Metallogeny and Emplacement Conditions of Continental Terminal 3 (Ct3) Iron Formations of the Niamey Region (Western Niger)

This study aims to characterize the different lithofacies of the Ct3 formation in the Niamey region, and to determine the distribution of major and trace elements, in order to highlight the conditions for the establishment of iron mineralization. A lithological column, synthesizing sections of selected outcrops in the vicinity of Niamey, was produced. The chemical compositions of the selected samples were determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. Microscopic analysis of the thin sections determined the gœthitic nature of the oolitic iron ore. The oolites show a quartz, limonitic or gœthitic nucleus. Sometimes the nucleus is absent. From a morphoscopic point of view, two types of oolites have been distinguished: spherical-shaped and ellipsoidal-shaped oolites. The oolites are either contiguous or disseminated, as the case may be, in a limonitic to goethitic cement or in a fine sandstone matrix. The larger oolites (pisolites) are relatively friable. They reflect the influence of a relatively turbulent to submerged environment. The hardground of the iron mineralized horizons are covered by quartz grains. They are indicative of a submerged or emergent environment. X-ray fluorescence analysis shows high Fe2O3 contents (50% to 80%) and variable contents of major elements SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, MnO, MgO, CaO, K2O and P2O5 associated with certain trace elements such as Th, U, V, Y, Zn, Zr and As. The results of the study are an important tool for decision-makers to adopt effective prevention/remediation measures for groundwater contamination in the Continental terminal aquifer systems.

Red soil for sediment capping to control the internal nutrient release under flow conditions

Nitrogen （N） and phosphorus （P） released from the sediment to the surface water is a major source of water quality impairment. Therefore, inhibiting sediment nutrient release seems necessary. In this study, red soil （RS） was employed to control the nutrients released from a black-odorous river sediment under flow conditions. The N and P that were released were effectively controlled by RS capping. Continuous-flow incubations showed that the reduction efficiencies of total N （TN）, ammonium （NH4＋-N）, total P （TP） and soluble reactive P （SRP） of the overlying water by RS capping were 77%, 63%, 77% and 92%, respectively, and nitrification and denitrification occurred concurrently in the RS system. An increase in the water velocity coincided with a decrease in the nutrient release rate as a result of intensive water aeration.

Sulfide elimination by intermittent nitrate dosing in sewer sediments

The formation of hydrogen sulfide in biofilms and sediments in sewer systems can cause severe pipe corrosions and health hazards, and requires expensive programs for its prevention. The aim of this study is to propose a new control strategy and the optimal condition for sulfide elimination by intermittent nitrate dosing in sewer sediments. The study was carried out based on lab-scale experiments and batch tests using real sewer sediments. The intermittent nitrate dosing mode and the optimal control condition were investigated. The results indicated that the sulfide-intermittent-elimination strategy by nitrate dosing is advantageous for controlling sulfide accumulation in sewer sediment. The oxidation–reduction potential is a sensitive indicator parameter that can reflect the control effect and the minimum N/S（nitrate/sulfide）ratio with slight excess nitrate is necessary for optimal conditions of efficient sulfide control with lower carbon source loss. The optimal control condition is feasible for the sulfide elimination in sewer systems.

Effects of sulfate-reducing bacteria on methylmercury at the sediment–water interface

Sediment cores（containing sediment and overlying water） from Baihua Reservoir（SW China）were cultured under different redox conditions with different microbial activities, to understand the effects of sulfate-reducing bacteria（SRB） on mercury（Hg） methylation at sediment–water interfaces. Concentrations of dissolved methyl mercury（DMe Hg） in the overlying water of the control cores with bioactivity maintained（BAC） and cores with only sulfate-reducing bacteria inhibited（SRBI） and bacteria fully inhibited（BACI） were measured at the anaerobic stage followed by the aerobic stage. For the BAC and SRBI cores, DMe Hg concentrations in waters were much higher at the anaerobic stage than those at the aerobic stage, and they were negatively correlated to the dissolved oxygen concentrations（r =- 0.5311 and r =- 0.4977 for BAC and SRBI, respectively）. The water DMe Hg concentrations of the SRBI cores were 50% lower than those of the BAC cores, indicating that the SRB is of great importance in Hg methylation in sediment–water systems, but there should be other microbes such as iron-reducing bacteria and those containing specific gene cluster（hgc AB）, besides SRB,causing Hg methylation in the sediment–water system.

Adjustment in the main-channel geometry of the lower Yellow River before and after the operation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir from 1986 to 2015

Based on the measured discharge,sediment load,and cross-sectional data from 1986 to 2015 for the lower Yellow River,changes in the morphological parameters(width,depth,and cross-sectional geomorphic coefficient)of the main channel are analyzed in this paper.The results show that before the operation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir(XLDR)from 1986 to 1999,the main channel shrunk continually,with decreasing width and depth.The rate of reduction in its width decreased along the river whereas that of depth increased in the downstream direction.Because the rate of decrease in the width of the main channel was greater than that in channel depth,the cross-sectional geomorphic coefficient decreased in the sub-reach above Gaocun.By contrast,for the sub-reach below Gaocun,the rate of decrease in channel width was smaller than that in channel depth,and the cross-sectional geomorphic coefficient increased.Once the XLDR had begun operation,the main channel eroded continually,and both its width and depth increased from 2000 to 2015.The rate of increase in channel width decreased in the longitudinal direction,and the depth of the main channel in all sub-reaches increased by more than 2 m.Because the rate of increase in the depth of the main channel was clearly larger than that of its width,the cross-sectional geomorphic coefficient decreased in all sub-reaches.The cross-sectional geometry of the main-channel of the lower Yellow River exhibited different adjustment patterns before and after the XLDR began operation.Before its operation,the main channel mainly narrowed in the transverse direction and silted in the vertical direction in the sub-reach above Aishan;in the sub-reach below Aishan,it primarily silted in the vertical direction.After the XLDR began operation,the main channel adjusted by widening in the transverse direction and deepening in the vertical direction in the sub-reach above Aishan;in the sub-reach below it,the main channel adjusted mainly by deepening in the vertical direction.Compared with the rates of decrease in the width and depth of the main channel during the siltation period,the rate of increase in channel width during the scouring period was clearly smaller while the rate of increase in channel depth was larger.After continual siltation and scouring from 1986 to 2015,the cross-sectional geometry of the main-channel changed from wide and shallow to relatively narrow and deep.The pattern of adjustment in the main channel was closely related to the water and sediment conditions.For the braided reach,the cross-sectional geomorphic coefficient was negatively correlated with discharge and positively correlated with suspended sediment concentration(SSC)during the siltation period.By contrast,the cross-sectional geomorphic coefficient was positively correlated with discharge and negatively correlated with SSC during the scouring period.For the transitional and meandering reaches,the cross-sectional geomorphic coefficient was negatively correlated with discharge and positively correlated with SSC.

Fluvial processes of the downstream reaches of the reservoirs in the Lower Yellow River

Evolution of the river channel downstream of reservoirs is a complex process that is closely related to the operational mode of the reservoirs and the channel boundary conditions Numerous studies have been carried out on the fluvial processes of downstream reservoirs. However, only a few of them have focused on the relationship between runoff-sediment con- ditions and channel pattern indicators. Also, the impacts of river training works on fluvial processes are seldom dealt with. In this paper, the evolutionary processes of three sections in the Lower Yellow River, including Tiexie-Yiluo River mouth reach, Huayuankou-Heigangkou reach and Jiahetan-Gaocun reach, were analyzed for variations in the channel boundary line and the mainstream between 1960 and 2015. Channel pattern indicators such as sinuosity, mainstream wandering range and width/depth ratio were analyzed based on field measure- ments obtained by the Hydrological Department of the Yellow River Conservancy Commis- sion. The effects of river training works on the channel evolution are then described. Since 1960, numerous medium- and large-sized reservoirs have been built on the Yellow River, including Longyangxia Reservoir, Liujiaxia Reservoir and Xiaolangdi Reservoir. These res- ervoirs impound the runoff from upstream and retain the sediment, which changes the runoff and sediment conditions in the downstream reach. As a consequence, annual runoff and the frequency and peak of flooding have all decreased. As a result, the flow dynamics and their action on the river channel are also reduced, which changes the dynamic state of the river course. The discrimination results obtained using the single parameter discrimination rule and the discrimination equation show that the degree of wandering is weakened in the reaches studied. The variations in the channel pattern indicators show that the sinuosity in- creases and the wandering range decreases with a reduction in the total annual volume of water. However, the degree of wandering has little relationship to the sediment concentration. In addition, river training works play an important role in controlling the river course. Due to improvements in the river training works, the river course has become more stable under the same runoff and sediment conditions. A new discrimination rule that takes into account the impacts of the river training works is proposed. The discrimination results were found to fit well with the actual river pattern, which shows that the discrimination rule is applicable to the Lower Yellow River. The results show that the runoff and sediment conditions are the most important factors in the evolution of the river course. The river training works have at the same time limited the wandering range of the mainstream and played an important role in the fluvial processes. Both factors combined lead to the stabilization of the river.