ‘Excellent to good’
category on a Wilcox diagram. Groundwater in this area thus appears to provide irrigation water of excellent quality. The
hydrochemical results indicate that, although nitrate and fluoride concentrations in some boreholes are high, the groundwater
in the study area, based on the parameters analyzed, is chemically potable and suitable for domestic and agricultural purposes. 相似文献
At the continental margin of north Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the strongly hydrated Cocos Plate subducts beneath the Caribbean Plate. From the downgoing Cocos plate fluids are released through extensional fractures in the overriding plate. At the seafloor, they form fluid seeps, mounds and other types of fluid expulsion. Using an offshore temporary seismic network, we investigated seismicity possibly related to these processes and observed several swarms of earthquakes located on the continental slope trenchward of the seismogenic zone of S Nicaragua. The seismicity occurred within the downgoing plate, near the plate interface and in the overriding plate. We interpret these swarm events as an expression of pore pressure propagation under critical stress conditions driven by fluid release from the downgoing plate. In order to estimate hydraulic diffusivity and permeability values, we applied a theory developed for injection test interpretation to the spatio-temporal development of the swarms. The resulting diffusivity and permeability values are in the ranges of 28–305 m²/s and 3.2 × 10?14 m²–35.1 × 10?14 m², respectively, applying to the continental and oceanic crust near the plate interface. These values are somewhat larger than observed in drill logs on the margin wedge off north Costa Rica, but of comparable magnitude to values estimated for the Antofagasta 1995 earthquake aftershock sequence. 相似文献
Coral recruitment was assessed in highly diverse and economically important Spermonde Archipelago, a reef system subjected to land-based sources of siltation/pollution and destructive fishing, over a period of 2 years. Recruitment on settlement tiles reached up to 705 spat m−2 yr−1 and was strongest in the dry season (July–October), except off-shore, where larvae settled earlier. Pocilloporidae dominated near-shore, while a more diverse community of Acroporidae, Poritidae and others settled in the less polluted mid-shelf and off-shore reefs. Non-coral fouling community appeared to hardly influence initial coral settlement on the tiles, although, this does not necessarily infer low coral post-settlement mortality, which may be enhanced at the near- and off-shore reefs as indicated by increased abundances of potential space competitors on natural substrate. Blast fishing showed no local reduction in coral recruitment and live hard coral cover increased in oligotrophic reefs, indicating potential for coral recovery, if managed effectively. 相似文献
We present Hα spectropolarimetry observations of a sample of 10 bright T Tauri stars, supplemented with new Herbig Ae/Be star data. A change in the linear polarization across Hα is detected in most of the T Tauri (9/10) and Herbig Ae (9/11) objects, which we interpret in terms of a compact source of line photons that is scattered off a rotating accretion disc. We find consistency between the position angle (PA) of the polarization and those of imaged disc PAs from infrared and millimetre imaging and interferometry studies, probing much larger scales. For the Herbig Ae stars AB Aur, MWC 480 and CQ Tau, we find the polarization PA to be perpendicular to the imaged disc, which is expected for single scattering. On the other hand, the polarization PA aligns with the outer disc PA for the T Tauri stars DR Tau and SU Aur and FU Ori, conforming to the case of multiple scattering. This difference can be explained if the inner discs of Herbig Ae stars are optically thin, whilst those around our T Tauri stars and FU Ori are optically thick. Furthermore, we develop a novel technique that combines known inclination angles and our recent Monte Carlo models to constrain the inner rim sizes of SU Aur, GW Ori, AB Aur and CQ Tau. Finally, we consider the connection of the inner disc structure with the orientation of the magnetic field in the foreground interstellar medium: for FU Ori and DR Tau, we infer an alignment of the stellar axis and the larger magnetic field direction. 相似文献