Recommending the IHACRES model for water resources assessment and resolving water conflicts in Africa

The International Association of Hydrological Sciences （IAHS） recognized the lack of hydro- logical data as a world-wide problem in 2002 and adopted the Prediction of Ungauged Basins （PUB） as a decadal research agenda during the period of 2003 to 2012. One of the objectives is to further develop methodologies for prediction in ungauged basins and to reduce uncertainties in model prediction. Estimation of stream flows is required for flood control, water quality control, valley habitat assessment and water budget of a country. However, the majority of water catchments, streams and valleys are ungauged in most developing countries. The main objective of this paper is to introduce the IHACRES （Identification of Hy- drographs and Components from Rainfall, Evaporation and Stream） model into African hydrological plan- ning as a methodology for water resources assessment, which in turn can be used to resolve water conflicts between communities and countries and to study the climate change issues. This is because the IHACRES model is applied for the estimation of flows in ungauged catchments whose physical catchments descriptors （PCDs） can be determined by driving variables （i.e. rainfall and temperature）; and also in gauged streams but whose gauging stations are no longer operational but historical data are available for model calibration. The model provides a valuable insight into the hydrologic behaviour of the upper water sources for valleys as well as provides a useful methodology for water resources assessment in situations of scarce financial resources in developing countries. In addition, it requires relatively few parameters in its calibration and has been successful applied in previous regionalization studies. It will also make possible the equitable distri- bution of water resources in international basins and rivers＇ catchments. This paper does not apply the model anywhere, but recommends it as a methodology for water resources assessment in order to cure water conflicts on the African continent.

Metallic Mineral Resources Assessment and Analysis System Design

This paper presents the aim and the design structure of the metallic mineral resources assessment and analysis system. This system adopts an integrated technique of data warehouse composed of affairs processing layer and analysis application layer. The affairs processing layer includes multiform databases (such as geological database, geophysical database, geochemical database), while the analysis application layer includes data warehouse, online analysis processing and data mining. This paper also presents in detail the data warehouse of the present system and the appropriate spatial analysis methods and models. Finally, this paper presents the prospect of the system.

Research and application of mineral resources assessment by weights of evidence model based on SIG

Geological data are usually of the characteristics of multi-source, large amount and multi-scale. The construction of Spatial Information Grid overcomes the shortages of personal computers when dealing with geological data. The authors introduce the definition, architecture and flow of mineral resources assessment by weights of evidence model based on Spatial Information Grid (SIG). Meanwhile, a case study on the prediction of copper mineral occurrence in the Middle-Lower Yangtze metallogenic belt is given. The results show that mineral resources assessement based on SIG is an effective new method which provides a way of sharing and integrating distributed geospatial information and improves the efficiency greatly.

GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION IN TUANBO REGION

This paper mainly deals with the reservoir on the heat and mass transfer and mass and energy balance in a geothermal field.On the basis of briefing the general characteristics of the reservoir and the supposition of the reservoir modeling,the paper emphasizes the mathematical descriptions of hydra thermal transportation and convection by two methods according to the different models,such as lumped parameter model and distributed parameter model.It is effective to use these models in simulating the heterogeneous,and anisotropical fracture reservoir for the designed lifetime of 15 years.

Assessment of the Tidal Current Energy Resources and the Hydrodynamic Impacts of Energy Extraction at the PuHu Channel in Zhoushan Archipelago,China

An unstructured model FVCOM(The Unstructured Grid Finite Volume Community Ocean Model)with sink momentum term was applied to simulate the tidal current field in Zhoushan Archipelago,China,with focus on the region named PuHu Channel between Putuo Island and Hulu Island.The model was calibrated with several measurements in the channel,and the model perform-ance was validated.An examination of the spatial and temporal distributions of tidal energy resources based on the numerical simula-tion revealed that the greatest power density of tidal energy during spring tide is 3.6kWm^(−2)at the northern area of the channel.Two parameters were introduced to characterize the generation duration of the tidal array that causes the temporal variation of tidal current energy.The annual average available energy in the channel was found to be approximately 2.6MW.The annual generating hours at rated power was found to be 1800 h when the installed capacity of tidal array is approximately 12MW.A site for the tidal array with 25 turbines was selected,and the layout of the array was configured based on the EMEC specifications.Hydrodynamic influence due to the deployment of the tidal array was simulated by the modified FVCOM model.The simulation showed that the tidal level did not significantly change because of the operation of the tidal array.The velocity reduction covered a 2km^(2)area of the downstream the tidal array,with a maximum velocity reduction of 8cms−1 at mid-flood tide,whereas the streamwise velocity on both sides of the farm increased slightly.

Assessment and exploitation of the waterfront resources in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

Waterfront resources are important and special kind of natural resources in the marginal area between land and wat er. The Yangtze River, the longest river in China, is not only rich in waterfront resources, but also has favorable development conditions with gr eat potentiality. Aided by large-scale underwater topographic map, the maj or factors of the waterfront resources in the middle and lower reache s of the Yangtze River, such as the stability, the water depth and the natural conditions for port construction, are assessed in this pap er respectively on the basis of the overall investigations. The result s show that: (1) the waterfront resources are abundant in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, but lack of perfectly combined high grade waterfront; (2) there exists an obvious regional difference in the natural quality of the waterfront along the Yangtze; (3) the fore-bank water depth and waterfront stability are the main natural fa ctors related to the waterfront quality in the middle and lower reach es of the Yangtze River; (4) the waterfronts along the Yangtze are mainl y used for port, warehouse and industrial purposes; and (5) the waterfronts near important cities are highly used, especially the high-quality waterfronts. In addition, some suggestions for the development and utilization of the waterfron t resources are presented in this paper.

Gold Resources Potential Assessment in Eastern Kunlun Mountains of China Combining Weights-of-evidence Model with GIS Spatial Analysis Technique

Resources potential assessment is one of the fields in geosciences,which is able to take great advantage of GIS technology as a substitution of traditional working methods.The gold resources potential in the eastern Kunlun Mountains,Qinghai Province,China was assessed by combining weights-of-evidence model with GIS spatial analysis technique.All the data sets used in this paper were derived from an established multi-source geological spatial database,which contains geological,geophysical,geochemical and remote sensing data.Three multi-class variables,i.e.,structural intersection,Indosinian k-feldspar granite and regional fault,were used in proximity analysis to examine their spatial association with known gold deposits.A prospectivity map was produced by weights-of-evidence model based on seven binary evidential maps,all of which had passed a conditional independence test.The study area was divided into three target zones of high potential,moderate potential and low potential areas,among which high potential areas and moderate potential areas accounted for 20% of the total area and contained 32 of the 43 gold deposits.The results show that the gold resources potential assessment in the eastern Kunlun Mountains has a higher precision.

Integrated Assessment of Mineral Resources and Environmentin Mid-South of Shandong Province

On the bases of the field survey and a large number of testing data, we process the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the mine environment in the mid south of Shandong Province using the following grade Ⅰ factors:the surface subsidence in mining area, the three wastes of mine industries, the pollution sources, the surface water pollution, the underground water pollution and the air pollution. By means of emitting factor judgment and water quality indexes, we locate pollution sources, main pollutants, pollution type and pollution grade in the study area. Using the MAPGIS, we draw a zonality map of the mine environment. This paper attempts to offer a concrete example, including valuable assessment method, data and conclusion, for the assessment of mine environment from the integrated assessment of mineral resources and mine environment. This research is oriented towards the sustainable development and the ecological environment optimization.

Mapping and resource evaluation of deep high-temperature geothermal resources in the Jiyang Depression,China

In China,geothermal resource utilization has mainly focused on resources at shallow and medium depths.Yet,the exploration of deep,high-temperature geothermal resources holds significant importance for achieving the“dual carbon”goals and the transition of energy structure.The Jiyang Depression in the Bohai Bay Basin has vast potential for deep,high-temperature geothermal resources.By analyzing data from 2187 wells with temperature logs and 270 locations for temperature measurement in deep strata,we mapped the geothermal field of shallow to medium-deep layers in the Jiyang Depression using ArcGIS and predicted the temperatures of deep layers with a burial depth of 4000 m.Through stochastic modeling and numerical simulation,a reservoir attribute parameter database for favorable deep,high-temperature geothermal areas was developed,systematically characterizing the spatial distribution of geothermal resources within a play fairway of 139.5 km2 and estimating the exploitable deep geothermal resource potential by using the heat storage method and Monte Carlo data analysis.The study reveals that the Fan 54 well block in the Boxing-Jijia region is of prime significance to develop deep,high-temperature geothermal resources in the Jiyang Depression.Strata from the Cenozoic to the Upper Paleozoic are identified as effective cap layers for these deep geothermal resources.The Lower Paleozoic capable of effectively storing thermal energy and possessing an exploitable resource volume up to 127 million tons of standard coal,is identified as a target system for the development of deep high-temperature geothermal resources,providing significant insights for the efficient development of geothermal resources in the Jiyang Depression.

Deep-Ensemble Learning Method for Solar Resource Assessment of Complex Terrain Landscapes

As the global demand for renewable energy grows,solar energy is gaining attention as a clean,sustainable energy source.Accurate assessment of solar energy resources is crucial for the siting and design of photovoltaic power plants.This study proposes an integrated deep learning-based photovoltaic resource assessment method.Ensemble learning and deep learning methods are fused for photovoltaic resource assessment for the first time.The proposed method combines the random forest,gated recurrent unit,and long short-term memory to effectively improve the accuracy and reliability of photovoltaic resource assessment.The proposed method has strong adaptability and high accuracy even in the photovoltaic resource assessment of complex terrain and landscape.The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the comparison algorithm in all evaluation indexes,indicating that the proposed method has higher accuracy and reliability in photovoltaic resource assessment with improved generalization performance traditional single algorithm.

Resources Conditions of Coalbed Methane Districts in China

The China National Administration of Coal Geology accomplished an assessment of coalbed methane resources of China in 1988. The total amount of coalbed methane resources in China is 14336.944 billion m3, occurring in recoverable coal seams and beneath weathering zones, with coalbed methane content equal to or higher than 4 m3 per ton and buried depths smaller than 2000 m, among which there are 967.51 billion m3 of predicted reserves and 13369.434 billion m3 of future reserves. The resources in coal reservoirs with methane content of more than 8 m3 per ton are 12444.087 billion m3, and those with methane content between 4 to 8 m3 per ton are 1892.856 billion m3. There are 35 districts in which the resources abundance is higher than 150 million m3/km2, 49 districts with the abundance between 50 million and 150 million m3/km2, and 31 districts with the abundance less than 50 million m3/km2. There is 9256.078 billion m3 of methane occurring in coal seams with buried depths less than 1500 m, and 5080.866 billion m3 in coal seams with buried depths between 1500 and 2000 m. There are 28 large-scale districts in which coalbed methane resources are more than 100 billions m3, 28 medium-scale districts with coalbed methane resources between 20 billion and 100 billion m3 and 59 small-scale districts with resources amount less than 20 billion m3. The Jincheng area is one of the most favourable districts for coalbed methane resources in China.

Coal geological factors for the storage of gas and coalbed methane resources evaluation research in Liupanshui

The geological characteristics of coalbed methane from the research carried out in Liupanshui is based on analysis of faults, folds, roof and floor lithology, and depth of coal seam gas content, combined with the assessment of CBM resources calculated through buried depth scope, average coal seam thickness, and gas content, organized by the Ministry of Land and Resources in 2006, which launched the ＂national new round of coalbed methane re-sources evaluation＂ project to evaluate the coalbcd methane resources in the standard category and divided coal-bed methane resources into Ⅰ, Ⅱand Ⅲ Category of three resources categories. With this method on the other syncline to resources assessment, the area below 1 000 m is named as ] Category resources. And with the depth increasing, resources level decreases.

Diamond Modeling in World Lithium Brine Utilization Assessment

The global transition away from hydrocarbons toward energy alternatives increases demand for many scarce metals.Among these is lithium,a key component of lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Heavy Oil and Oil Sands:Global Distribution and Resource Assessment

Global recoverable resources of heavy oil and oil sands have been assessed by CNPC using a geology-based assessment method combined with the traditional volumetric method, spatial interpolation method, parametric-probability method etc. The most favourable areas for exploration have been selected in accordance with a comprehensive scoring system. The results show:(1) For geological resources, CNPC estimate 991.18 billion tonnes of heavy oil and 501.26 billion tonnes of oil sands globally, of which technically recoverable resources of heavy oil and oil sands comprise 126.74 billion tonnes and 64.13 billion tonnes respectively. More than 80% of the resources occur within Tertiary and Cretaceous reservoirs distributed across 69 heavy oil basins and 32 oil sands basins. 99% of recoverable resources of heavy oil and oil sands occur within foreland basins, passive continental-margin basins and cratonic basins.(2) Since residual hydrocarbon resources remain following large-scale hydrocarbon migration and destruction, heavy oil and oil sands are characterized most commonly by late hydrocarbon accumulation, the same basin types and source-reservoir conditions as for conventional hydrocarbon resources, shallow burial depth and stratabound reservoirs.(3) Three accumulation models are recognised, depending on basin type: degradation along slope; destruction by uplift; and migration along faults.(4) In addition to mature exploration regions such as Canada and Venezuela, the Volga-Ural Basin and the Pre-Caspian Basin are less well-explored and have good potential for oil-sand discoveries, and it is predicted that the Middle East will be an important region for heavy oil development.

Tourism resource assessment and spatial analysis of wine tourism development： a case study of the eastern foothills of China＇s Helan Mountains

The reasonable development and utilization of mountainous regions closely relates to local economic development and ecological security. The wine production region in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, with its excellent terroir, is emerging as one of China's three major geographical attractions. Based on surveys of tourism resources and spatial analysis for this wine producing region, we propose a highly representative and practicable path for wine tourism development. Based on China's national standard in Classification, Investigation and Evaluation of Tourism Resources(GB/T 18972-2003), which recommended the types and grades of tourism resources in one area, we conduct an analysis of resource characteristics and the current state of development. Using Arc GIS software, spatialautocorrelation analysis, average nearest neighbor analysis, as well as clustering and outlier analysis, we are able to derive the spatial distribution characteristics of tourism resources. Our survey showed that tourism resources in this area are relatively abundant and have good quality and clear combination advantages. Nonetheless, there are resources shortage for wine tourism and poor integration of wine production with the tourism industry. Regarding the spatial distribution of resources, we revealed the current states of and issues surrounding regions with concentrated resources, as well as characteristics of this clustering. Finally, we proposed a development path for wine tourism in this region based on the five dimensions of management mode, industrial path, product development, spatial optimization, and market development.

Vulnerability of Water Resources and Its Spatial Heterogeneity in Haihe River Basin, China

To manage water resources effectively, a multiscale assessment of the vulnerability of water resources on the basis of political boundaries and watersheds is necessary. This study addressed issues on the vulnerability of water resources and provided a multiscale comparison of spatial heterogeneity under a climate change background. Using improved quantitative evaluation methods of vulnerabil- ity, the Theil index and the Shannon-Weaver index, we evaluated the vulnerability of water resources and its spatial heterogeneity in the Haihe River Basin in four scales, namely, second-class water resource regions （Class II WRRs）, third-class water resource regions （Class III WRRs）, Province-Class II WRRs, and Province-Class III WRRs. Results show that vulnerability enhances from the north to south in the different scales, and shows obvious spatial heterogeneity instead of moving toward convergence in multiscale assessment results. Among the Class II WRRs, the Tuhai-Majia River is the most vulnerable area, and the vulnerability of the Luanhe River is lower than that of the north of the Haihe River Basin, which in turn is lower than that of the south of the Haihe River Basin. In the scales of Class III WRRs and Province-Class III WRRs, the vulnerability shows obvious spatial heterogeneity and diversity measured by the Theil index and the Shannon-Weaver index. Multiscale vulnerability assessment results based on political boundaries and the watersheds of the Haihe River Basin innovatively provided in this paper are important and useful to characterize the real spatial pattern of the vulnerability of water resources and improve water resource management.

Hydrocarbon Generation and Expulsion of the Upper Triassic T3x5Source Rocks in the Western Sichuan Depression: Assessment for Unconventional Natural Gas

Tight-sand gas in the Jurassic and shale gas within the fifth member of Xujiahe Formation （T3xs） in the Western Sichuan Basin （WSD） are currently regarded as the most prolific emerging unconventional gas plays in China. This study conducted a conventional evaluation of T3x5 source rocks in the WSD, and investigated their hydrocarbon generation and expulsion characteristics, including intensity, efficiency and amount. The results show that, the T3x5 source rocks are thick （generally 〉200 m）, and have a high total organic content （TOC）, ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 wt%. It is thus indivative of a great hydrocarbon generation potential when they underwent high thermal evolution （Ro〉1.2%） in the area. In addition, an improved method of hydrocarbon generation potential is applied, indicating that the source rocks reached a hydrocarbon expulsion threshold with vitrinite reflectance （Ro） reaching 1.06%. and that the comprehensive hydrocarbon expulsion efficiency is about 60%. The amount of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion from Tax5 source rocks is 3.14x10^10 t and 1.86x10^10 t, respectively, with a residual amount of 1.28x10^10t within them. Continuous-type tight-sand gas is predicted to have developed in the Jurassic in the Chengdu Sag of the WSD because of the good source-reservoir configuration; the Jurassic sandstone reservoirs are tight, and the gas expelled from the T3xs source rocks migrates for very short distances vertically and horizontally. The amount of gas accumulation in the Jurassic reservoirs derived from T3x5 source rocks is up to 9.3x10s t. Geological resources of shale gas are up to 1.05x10TM t. Small differences between the amounts calculated by the volumetric method and those obtained by hydrocarbon generation potential method may be due to other gas accumulations present within interbedded sands associated with gas shales.

A Concise Overview on Solar Resource Assessment and Forecasting

China’s recently announced directive on tackling climate change,namely,to reach carbon peak by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060,has led to an unprecedented nationwide response among the academia and industry.Under such a directive,a rapid increase in the grid penetration rate of solar in the near future can be fully anticipated.Although solar radiation is an atmospheric process,its utilization,as to produce electricity,has hitherto been handled by engineers.In that,it is thought important to bridge the two fields,atmospheric sciences and solar engineering,for the common good of carbon neutrality.In thisüberreview,all major aspects pertaining to solar resource assessment and forecasting are discussed in brief.Given the size of the topic at hand,instead of presenting technical details,which would be overly lengthy and repetitive,the overarching goal of this review is to comprehensively compile a catalog of some recent,and some not so recent,review papers,so that the interested readers can explore the details on their own.