The impact of agronomic inputs on selected physicochemical features and their relationships with heavy metals levels in surface sediment and water in sugarcane farms in Nzoia,Kenya     

Solomon Omwoma  Joseph O. Lalah  David M. K. Ongeri  Karl-Werner Schramm 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2014,71(10):4297-4308

Sugarcane farming is the most important cash crop cultivation activity in the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya practised in an area covering approximately 114,000 Ha in total. For better yields, various agronomic inputs including fertilizers and herbicides have been used intensively in the farms, causing serious concerns about their potential impacts on the aquatic ecosystems within the lake basin. In this study, the physicochemical features of surface sediment and water including pH, total organic carbon contents and heavy metal (Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cr) loads in River Kuywa and in runoff canals in sugarcane farms in Nzoia nucleus estate within the lake basin were determined to assess the effects of agronomic activities including agronomic inputs in the form of nitrogenous fertilizers [urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP)], herbicides and sewage sludge used in farming on their levels. The results indicated significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in the heavy metal levels in sediment and water samples taken before and after the farms, respectively, indicating a positive impact on the concentration levels. The canal water and sediment samples’ heavy metal levels were also significantly higher than those of the river samples showing that the influent sugarcane farm canal waters transfer these contaminants into River Kuywa. Although the levels of these parameters were significantly higher in the canals than in the controls obtained from outside the sugarcane farms, the heavy metal levels in soil samples from within the farms with similar agronomic activities did not differ significantly among the various plots. The turbidity, electrical conductivity, temperature, water and soil pH and total organic carbon values in samples obtained within the sugarcane farms showed significant seasonal variations and differed significantly from the values in the controls showing a significant negative impact of agronomic inputs on water quality.  相似文献   

Community perceptions of forest–water relationships in the Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopia     

Solomon Gebreyohannis Gebrehiwot  Woldeamlak Bewket  Kevin Bishop 《GeoJournal》2014,79(5):605-618

Community perception of forest–water relationship was gathered using participatory rural appraisal tools in four watersheds of the Blue Nile River Basin in Ethiopia. These were compared and contrasted with the observational records of forest cover and water flow. Upstream and downstream communities were assessed separately to check for differences in perception based on location within a watershed. The key result of the study was that people in the study watersheds had a range of perceptions about the forest–water relationship which were watershed specific. The perceptions were generally consistent with observational evidence from the same watersheds. This study highlighted the need for locale-specific approaches to land and water management in the Basin, as well as the potential value of using community perceptions to complement the observational records which can have spatial and temporal limitations.  相似文献   

Geochemistry of the Pegmatitic Rocks and Minerals in the Kenticha Belt, Southern Ethiopia: Implication to Geological Setting     

Solomon Tadesse 《Gondwana Research》2001,4(1):97

Trace element distribution patterns are reported for whole rocks (granites, aplites, greisens, pegmatites, alaskites) and minerals from the Kenticha pegmatite field. The data shed light on the evolution, regional and local zonal pattern of the granitepegmatites and associated mineralization in the Kenticha belt. The complex mineralization of commercial concentrations of Ta, Nb, Hf, Zr, REE, U and Th is related to Be, Li, Cs, Rbbearing zones of pegmatites and is structurally controlled. Whole rock chemical signatures of the suite of felsic rocks of the Kenticha belt are predominantly similar to those generated by subduction in modern magmatic arcs and indicate a mantle derivation. Columbotantalite concentrates extracted from the pegmatitic ores represent the basic raw materials from which a number of possible byproducts can be recovered.  相似文献   

Stereo topographic models of Mercury after three MESSENGER flybys     

Frank Preusker  Jürgen Oberst  James W. Head  Thomas R. Watters  Mark S. Robinson  Maria T. Zuber  Sean C. Solomon 《Planetary and Space Science》2011,59(15):1910-1917

From photogrammetric analysis of stereo images of Mercury obtained during three MESSENGER flybys, we have produced three digital terrain models (DTMs) that have a grid spacing of 1 km and together cover 30% of the planet's surface. The terrain models provide a rich source of information on the morphology of Mercury's surface, including details of tectonic scarp systems as well as impact craters and basins. More than 400 craters larger than 15 km in diameter are included in the models. Additionally, the models provide important test cases for the analysis of stereo image data to be collected during MESSENGER's orbital mission phase. Small lateral offsets and differences in trends between stereo DTMs and laser altimeter profiles may be due to remaining errors in spacecraft position, instrument pointing, or Mercury coordinate knowledge. Such errors should be resolved during the orbital mission phase, when more joint analyses of data and detailed orbit modeling will be possible.  相似文献   

Analysis of MESSENGER Gamma-Ray Spectrometer data from the Mercury flybys     

Edgar A. Rhodes  Larry G. Evans  Larry R. Nittler  Richard D. Starr  Ann L. Sprague  David J. Lawrence  Timothy J. McCoy  Karen R. Stockstill-Cahill  John O. Goldsten  Patrick N. Peplowski  David K. Hamara  William V. Boynton  Sean C. Solomon 《Planetary and Space Science》2011,59(15):1829-1841

During its three flybys of Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft made the first detection of gamma-ray emission from the planet's surface. With a closest approach distance of ∼200 km, the flybys provided an opportunity to measure elemental abundances of Mercury's near-equatorial regions, which will not be visited at low altitude during MESSENGER's orbital mission phase. Despite being limited by low planetary photon flux, sufficient counts were accumulated during the first two flybys to estimate bounds on abundances for some elements having relatively strong gamma-ray spectral peaks, including Si, Fe, Ti, K, and Th. Only for Si is the standard deviation σ sufficiently small to conclude that this element was detected with 99% confidence. Iron and potassium are detected at the 2−σ (95% confidence) level, whereas only upper bounds on Ti and Th can be determined. Relative to a Si abundance assumed to be 18 weight percent (wt%), 2−σ upper bounds have been estimated as 9.7 wt% for Fe, 7.0 wt% for Ti, 0.087 wt% for K, and 2.2 ppm for Th. The relatively low upper bound on K rules out some previously suggested models for surface composition for the regions sampled. Upper bounds on Fe/Si and Ti/Si ratios are generally consistent with Ti and Fe abundances estimated from the analysis of measurements by the MESSENGER Neutron Spectrometer during the flybys but are also permissive of much lower concentrations.  相似文献   

Predictions of MESSENGER Neutron Spectrometer measurements for Mercury's north polar region     

David J. Lawrence  John K. Harmon  William C. Feldman  John O. Goldsten  David A. Paige  Patrick N. Peplowski  Edgar A. Rhodes  Christina M. Selby  Sean C. Solomon 《Planetary and Space Science》2011,59(13):1665-1669

From radar images of Mercury's poles and MESSENGER Neutron Spectrometer (NS) measurements obtained during the spacecraft's flybys of Mercury, predictions of neutron count rates and their uncertainties are calculated for Mercury's north polar region as of the end of the MESSENGER primary orbital mission. If Mercury's poles contain large amounts of water ice, as has been suggested on the basis of the radar data, then during the one-year-long orbital mission the NS should detect signals indicative of excess polar hydrogen with a significance of at least 4σ, where σ is the standard deviation derived from Poisson counting statistics. If the polar deposits are not enriched with hydrogen, but are dominated by other elements, such as sulfur, then the MESSENGER neutron measurements should be able to confirm the absence of deposits having surface concentrations in excess of 50 wt% H₂O on permanently shadowed floors of craters near Mercury's north pole. Because of the large spatial footprint of the NS data, individual polar deposits will not be spatially resolved, but longitudinal asymmetries may be detected if residual systematic uncertainties are sufficiently low.  相似文献   

Eminescu impact structure: Insight into the transition from complex crater to peak-ring basin on Mercury     

Samuel C. Schon  James W. Head  David M.H. Baker  Carolyn M. Ernst  Louise M. Prockter  Scott L. Murchie  Sean C. Solomon 《Planetary and Space Science》2011,59(15):1949-1959

Peak-ring basins represent an impact-crater morphology that is transitional between complex craters with central peaks and large multi-ring basins. Therefore, they can provide insight into the scale dependence of the impact process. Here the transition with increasing crater diameter from complex craters to peak-ring basins on Mercury is assessed through a detailed analysis of Eminescu, a geologically recent and well-preserved peak-ring basin. Eminescu has a diameter (∼125 km) close to the minimum for such crater forms and is thus representative of the transition. Impact crater size-frequency distributions and faint rays indicate that Eminescu is Kuiperian in age, geologically younger than most other basins on Mercury. Geologic mapping of basin interior units indicates a distinction between smooth plains and peak-ring units. Our mapping and crater retention ages favor plains formation by impact melt rather than post-impact volcanism, but a volcanic origin for the plains cannot be excluded if the time interval between basin formation and volcanic emplacement was less than the uncertainty in relative ages. The high-albedo peak ring of Eminescu is composed of bright crater-floor deposits (BCFDs, a distinct crustal unit seen elsewhere on Mercury) exposed by the impact. We use our observations to assess predictions of peak-ring formation models. We interpret the characteristics of Eminescu as consistent with basin formation models in which a melt cavity forms during the impact formation of craters at the transition to peak ring morphologies. We suggest that the smooth plains were emplaced via impact melt expulsion from the central melt cavity during uplift of a peak ring composed of BCFD-type material. In this scenario the ringed cluster of peaks resulted from the early development of the melt cavity, which modified the central uplift zone.  相似文献   

Discussion: Delamerian unconformities in Tasmania     

M. Solomon 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(7-8):435-436

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Geology and Gold Mineralization in the Pan-African Rocks of the Adola Area, Southern Ethiopia     

Solomon Tadesse 《Gondwana Research》1999,2(3):439

Primary and placer gold deposits are mined from the Pan-African Adola volcano-sedimentary sequence, in southern Ethiopia. Two major mineralized belts can be recognized: the Megado (‘Gold Belt’) and the Kenticha Belts. The Kenticha Belt is also known for its rare metal mineralization. Extensive exploration of the area resulted in two most important primary gold deposits of Lega Dembi and Sakaro. The primary gold deposits are classified into four classes based on their geological setting:

- auriferous veins, lodes, stockworks and silicified zones disseminated in schistose rocks

- gold associated with quartzite

- gold mineralization confined to conglomerates and meta-arkoses

- auriferous quartz veins in high grade gneiss rocks

This classification provides a useful guide for future exploration programme  相似文献   

Improved Recharge Estimation from Portable,Low‐Cost Weather Stations          下载免费PDF全文

Hartmut M. Holländer  Zijian Wang  Kibreab A. Assefa  Allan D. Woodbury 《Ground water》2016,54(2):243-254

Groundwater recharge estimation is a critical quantity for sustainable groundwater management. The feasibility and robustness of recharge estimation was evaluated using physical‐based modeling procedures, and data from a low‐cost weather station with remote sensor techniques in Southern Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Recharge was determined using the Richards‐based vadose zone hydrological model, HYDRUS‐1D. The required meteorological data were recorded with a HOBO^TM weather station for a short observation period (about 1 year) and an existing weather station (Abbotsford A) for long‐term study purpose (27 years). Undisturbed soil cores were taken at two locations in the vicinity of the HOBO^TM weather station. The derived soil hydraulic parameters were used to characterize the soil in the numerical model. Model performance was evaluated using observed soil moisture and soil temperature data obtained from subsurface remote sensors. A rigorous sensitivity analysis was used to test the robustness of the model. Recharge during the short observation period was estimated at 863 and 816 mm. The mean annual recharge was estimated at 848 and 859 mm/year based on a time series of 27 years. The relative ratio of annual recharge‐precipitation varied from 43% to 69%. From a monthly recharge perspective, the majority (80%) of recharge due to precipitation occurred during the hydrologic winter period. The comparison of the recharge estimates with other studies indicates a good agreement. Furthermore, this method is able to predict transient recharge estimates, and can provide a reasonable tool for estimates on nutrient leaching that is often controlled by strong precipitation events and rapid infiltration of water and nitrate into the soil.  相似文献