Benthic nutrient recycling in shallow coastal waters of the Bohai Sea

Sediment-water fluxes of N and P species in the Bohai Sea were investigated in Septem-ber-October 1998 and April-May 1999. The benthic fluxes of nutrient species were determined by incubating sediment core samples with bottom seawater bubbled with air or nitrogen. -2NO,+4NH, dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and phosphorus (DOP), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and phosphorus (TDP), and -34PO showed a net exchange flux from seawater to sediment, while -3NO, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and -23SiO were released from sediment to seawater in the Bohai Sea. Sediment-water nutrient exchange increases DIN and reduces the phosphorus load in the Bohai Sea. The release of silicate from sediment to overlying seawater reduces potential silicate limitation of primary production resulted from decrease of riverine discharge. The exchange flux of nutrients showed no obvious seasonal variation. The present study showed that the concentrations and composition of nutrients in the water column were affected by suspended sediment, and that not all the exchangeable phosphate in sediment could be released via sediment resuspension.

Distribution and pollution assessment of trace metals in seawater and sediment in Laizhou Bay

Selected trace metals （Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg） and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments of Laizhou Bay were determined, to evaluate their spatial distribution, pollution risk and potential ecological risk. Concentrations of the elements were 0.56-2.07, 0.14-0.38, 12.70-18.40, 0.014-0.094, and 1.13- 2.37 μg/L in the seawater and 8.94-32.2, 0.18-0.67, 4.51-30.5, 0.006-0.058, and 5.75-15.3 mg/kg in sediments for Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg and As, respectively. High concentrations of the trace metals and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments were generally observed near the fiver estuary. The pollution risk result of the elements showed that Cu was the prominent trace metal pollutant in seawater, followed by Hg, Pb, Cd and As. The metal complex pollution index in seawater was at a medium level. The most important trace metal pollutant in sediments was Cd, followed by As, Cu, Pb, and Hg. Our pollution assessment suggests that trace metal pollution in Laizhou Bay sediments was at a low level. The potential ecological risk was also low in surface sediment.

Influence of Underground Mining on Ground Surface and Railway Bridge Under Thick Alluvium

Patterns of ground movement and pore water pressure variation are obtained through a case study using a finite element method. With the progress of excavation, ground subsidence, ground inclination and horizontal displacement accelerates. Along the striking direction, a subsidence basin is formed on the ground surface induced by underground mining. The maximum subsidence is around 5.41m. The ratio of ground subsidence to the thickness of the coal seam is 1.08. The maximum inclination is 11.5 mm/m. The maximum horizontal displacement is 2.15 mm/m. At the time the coal has been excavated, the maximum pore water pressure reaches 25 kPa. In order to improve protection of structures lo- cated over the area with underground mining, the variation of additional stresses of a railway bridge induced by ground surface deformation is analyzed. The main effect of underground mining on the railway bridge is the tensile stress and the maximum value reaches as high as 4.29 MPa, which is greater than the concrete tensile strength.

Composition and Trace Element Content of Coal in Taiwan

Researches on trace elements in coal and their influence on environment and human health were introduced. Some 4 coal samples were taken from Taiwan to test the content of trace elements. The author holds that a further study is needed for understanding the modes of occurrence of elements during the deposition and coalification stage in the studying area.

A Simple Model for Earthquake Instability

Based on the heterogeneity of fault plane strength,the macro rupture process of a fault plane can be treated as the rupture accumulation process of local micro-elements in the fault surface.Assuming that the strength of the local micro-elements follows the Weibull probability distribution,the macro-fault constitutive relationship of the complete load-deformation process is derived from a statistical mechanics viewpoint.Applying a one-dimensional earthquake mechanics model and using far-field displacement a as the control variable,the problem of earthquake instability is investigated by employing the stability theory.The results show that the system stiffness ratio(stiffness ratio of fault to surroun-ding rock) β is the important parameter that affects the occurrence of earthquakes.Earthquake instability occurs only when β < 1,and the sudden stress jump appears at the displacement turning point of the equilibrium path curve.The expression of three important parameters for earthquakes(fault half-dislocation distance after earthquake,earthquake stress drop and elastic energy release) is also given.When β≥1,the earthquake does not occur and the fault only slips slowly without an earthquake.

Research on Ground Movement Laws for Strip Mining Under Thick Alluvium

With the discrete element method, the simulation and analysis of a series of numerical models were made. This research revealed ground movement laws for strip mining under thick alluvium and gave calculation formulae for the maximum ground subsidence and horizontal movement as a function of basement rock thickness and mining width, thus providing sound evidence for future strip mining under thick alluvium.

An Experimental Study on Major Element Release from the Sediments in the Changjiang(Yangtze River) Estuary

With the enhanced warming and acidification of global ocean, whether and to what extent the naturally-weathered flu- vial sediment into the sea can release elements and thus influence the geochemical process and ecosystem of global ocean remain to be resolved. In this contribution, an experimental study was carried out to examine the release rates of major elements （Ca, K, Mg and AI） from the surface sediments in the Changjiang （Yangtze River） Estuary under the pH values of 4.0, 6.0 and 7.0. The two stud- ied sediments consist primarily of quartz, plagioclase, calcite and clay minerals, with the BET （Brunauer, Emmett and Teller） surface areas of 61.7m2g-1 and 23.1 m2g-1. Major elements of Ca, K, Mg and A1 show different release rates under different solution pH values. With the decreasing solution pH, the release rates of Ca and K increase obviously, while the release rates of Mg and A1 in- crease with the initial solution pH varying from 6.0 to 7.0. The different release rates of these elements are closely related to the original mineral composition of the sediments and the reaction kinetics. Based on the experimental observation, quartz and clay min- erals that have low dissolution rates may dominate the major element release to the aqueous phase. This study reveals that the en- hancing ocean acidification could cause considerable release of major elements from natural terrigenous sediments into the ambient marine environment, which has to be considered carefully in the future study on global change.

Research on the Effects of the Contents of Radioactive Elements on Granularity and Climate Change:An Example of SZK1 and SZK2 Drill Holes Strata in the Fuzhou Basin

Based on the content of radioactive elements (U, Th, K) of strata in two drill holes in the Fuzhou basin, and combined with the result of spore_pollen analysis, the relationship between radioactivity and lithology and deposit environments is discussed and the results show that the content of radioactive substances is related to the granularity and lithology in sediment, and it is higher in argillaceous sediment (e.g. silt and clay), lower in sand sediment and in the middle in gravels between the above two kinds of sediment. The content of radioactive substances is also related to paleoclimate. A warm and humid environment is propitious to the deposition of radioactive substances, while a cool and dry climate is just the reverse.

Cell Area and Strut Distribution Changes of Bent Coronary Stents:A Finite Element Analysis

Coronary stents are metal coils or mesh tubes delivered to blocked vessels through catheters, whic Recently, special drugs h are expanded by balloons to reopen and scaffold target vessels. are carried by stents （drug-eluting stents） to further reduce instent restenosis rate after stenting procedure. However, continual study on biomechanical characteristics of stents is necessary provide a more suitable drug loading for better interactions between stents and tissue, or to platform for drug-eluting stents. The purpose of this paper is to show how finite element methods can be used to study cell area and strut distribution changes of bent coronary stents. A same bending deformation was applied to two commercial coronary stent models by a rigid curved vessel. Results show that the stent design influenced the changes of cell area and strut distribution under bending situation. The stent with links had more cell area changes at outer curvature, and the stent with peak-peak （ 〉 〈 ） strut design could have strut contact and overlapping at inner curvature. In conclusion, this finite element method can be used to study and compare cell area and strut distribution changes of bent stents, and to provide a convenient tool for designers in testing and improving biomechanical characteristics of new stents.

U-Pb zircon age and Hf isotope compositions of Mesoproterozoic sedimentary strata on the western margin of the Yangtze massif

The Mesoproterozoic sedimentary strata on the western margin of the Yangtze massif are a clastic-carbonate rock association intercalated with a small amount of tuff and basalt and deposited in a relatively stable environment. They are termed as the Kunyang Group, the Huili Group, and the Dongchuan Group respectively in different regions. We performed zircon U-Pb da- ting of the tuff from the groups. The results, coupled with the detrital zircon U-Pb ages of clastic rocks from the Kunyang Group and the Dongchuan Group, indicate that the sedimentation ages of the Kunyang Group and the Huili Group range from 1050 to 1000 Ma and that the Kunyang Group and the Huili Group belong to a sedimentary association with contemporaneous heterotopic facies. The detrital zircon ages and Hf isotope compositions reveal that the clastic materials in the Kunyang Group and the Huili Group are derived primarily from the Cathaysia massif. Zircons of the tuff in the Dongchuan Group yields an age of ca. 1.5 Ga and all the zircon ages of clastics in the Dongchuan Group are older than 1.5 Ga, indicating that the sedimentation of the Dongchuan Group occurred during the late Mesoproterozoic Changcheng Period. Age spectra of the detrital zircons in- dicate that the clastic materials of the Dongchuan Group are derived primarily from the ancient basement of the Yangtze mas- sif. A systematic Hf isotope determination of various types of zircons in the above three stratigraphic units shows that there is a rapid elevation in the initial Hf value of zircon at -1.5 and 1.0 Ga. Previous studies on the sedimentary characteristics of the Kunyang Group and the Huili Group show that both were deposited in a foreland basin. Combining our data with previous studies, we suggest that the Kunyang Group and the Huili Group are foreland basin sedimentary successions formed along the southern side of the Yangtze massif after an amalgamation between the Yangtze massif and the Cathaysia massif during the Grenvillian. The assembly of the Yangtze massif and the Cathaysia massif developed gradually from the west to the east and was finally completed in the eastern segment of the Yangtze massif at 0.9 Ga, representing the last stage of the Rodinia super- continent assembly, Hf isotope compositions in zircon indicate that the supercontinent cycle has an intimate relation with crus- tal growth.