Rock-magnetic properties of topsoils and urban dust from Morelia (>800,000 inhabitants), Mexico: Implications for anthropogenic pollution monitoring in Mexico’s medium size cities     

Bertha Aguilar Reyes  Francisco Bautista  Avto Goguitchaichvili  Juan Julio Morales Contreras  Julie Battu  Patricia Quintana Owen  Claire Carvallo 《Geofísica Internacional》2013,52(2):121-133

In this work, we investigate the correlation between some magnetic parameters and the level of contamination by heavy metals in urban soils from Morelia city, western Mexico. The magnetic study was carried out on 98 urban soils samples belonging to distinct land uses. Most of analyzed samples contain ferrimagnetic minerals as the responsible for magnetization, most probably corresponding to the titanomagnetites/ titanomaghemites solid solutions. This is inferred from the susceptibility vs. temperature measurements and the isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) experiments. These measurements also indicate that most of samples are almost completely saturated before 300 mT. Additionally, the S_-200 values (S_-200 = IRM_-200/ SIRM, where IRM_-200= Back-field of 200 mT after magnetic saturation) are between 0.7 and 1.0, characteristic of low coercivity magnetic minerals. The averaged saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) curves can be used as an indicator of pollution level, as these curves show different saturation values according to the level of contamination by heavy metals: Cu, Ni, Cr and Sr. These associations of (titano)magnetite with heavy metals were observed by Scanning Electron Microscope revealing some complex aggregates rather than commonly detected spherules.  相似文献   

Construction,management and maintenance of embankments used for road and rail infrastructure: implications of weather induced pore water pressures     

Stephanie Glendinning  Paul Hughes  Peter Helm  Jonathan Chambers  Joao Mendes  David Gunn  Paul Wilkinson  Sebastien Uhlemann 《Acta Geotechnica》2014,9(5):799-816

Understanding the age and construction quality of embankments used for road and rail infrastructure is critical in the effective management and maintenance of our transport networks, worth £billions to the UK economy. This paper presents for the first time results from full-scale, carefully controlled experiments on a unique model embankment conducted over the 4-year period between 2008 and 2011. It combines point location and spatially distributed measurements of pore water pressures and water content with outputs from hydrological modelling to draw conclusions of significance to both ongoing research in this field and to the asset management practices of infrastructure owners. For researchers, the paper highlights the crucial importance of transient permeability and soil water retention behaviour of fill materials in controlling the magnitude and distribution of pore water pressure in response to climate and weather events. For practitioners, the work demonstrates that there are significant differences in pore water pressure behaviour across the embankment, which is influenced by construction-related issues such as compaction level, aspect and presence of a granular capping material. Permeability was also observed to vary across the embankment both spatially and with depth, being dependent on degree of saturation and macroscale effects, particularly within a ‘near surface zone’. It is proposed that this ‘near surface zone’ has a critical effect on embankment stability and should be the focus of both ongoing scientific research and inspection and monitoring as encompassed by asset management regimes.  相似文献   

Implications of pore space characteristics on diffusive transport in basalts and granites     

Stefan Dultz  Anna V. Simonyan  Julio Pastrana  Harald Behrens  Michael Plötze  Thomas Rath 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2013,69(3):969-985

A detailed characterization of the pore space is crucial for understanding of transport and element transfer in rocks. Here, the effect of differences in texture and content of secondary minerals on transport in pore systems was determined for two rocks of widespread occurrence, mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and granites. Pore space characteristics were analyzed by Hg-porosimetry, intrusion of a molten alloy, and synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic microscopy. For evaluating the role of pore space characteristics for the prediction of diffusive transport, data on porosity, and the effective diffusion coefficient (D _eff) were compared. Extended connective pore systems due to cracks and mineral dissolution are present in samples of both rocks, indicating high internal specific surface area. Uneven pore size distributions in altered MORB samples can be assigned to secondary minerals. Pore spaces determined by X-ray tomography, used to determine main direction of pores in the 3-D orthogonal system, suggest a slight anisotropy. In log–log plots, both rocks show roughly a linear dependence of D _eff for H₂O and compounds with comparable diffusivities (D₂O, monovalent cations, and anions) on porosity, but at same porosity D _eff is clearly higher in granitic than in basaltic samples. This difference is increasing with decreasing porosity, indicating that at low porosities the efficiency of element transport in basaltic samples is diminished, mainly inherited by the presence of small pores slowing down diffusion. The fact that diffusive transport in basaltic rocks is stronger dependent on porosity than in granitic rocks shows that also other rock characteristics such as pore size distribution and tortuosity of the pore network, highly affected by the alteration degree, can markedly affect transport and reactivity of pore solution.  相似文献   

Airports and Environment: Proposal of Wastewater Reclamation at São Paulo International Airport     

Elaine Nolasco Ribeiro  Wilson Cabral de Sousa Jr  Marcelo de Julio  Wilfredo Urruchi Irrazabal  Marcelo Antunes Nolasco 《洁净——土壤、空气、水》2013,41(7):627-634

One way to reduce water consumption in urban areas is by using alternative sources of supply that can be provided by collecting rainwater and reusing wastewater for less restricted purposes. Thus, this study evaluated the characteristics of effluents produced by the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of São Paulo International Airport (SPIA), Brazil, in order to reuse it in non‐potable situations. The results achieved, indicated high efficiency in the biological system utilized by SPIA. The removal rates is equal to or >90% for most of the parameters analyzed, among them, fluoride, salinity, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen, phosphorus, sedimentable solids, turbidity, conductivity, apparent color, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, fecal coliforms, and oils and greases. Despite the final effluents were good enough to be launched in the local streams, they shall be submitted to a complementary treatment in order to fit some quality parameters to be reused for specific demands (landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, vehicle washing, fire fighting, and dust control).  相似文献   

Organic matter fractionation in aggregates typical Argiudolls southeastern Buenos Aires and its relation to different soil uses: a preliminary study     

Maria Fernanda Alvarez  Margarita Luisa Osterrieth  Julio Luis del Río 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2012,65(2):505-515

Organic matter is a fundamental factor in the biogeochemical cycle of carbon; it influences the chemical, physical, and biological properties of the soil. The aim of this paper is to determine the organic fractions in the three predominant morphologies of aggregates found in Typical Argiudolls of the Buenos Aires southeastern area and to link them to different soil uses, as possible indicators of soil quality. The study was carried out in the basin de Los Padres Pound (General Pueyrredón, Buenos Aires). We analyzed the first 5 cm of mollic epipedons of plots with different soil uses: (a) cultivated plots, (b) pine and eucalyptus forests, (c) pastures, and (d) a natural plot in the de Los Padres Pound Reserve as a reference. The percentage of soil organic carbon (SOC), light organic carbon (LOC), fulvic acids (FA), humic acids (HA), and humins (H) in elongated, quadrangular and spherical aggregates were determined. The results show slight variations in SOC (7.2–8.6%) in the spherical aggregates of all the plots and a greater variability in elongated and quadrangular aggregates (5.6–10% and 6.9–13.6%, respectively). HA are minimal in the agroecosystems with extreme values of 0.02% in the spherical aggregates of cultivated plots, and maximal in the elongated and quadrangular aggregates of natural plots (0.3–0.5%). Fulvic acids display a similar behavior, while H decrease slightly with the morphologies and the different practices. The substantial decrease of humic substances in cultivated plots translates into a lower biologic activity; this, in turn, influences the aggregation, thus lowering the structural stability of these plots, which have been under agro-horticultural management for more than 50 years.  相似文献   

Empirical seismic vulnerability analysis for masonry buildings based on school buildings survey in Iran     

Hamed Azizi-Bondarabadi  Nuno Mendes  Paulo B. Lourenço  Neda H. Sadeghi 《Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering》2016,14(11):3195-3229

School facilities in Iran, in particular masonry schools, have shown poor performance during past earthquakes and can be identified as one of the parts of the country’s infrastructure that is most vulnerable to earthquakes. Hence, in this paper a method to perform index-based damage assessment for brick masonry schools located in the province of Yazd, the central region of Iran, using a comprehensive database of school buildings, is proposed. The database was obtained from the field survey forms applied for each observed school to collect the features of and damage to the structure. The results of a vulnerability index method developed in Iran are employed as input data to obtain empirical fragility curves for the school inventory. The Macroseismic model and GNDT II level method are two empirical methods combined in this procedure. Finally, the procedure is verified using damage survey data obtained after recent earthquakes (1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake and 2003 Bam earthquake) that occurred in Iran.  相似文献   

Operational and Environmental Conditions for Efficient Biological Nutrient Removal in an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant          下载免费PDF全文

Javier Bayo  Joaquín López‐Castellanos  Julio Puerta 《洁净——土壤、空气、水》2016,44(9):1123-1130

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Earth Rotation Observed by Very Long Baseline Interferometry and Ring Laser     

P. J. Mendes Cerveira  J. Boehm  H. Schuh  T. Kluegel  A. Velikoseltsev  K. U. Schreiber  A. Brzezinski 《Pure and Applied Geophysics》2009,166(8-9):1499-1517

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On Frontal Zone Analysis in the Tropical Region of the Northeast Brazil     

Natalia Fedorova  Vladimir Levit  Cezar Duarte da Cruz 《Pure and Applied Geophysics》2016,173(4):1403-1421

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A comparative analysis of two methodologies to estimate well protection zones for transport of viruses from septic tanks in volcanic aquifers in Costa Rica     

Julio A. Macías  Euripedes A. VargasJr.  Ondra Sracek 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2017,76(6):244

High groundwater demand in the Great Metropolitan Area (GMA) of Costa Rica, combined with the presence of many septic systems, imposes the necessity to define adequate dimensions for setback distances or protection zones around wellheads to prevent contamination of aquifers by pathogenic organisms. Numerical 3-D simulations of transport of viruses under natural hydrogeological conditions of the northwest section of GMA were performed, considering both porous and fractured porous media with variable saturation. Based on the sensitivity analysis, principal transport parameters for the conditions in the study area are injection concentration, hydraulic conductivity, inactivation rate and attachment rate. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the arrival of viruses to the water table and the modeling domain’s boundary was carried out using two approaches: maximum permissible concentration criteria and travel time criteria (TT) of 100 days frequently applied in Costa Rica for fractured rocks aquifers. The analysis indicates that under conditions of low mobility and high removal rates (typical for soils of volcanic origin), the TT approach overestimates the dimension of the protection zone. On the other hand, when conditions of high mobility and low removal rate are considered, the TT approach usually underestimates that dimension. It is recommended to perform more field and laboratory studies to obtain better representative parameters for soils of volcanic origin.  相似文献