Dynamics of negative hydraulic barriers to prevent seawater intrusion     

María Pool  Jesús Carrera 《Hydrogeology Journal》2010,18(1):95-105

Negative hydraulic barriers that intercept inflowing saltwater by pumping near the coast have been proposed as a corrective measure for seawater intrusion in cases where low heads must be maintained. The main disadvantage of these barriers is that they pump a significant proportion of freshwater, leading to contamination with saltwater at the well. To minimize such mixing, a double pumping barrier system with two extraction wells is proposed: an inland well to pump freshwater and a seawards well to pump saltwater. A three-dimensional variable density flow model is used to study the dynamics of the system. The system performs very efficiently as a remediation option in the early stages. Long-term performance requires a well-balanced design. If the pumping rate is high, drawdowns cause saltwater to flow along the aquifer bottom around the seawater well, contaminating the freshwater well. A low pumping rate at the seawards well leads to insufficient desalinization at the freshwater well. A critical pumping rate at the seawater well is defined as that which produces optimal desalinization at the freshwater well. Empirical expressions for the critical pumping rate and salt mass fraction are proposed. Although pumping with partially penetrating wells improves efficiency, the critical pumping rates remain unchanged.  相似文献   

Construction of deep tunnel shafts in Mexico city soft clays by the flotation method     

Gabriel Auvinet-Guichard  Juan F. Rodríguez-Rebolledo  José L. Rangel-Núñez 《Acta Geotechnica》2010,5(1):63-68

The drainage system of Mexico City, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, is formed by a large network of interceptors and collectors leading to the main outlet: a 49.3-km-long tunnel with a 6.5 m diameter. To build the access shafts to the tunnels of the system and the deep sumps of the pumping stations in the very soft clays of the lacustrine area of Mexico valley, a technique known as “flotation method” has been commonly used since 1969. The paper presents the main construction steps followed and some aspects of the analysis and design of shafts constructed by this technique. The experience gained obtained after more than 30 shafts have been constructed by this method, and the actual trends in its application are also discussed.  相似文献   

Landslide susceptibility and hazard assessment in San Ramón Ravine, Santiago de Chile, from an engineering geological approach   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Marisol Lara  Sergio A. Sepúlveda 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2010,60(6):1227-1243

Debris flows and soil and rock slides are among the main geological hazards in the mountain foothills of Central Chile. Geological risk associated with the development of landslides, especially debris flows triggered in the basins of ravines that drain into the capital city, Santiago, has increased in time due to accelerated urban expansion. A landslide hazard evaluation in the San Ramón Ravine, located within the foothills of Santiago is presented. Hazard evaluation is based on a methodology that combines the determination of landslide susceptibility calculated by integration of conditioning factors, with the assessment of slope failure and runout probabilities incorporating geotechnical engineering approaches. The methodology is appropriate for medium or subregional scale studies with limited data. The results show that in San Ramón Ravine the landslide hazard consists mainly of debris flows, rock block slides, rock falls and shallow soil slides. Among these, debris flows are the most important due to the urban area that can be affected. Other case studies show that the method can be used in other regions with minor adaptations for territorial planning or for engineering and environmental purposes.  相似文献   

Pockmarks on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar: formation from overpressured shallow contourite gas reservoirs and internal wave action during the last glacial sea-level lowstand?     

Ricardo León  Luis Somoza  Teresa Medialdea  Francisco Javier González  Carmen Julia Gimenez-Moreno  Raúl Pérez-López 《Geo-Marine Letters》2014,34(2-3):131-151

Integrating novel and published swath bathymetry (3,980 km²), as well as chirp and high-resolution 2D seismic reflection profiles (2,190 km), this study presents the mapping of 436 pockmarks at water depths varying widely between 370 and 1,020 m on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar. On the Atlantic side in the south-eastern Gulf of Cádiz near the Camarinal Sill, 198 newly discovered pockmarks occur in three well localized and separated fields: on the upper slope (n=14), in the main channel of the Mediterranean outflow water (MOW, n=160), and on the huge contourite levee of the MOW main channel (n=24) near the well-known TASYO field. These pockmarks vary in diameter from 60 to 919 m, and are sub-circular to irregularly elongated or lobate in shape. Their slope angles on average range from 3° to 25°. On the Mediterranean side of the strait on the Ceuta Drift of the western Alborán Basin, where pockmarks were already known to occur, 238 pockmarks were identified and grouped into three interconnected fields, i.e. a northern (n=34), a central (n=61) and a southern field (n=143). In the latter two fields the pockmarks are mainly sub-circular, ranging from 130 to 400 m in diameter with slope angles averaging 1.5° to 15°. In the northern sector, by contrast, they are elongated up to 1,430 m, probably reflecting MOW activity. Based on seismo-stratigraphic interpretation, it is inferred that most pockmarks formed during and shortly after the last glacial sea-level lowstand, as they are related to the final erosional discontinuity sealed by Holocene transgressive deposits. Combining these findings with other existing knowledge, it is proposed that pockmark formation on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar resulted from gas and/or sediment pore-water venting from overpressured shallow gas reservoirs entrapped in coarse-grained contourites of levee deposits and Pleistocene palaeochannel infillings. Venting was either triggered or promoted by hydraulic pumping associated with topographically forced internal waves. This mechanism is analogous to the long-known effect of tidal pumping on the dynamics of unit pockmarks observed along the Norwegian continental margin.  相似文献   

A high resolution hindcast of the meteorological sea level component for Southern Europe: the GOS dataset     

Alba Cid  Sonia Castanedo  Ana J. Abascal  Melisa Menéndez  Raúl Medina 《Climate Dynamics》2014,43(7-8):2167-2184

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Geophysical exploration on the subsurface geology of La Garrotxa monogenetic volcanic field (NE Iberian Peninsula)     

Xavier Bolós  Stéphanie Barde-Cabusson  Dario Pedrazzi  Joan Martí  Albert Casas  Raúl Lovera  Daniel Nadal-Sala 《International Journal of Earth Sciences》2014,103(8):2255-2269

We applied self-potential (SP) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to the exploration of the uppermost part of the substrate geology and shallow structure of La Garrotxa monogenetic volcanic field, part of the European Neogene–Quaternary volcanic province. The aim of the study was to improve knowledge of the shallowest part of the feeding system of these monogenetic volcanoes and of its relationship with the subsurface geology. This study complements previous geophysical studies carried out at a less detailed scale and aimed at identifying deeper structures, and together will constitute the basis to establish volcanic susceptibility in La Garrotxa. SP study complemented previous smaller-scale studies and targeted key areas where ERT could be conducted. The main new results include the generation of resistivity models identifying dykes and faults associated with several monogenetic cones. The combined results confirm that shallow tectonics controlling the distribution of the foci of eruptive activity in this volcanic zone mainly correspond to NNW–SSE and accessorily by NNE–SSW Neogene extensional fissures and faults and concretely show the associated magmatic intrusions. These structures coincide with the deeper ones identified in previous studies, and show that previous Alpine tectonic structures played no apparent role in controlling the loci of this volcanism. Moreover, the results obtained show that the changes in eruption dynamics occurring at different vents located at relatively short distances in this volcanic area are controlled by shallow stratigraphical, structural and hydrogeological differences underneath these monogenetic volcanoes.  相似文献   

Catastrophic,rainfall-induced debris flows in Andean villages of Tarapacá, Atacama Desert,northern Chile   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Sergio A. Sepúlveda  Sofía Rebolledo  James McPhee  Marisol Lara  Mauricio Cartes  Eduardo Rubio  David Silva  Nicolle Correia  Juan P. Vásquez 《Landslides》2014,11(3):481-491

In March 2012, during the rainy season in the Altiplano plateau, a >100-year return period rainfall event affected the deeply incised valleys of the Precordillera of the Tarapacá Region, northern Chile. This extreme event in a very arid region triggered a number of debris and mud flows that caused severe damage and destruction in several small villages along the Camiña and Tarapacá valleys. The highly vulnerable location of the villages on top of alluvial fans due to socioeconomic and cultural reasons is a key factor to explain the level of destruction in most villages. In this paper, this unusual, remarkable landslide event is described, and the hazard faced by these settlements for future rainfall episodes and possible mitigation measures are discussed.  相似文献   

Mercury colonial footprint in Darién Gulf sediments,Colombia     

Alex Rúa  Gerd Liebezeit  Jaime Palacio-Baena 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2014,71(4):1781-1789

The mercury (Hg) deposition history in the Darién Gulf is reconstructed from three sediment cores spanning up to 1,000 years. Knowledge on the contribution to global Hg budget from the Caribbean is limited. Patterns of water circulation, sediment deposition rates, cataclysmic atmospheric inputs, and post-depositional migration have been considered in Hg trapping in the seabed. The sediment delivery rates to the coastal zone over the Late Holocene have increased from 0.2 to 1 cm year^?1 owing to anthropogenic influence. This alteration took the form of geological effects, like coastal morphology change, that played a major role in Hg downcore signal preservation. Natural background Hg levels in Southern Caribbean sediments (77.0 μg kg^?1) are up to three times higher than preindustrial signals at other latitudes, because of volcanic contributions from the Pacific ring of fire. Enrichment factors rose from 0.9 to 1.5 (70.1–113.5 μg kg^?1) within profiles related to Hg usage since Spanish colonial times between the calendar years 1550 and 1811.  相似文献   

Iron ore mining promotes iron enrichment in sediments of the Gualaxo do Norte River basin,Minas Gerais State,Brazil     

Aline Sueli de Lima Rodrigues  Guilherme Malafaia  Adivane Terezinha Costa  Hermínio Arias Nalini Júnior 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2014,71(9):4177-4186

The objective of the present study is to assess the influence of iron ore mining on Fe concentrations in fluvial sediments of the Gualaxo do Norte River basin (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). Initially background values were determined for Fe by means of the boxplot representation, the iterative 2σ technique and the calculated distribution function, using geochemical data obtained for alluvial terraces. Geochronologic analyses in carbonaceous materials attested for the proposed background values. After that, chemical analyses of active drainage sediments collected along the entire basin were carried out and a geochemical map of the study area was prepared. The mean background value for Fe is relatively high (8.2 wt %), when compared to the Fe concentration in the Earth’s crust (5.6 wt %). Such background value is strongly associated with the geological characteristics of the region. It was observed that most of the high Fe concentrations were detected in active sediments collected in the main river of the basin and not in its tributaries. This suggests that Fe enrichment is not only linked to the local geology but also to possible increase resulting from accidental leakage of iron ore mining tailings from containment dams and lakes upstream. It is suggested that measures that help stop or minimize such impact be adopted. The large capacity of Fe to adsorb and form complexes with toxic metals implicates in environmental hazards that may not be restricted only to the Gualaxo do Norte river basin, but may affect the other basins downstream.  相似文献   

Quaternary palaeoecology and nature conservation: a general review with examples from the neotropics     

T. Vegas-Vilarrúbia  V. Rull  E. Montoya  E. Safont 《Quaternary Science Reviews》2011,30(19-20):2361-2388

Palaeoecology, as an ecological discipline, is able to provide relevant inputs for conservation science and ecosystem management, especially for issues involving long-term processes, such as ecological succession, migration, adaptation, microevolution, and extinction. This use of palaeoecology has been noted for several decades, and it has become widely accepted, especially in the frame of ongoing and near-future global warming and its potential biotic consequences. Selected palaeoecological insights of interest for conservation include the following: 1) species respond in an individualistic manner to environmental changes that lead to changes in community composition, suggesting that future ecosystems would have no modern analogues; 2) in the short-term, acclimation is more likely a response of species that are expected to persist in the face of global warming, but the possibility of evolutionary change linked to the existence of pre-adapted genomes cannot be dismissed; 3) species unable to acclimate or adapt to new conditions should migrate or become extinct, which has been observed in past records; 4) current extinction estimates for the near-future should be revised in light of palaeoecological information, which shows that spatial reorganisations and persistence in suitable microrefugia have been more common than extinction during the Quaternary; 5) biotic responses to environmental changes do not necessarily follow the rules of equilibrium dynamics but depend on complex and non-linear processes that lead to unexpected “surprises”, which are favoured by the occurrence of thresholds and amplifying positive feedbacks; 6) threshold responses can cause the movement of ecosystems among several potentially stable states depending on their resilience, or the persistence of transient states; 7) species and their communities have responded to environmental changes in a heterogeneous fashion according to the local and regional features, which is crucial for present and future management policies; 8) the global warming that occurred at the end of the Younger Drays cold reversal (ca 13.0 to 11.5 cal kyr BP) took place at similar rates and magnitudes compared to the global warming projected for the 21st century, thus becoming a powerful past analogue for prediction modelling; 9) environmental changes have acted upon ecosystems in an indirect way by modifying human behaviour and activities that, in turn, have had the potential of changing the environment and enhancing the disturbance effects by synergistic processes involving positive feedbacks; 10) the collapse of past civilisations under climate stress has been chiefly the result of inadequate management procedures and weaknesses in social organisation, which would be a warning for the present uncontrolled growth of human population, the consequent overexploitation of natural resources, and the continuous increase of greenhouse gas emissions; 11) the impact of fire as a decisive ecological agent has increased since the rise of humans, especially during the last millennia, but anthropic fires were not dominant over natural fires until the 19th century; 12) fire has been an essential element in the development and ecological dynamics of many ecosystems, and it has significantly affected the worldwide biome distribution; 13) climate–fire–human synergies that amplify the effects of climate, or fire alone, have been important in the shaping of modern landscapes. These general paleoecological observations and others that have emerged from case studies of particular problems can improve the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Nature conservation requires the full consideration of palaeoecological knowledge in an ecological context, along with the synergistic cooperation of palaeoecologists with neoecologists, anthropologists, and conservation scientists.  相似文献