Snow hydrology of a constructed watershed in the Athabasca oil sands region,Alberta, Canada          下载免费PDF全文

Scott J. Ketcheson  Jonathan S. Price 《水文研究》2016,30(14):2546-2561

Wetlands are now being integrated into oil sands mining landscape closure design plans. These wetland ecosystems will be constructed within a regional sub‐humid climate where snowfall represents ~25% of annual precipitation. However, few studies focus on the distribution of snow and, hence, the storage of winter precipitation in reclaimed oil sands landscapes. In this study, the distribution, ablation and fate of snowmelt waters are quantified within a constructed watershed in a post‐mining oil sands environment. Basin‐averaged peak SWE was 106 mm, with no significant difference between reclaimed slopes with vegetation and those that were sparsely vegetated or bare. Snow depth was greatest and more variable near the toe of slopes and became progressively shallower towards the crest. Snow ablation started first on the vegetated slope, which also exhibited the maximum observed ablation rates. This enhanced melt was attributed to increased absorption of short‐wave radiation by vegetation stems and branches. Recharge to reclaimed slopes and a constructed aquifer during the snowmelt period was minimal, as the presence of ground frost minimized infiltration. Accordingly, substantial surface run‐off was observed from all reclaimed slopes, despite being designed to reduce run‐off and increase water storage. This could result in increased flashiness of downstream watercourses during the spring freshet that receive run‐off from post‐mining landscapes where large reclaimed slopes are prolific. Run‐off ratios for the reclaimed slopes were between 0.7 and 0.9. Thus, it is essential to consider snow dynamics when designing landscape‐scale constructed ecosystems. This research demonstrates that the snowmelt period hydrology within reclaimed landscapes is fundamentally different from that reported for natural settings and represents one of the first studies on snow dynamics in constructed watershed systems in the post‐mined oil sands landscape. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Predicting the initiation of static liquefaction of cross‐anisotropic sands under multiaxial stress conditions          下载免费PDF全文

Xilin Lü  Maosong Huang  José E. Andrade 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》2017,41(17):1724-1740

Experimental evidence has shown that the liquefaction instability of sands can be affected by its material density, stress state, and inherent anisotropy. In order to predict the initiation of the static liquefaction of inherent cross‐anisotropic sands under multidimensional stress conditions, a rational constitutive model is needed. An elastoplasticity model able to capture the influences of intermediate principal stress ratio (b  = (σ ₂ ? σ ₃)/(σ ₁ ? σ ₃)) and loading direction on stress–strain relationships and volumetric properties was proposed. The yield function was formulated to be controlled by Lode angle, loading direction, and material state; the stress–dilatancy was a material state‐dependent function. After using the existing drained hollow cylinder tests to validate the proposed model, this model was used to simulate the existing undrained hollow cylinder tests. During this simulation, the second‐order work criterion was used to determine the initiation of static liquefaction. The results showed that an increase in both the intermediate principal stress ratio and the loading angle induces a decrease in the second‐order work. Static liquefaction is initiated more easily at a stress state with a large intermediate principal stress ratio and a large loading angle, and the mobilized friction angle at the instability points decreases with the intermediate principal stress ratio and the loading angle. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

基于动态图像法的河流砂和湖滩砂粒形-粒度特征对比     

李德文  康艳蕊  李大伟 《第四纪研究》2015,35(2)

对沉积颗粒大小、形态特征的量化和解释,是沉积动力条件分析和古地理重建的重要内容之一.图像法作为粒度分析的标准,长期受制于样本量小、效率低等困难.基于动态图像法的新型粒度粒形分析系统可在几分钟内获取多达n×107个颗粒的形状和大小信息,为沉积环境重建和动力条件分析提供了新的机会.本文基于两组样品(青藏高原的湖滩砂和黄河中游的河流砂)的动态图像粒度粒形数据,定量分析和对比了湖滩与河流两种环境沉积颗粒的粒度、粒形特征及其异同.结果表明,样品组成颗粒的球度与均值粒度之间整体上存在明显的反相关,球度-粒度曲线可大致划分为斜率不等的三段:占据颗粒绝大多数的中段(C.S.)球度适中,斜率最小;细端(F.T.)球度大,斜率也大;粗端(C.T)球度小,斜率小且不稳定.结合天然沉积颗粒的形状和密度特征,本文认为这些不同斜率的段落可能源于沉积颗粒密度效应和形状效应导致的粒度分异.对比研究表明,湖滩砂与河流砂在粒形-粒度曲线形态与分段特征方面均存在明显差异,两组样品在不同粒形参数(球度—长宽比—凹凸度)三角图和不同球度分段所对应颗粒体积百分比(C.T.-C.S.-F.T.)三角图中均能完全分离.这些事实表明基于动态图像分析的粒度粒形分析可望成为一种潜在的第四纪环境重建工具,在环境研究中有助于对天然沉积物物源特征以及风化、侵蚀、搬运和堆积过程的认识和理解.  相似文献   

Orientation of a pad of SAGD well pairs in an Athabasca point bar deposit affects performance     

《Marine and Petroleum Geology》2014

It has been shown that the performance of a Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) well pair is affected by its orientation and position within a point bar deposit. In typical commercial operations, multiple horizontal wellpairs, usually arranged parallel to each other, are arranged in pads within oil sands reservoirs. Thus, the overall performance of the recovery process in a point bar is not represented by a single well pair but how the set of well pairs interact with the structure and geometry of the point bar notably including the arrangement of inclined heterolithic strata relative to the SAGD well pairs. This research describes how the point bar structure impacts the performance of a pad of SAGD wellpairs and the impact of pad orientation on performance of the pad. Also, the results show that the variability of the performance of the well pairs within the pad is large and thus, single well pair models do not provide sufficient analysis of the SAGD process performance due to the heterogeneity of the point bar. In other words, pad-scale models are required for recovery process evaluation and design. Furthermore, the variability of performance obtained from the models provides an estimate of the variability that may result for systems where seismic data is not available or is not sufficient to fully characterize the point bar.  相似文献   

Volcanic sands of Iceland ‐ Diverse origins of aeolian sand deposits revealed at Dyngjusandur and Lambahraun     

D. Baratoux  N. Mangold  O. Arnalds  J.‐M. Bardintzeff  B. Platevoët  M. Grégoire  P. Pinet 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2011,36(13):1789-1808

The origin, formation and evolution of volcanic sands are less well known than the formation of the much more common quartz‐rich sand sheets. Combining active volcanism and a cold climate, Iceland is covered for about 21% of its surface by sandy areas. The sands were analyzed in detail at two sites and results reveal their diverse origins. The first site is Dyngjusandur, located north of Vatnajökull, and the second site is the Lambahraun area, located south of Langjökull. At both sites, the sand origin is determined from field observations (wind directions from ventifacts), chemical and mineralogical analyses of rocks and sands. At Dyngjusandur, the sand is dominated by glass grains, a situation typical of sand plains in Iceland. Hyaloclastite ridges presently buried beneath Vatnajökull are the dominant source of the sand, and only large size plagioclase crystals (0.5 cm) in sands seem to be derived from the lava flows. Hyaloclastite ridges were crushed by glaciers and mechanically eroded sediments were washed out by melt‐water onto flood plains. The sand chemical composition is spatially homogeneous and similar to the average composition of neighboring sub‐aerial lava flows, reflecting efficient mixing of distinct sources below the glacier. The presence of sand north of Dyngjujökull can be taken as a way to explore the average chemical composition of non‐exposed volcanic material beneath the glacier. In the case of Lambahraun, prevailing winds indicate several potential sources of sand at the north of the sand sheet. Comparison of chemical and mineralogical analyses of sands and rock samples helped to refine the exact origin. In contrast with the first site, the sand is dominated by crystals and is chemically consistent with a mixture of material derived from the lava flows of Eldborgir and Skersli shield volcanoes. Analysis of the contact between the lava flows and the glacier reveals that basaltic sand grains formed as the result of recent advances of the glacier abrading the rocks. The direct interaction of glacial and fluvio‐glacial activity with basaltic plains appears to be necessary to produce a large amount of sands in a relatively short period of time (<4000 years). This site appears to be an excellent natural laboratory for further studies concerning the sand evolution and physical sorting processes in basaltic material, which have important implications for understanding aeolian processes on Mars. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Influential factors on the repose angle of desert sands     

JianBao Liu  NaiAng Wang  HongYi Cheng  WenTao Yang  ZhiQiang Guo 《寒旱区科学》2011,3(1):0017-0023

The repose angle is one of the most significant macroscopic parameters in describing the behavior of granular materials. Under a static condition, the repose angle is the steepest angle at which sediment particles can rest without motion. In this paper, we use existing data and aeolian physics to analyze the main factors that influence the repose angle of sand dunes, and we investigate different repose angles involving various states and types of materials. We have determined that different factors have differential influence on the magnitude of the repose angle. Our results show that for powdery (<400-μm diameter) desert sands, the main influential factor on the magnitude of repose angle is the molecular force among particles. Particle size does not influence the repose angle of desert sands directly, but has an indirect impact by affecting the grit sphericity and surface roughness, of which the grit sphericity acts as a major factor. Even at the same average particle size, the repose angle differs with different grain compositions. Furthermore, with increasing unevenness in grain composition, the repose angle increases correspondingly. Sand texture also has a direct influence on the repose angle of desert sands. In two sand samples having the same grain composition but different textures, the repose angles may be different. Water content has a stronger influence on the repose angle than any other factor. However, the relationship between the repose angle and water content is not a simple direct proportion. In fact, with increasing water content, the repose angle first increases and then decreases. These research results will be useful for understanding the mechanisms of dune transport, variations of dune morphology, and the stability and fluidity of dune sands.  相似文献   

Sedimentary processes controlling ultralong cells of littoral transport: Placer formation and termination of the Orange sand highway in southern Angola     

《Sedimentology》2018,65(2):431-460

This study focuses on the causes, modalities and obstacles of sediment transfer in the longest cell of littoral sand drift documented on Earth so far. Sand derived from the Orange River is dragged by swell waves and persistent southerly winds to accumulate in four successive dunefields in coastal Namibia to Angola. All four dunefields are terminated by river valleys, where aeolian sand is flushed back to the ocean; and yet sediment transport continues at sea, tracing an 1800 km long submarine sand highway. Sand drift would extend northward to beyond the Congo if the shelf did not become progressively narrower in southern Angola, where drifting sand is funnelled towards oceanic depths via canyon heads connected to river mouths. Garnet–magnetite placers are widespread along this coastal stretch, indicating systematic loss of the low‐density feldspatho‐quartzose fraction to the deep ocean. More than half of Moçamedes Desert sand is derived from the Orange River, and the rest in similar proportions from the Cunene River and from the Swakop and other rivers draining the Damara Orogen in Namibia. The Orange fingerprint, characterized by basaltic rock fragments, clinopyroxene grains and bimodal zircon‐age spectra with peaks at ca 0·5 Ga and ca 1·0 Ga, is lost abruptly at Namibe, and beach sands further north have abundant feldspar, amphibole‐epidote suites and unimodal zircon‐age spectra with a peak at ca 2·0 Ga, documenting local provenance from Palaeoproterozoic basement. Along with this oblique‐rifted continental margin, beach placers are dominated by Fe–Ti–Cr oxides with more monazite than garnet and thus have a geochemical signature sharply different from beach placers found all the way along the Orange littoral cell. High‐resolution mineralogical studies allow us to trace sediment dispersal over distances of thousands of kilometres, providing essential information for the correct reconstruction of ‘source to sink’ relationships in hydrocarbon exploration and to predict the long‐term impact of man‐made infrastructures on coastal sediment budgets.  相似文献   

Environmental risks associated with developing oil sands in southwestern Nigeria          下载免费PDF全文

Murtala Chindo 《Singapore journal of tropical geography》2015,36(1):3-22

Nigeria is in the advanced development stages of extracting its oil sands resources to boost national revenue and economic prosperity, like other countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa including the Republic of Congo and Madagascar. Compared to resource‐rich developed countries like Canada and America, the consequences of oil sands extraction is likely to be disastrous in countries like Nigeria that have a poor reputation for managing resources (as is the case with the petroleum sector). Using a mixed‐method approach—focus group discussions, interviews and observations—this paper addresses environmental concerns about oil sands extraction in Nigeria. Overall, the communities perceived oil sands development negatively, because of fears of loss of communal lands, biodiversity, water availability and quality, and pollution. They were angry with the previous administrations over the lack of communication, and were deprived of socio‐economic opportunities and pollution from prolonged delays in oil sands extraction. The way forward is to form sustainable partnerships between the government, communities, industry and other stakeholders to achieve responsible oil sands development—environmentally friendly development that meets climate obligations, addresses cumulative impacts, and acts in the best interest of host communities and Nigerians.  相似文献   

Physical controls on sand composition and relative durability of detrital minerals during ultra‐long distance littoral and aeolian transport (Namibia and southern Angola)          下载免费PDF全文

Eduardo Garzanti  Alberto Resentini  Sergio Andò  Giovanni Vezzoli  Alcides Pereira  Pieter Vermeesch 《Sedimentology》2015,62(4):971-996

Sediment in coastal Namibia to southern Angola is supplied dominantly from the Orange River with minor additional fluvial input and negligible modifications by chemical processes, which makes this a great test case for investigating physical controls on sand texture and composition. This study monitored textural, mineralogical and geochemical variability in beach and aeolian‐dune sands along a ca 1750 km stretch of the Atlantic coast of southern Africa by using an integrated set of techniques, including image analysis, laser granulometry, optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and bulk‐sediment geochemistry. These results contrast with previous reports that feldspars and volcanic detritus break down during transport, that sand grains are rounded rapidly in shallow‐marine environments, and that quartzose sands may be produced by physical processes. Mechanical wear is unable to modify the relative abundance of detrital components, including pyroxene and mafic volcanic rock fragments traditionally believed to be destroyed rapidly. The sole exceptions are poorly lithified or cleaved sedimentary/metasedimentary rock fragments, readily lost at the transition to the marine environment, and slow‐settling flaky micas, winnowed and deposited offshore. Coastal sediments tend to be depleted in relatively mobile amphibole, preferentially entrained offshore or re‐deposited in sheltered beaches, while less mobile garnet is retained onshore. No detrital mineral displays a significant increase in grain roundness after 300 to 350 km of longshore transport in high‐energy littoral environments from the Orange mouth to south of the Namib Erg, but all minerals get rapidly rounded after passing into the dunefield. Pyroxene and opaques get rounded faster than harder quartz and garnet, but sand mineralogy remains unchanged. Excepting strong transient selective‐entrainment effects, physical processes are unable to modify sand composition significantly. Selective mechanical breakdown can be largely neglected in quantitative provenance analysis of sand and sandstone even in the case of ultra‐long‐distance transport in high‐energy environments dominated by strong persistent winds and waves.  相似文献   

基于热力学基础上的非饱和砂土本构模型-理论研究     

张卫华  赵成刚  郜新军  董晓丽 《工程地质学报》2014,22(6):1094-1101

热力学是一种普适理论,因此非饱和砂土的变化过程必然也遵循热力学原理。利用热力学原理可以从更普遍的情况(条件)和更一般的视角审视非饱和土的水力-力学性质。本文基于热力学理论并考虑砂土的剪胀-各向异性以及塑性耗散之间的关系,建立固-液两相耦合的非饱和砂土本构模型的理论框架,更深入地揭示非饱和砂土复杂的行为和性质。  相似文献