Status of China's Geological Survey and Geological Environments in 2013

With the approach of the 45th World Earth Day,China＇s Ministry of Land and Resources issued the status of the Chinese geological survey and environments on 22nd April 2013.Regional geological survey in 2013 achieved new results-（why was oceanic in twice？） polar and oceanic expedition were fully completed,a national census of geography was begun,and the security capacity of mapping geographic information was enhanced.A new idea for integrated geological survey and scientific research was proposed to enhance marine geological surveys and to improve service capabilities.

Microbial community composition and environmental response characteristics of typical brackish groundwater in the North China Plain

To reveal the microbial community composition of regional shallow porous brackish groundwater and its response characteristics to groundwater environment,the first and second aquifers in Taocheng District,Hengshui City were selected,and 10 groundwater source samples were collected for hydrochemical analysis and microbial 16S RNA gene V4-V5 regional sequencing.The results showed that the shallow brackish groundwater in the study area is weakly alkaline and has high ion content.The hydrochemical types are SO_(4)·Cl-Na·Mg type and HCO3·Cl-Na·Mg type as a whole.The spatial zonation of the abundance and diversity of groundwater microorganisms is obvious.The number of endemic bacteria in groundwater from upstream,midstream to downstream is 11,135 and 22 respectively,with a total of 22 bacteria.Proteobacteria is the most dominant in groundwater level(38.82%-86.88%),and there are obvious differences in different sections.At the genus level,the main dominant species in each group and sample are Pseudomonas and Hydrogenophaga.In terms of composition difference,Pseudohongiella,Pseudorhodobacter and Limnohabitans are the representatives of UR,MR and LR.On the whole,the composition of flora in groundwater in the study area is sensitive and closely related to hydrochemical processes.Species abundance is affected by alkaline and high salinity environmental indicators,while species diversity is related to depth and dissolved oxygen in weak reduction environment.

Arsenic and fluoride co-enrichment of groundwater in the loess areas and associated human health risks:A case study of Dali County in the Guanzhong Basin

This study aims to reveal the occurrence and origin of typical groundwater with high arsenic and fluoride concentrations in the loess area of the Guanzhong Basin—a Neogene faulted basin.Key findings are as follows:(1)Groundwater samples with high arsenic and fluoride concentrations collected from the loess area and the terraces of the Weihe River accounted for 26%and 30%,respectively,of the total samples,with primary hydrochemical type identified as HCO_(3)-Na.The karst and sand areas exhibit relatively high groundwater quality,serving as preferred sources for water supply.It is recommended that local governments fully harness groundwater in these areas;(2)groundwater with high arsenic and fluoride concentrations in the loess area and the alluvial plain of rivers in Dali County is primarily distributed within the Guanzhong Basin,which represents the drainage zone of groundwater;(3)arsenic and fluoride in groundwater originate principally from natural and anthropogenic sources;(4)the human health risk assessments reveal that long-term intake of groundwater with high arsenic and fluoride concentrations pose cancer or non-cancer risks,which are more serious to kids compared to adults.This study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of groundwater with high arsenic and fluoride concentrations in loess areas.

Pacific oyster(Crassostrea gigas)shell growth duration in a year in Bohai Bay and implication for its carbon sink potential

Oyster is a bivalve mollusk widely distributed in estuarine and shallow sea environments.Its growth and burial process is a carbon sequestration and storage process.Oyster shell may stop growing due to suffer from freeze shock during the winter season within a temperate climate,therefore,in order to study the carbon sequestration capacity of oysters we need to know the water temperature at which the shell suffer from winter freeze shock.This study examinesδ^(18)O profiles across consecutive micro-growth layers found in three modern Pacific oyster shells from the northwest coast of Bohai Bay.A total of 165 oxygen isotope values from sequential samples of their left shells showed periodically varying values,and the variation fluctuation of oxygen isotope values was 4.97‰on average.According to the variation range of the oxygen isotope value of the shell,combined with the sea surface temperature and the sea surface salinity data of the water in which the oysters grew,the water temperature that suffer from winter freeze shock and stops or retards the growth of Pacific oysters in Bohai Bay is about 8.3℃,and the corresponding period is from December to March of the following year.The calcification time of oysters within one year is nearly a month longer than previously thought,therefore,its carbon sink potential is also improved.

Ecological risk assessment and early warning of heavy metal cumulation in the soils near the Luanchuan molybdenum polymetallic mine concentration area,Henan Province,central China

The Luanchuan molybdenum polymetallic mine concentration area is rich in mineral resources and has a long history of mining.The environmental impact of long-term mining activities cannot be ignored.It is of great significance to study the ecological risk and the accumulation trends of heavy metals in the soil of mining areas for scientific prevention and control of heavy metal pollution.Taking the Taowanbeigou River Basin in the mine concentration area as the research object,the ecological pollution risk and cumulative effect of heavy metals in the soil of the basin were studied by using the comprehensive pollution index method,potential ecological risk assessment method and geoaccumulation index method.On this basis,the cumulative exceeding years of specific heavy metals were predicted by using the early warning model.The comprehensive potential ecological risk of heavy metals in the soil near the Luanchuan mine concentration area is moderate,and the single element Cd is the main ecological risk factor,with a contribution rate of 53.6%.The overall cumulative degrees of Cu and Pb in the soil are“none-moderate”,Zn and Cd are moderate,Mo has reached an extremely strong cumulative level,Hg,As and Cr risks are not obvious,and the overall cumulative risks order is Mo>Cd>Zn>Cu>Pb>Hg.According to the current accumulation rate and taking the risk screening values for soil contamination of agricultural land as the reference standard,the locations over standard rates of Cu,Zn and Cd will exceed 78%in 90years,and the over standard rate of Pb will reach approximately 57%in 200 years.The cumulative exceeding standard periods of As,Cr and Hg are generally long,which basically indicates that these elements do not pose a significant potential threat to the ecological environment.Mining activities will accelerate the accumulation of heavy metals in soil.With the continuous development of mining activities,the potential pollution risk of heavy metals in the soil of mining areas will also increase.

Characteristics and sources of microplastic pollution in the water and sediments of the Jinjiang River Basin,Fujian Province,China

Microplastic pollution is widely distributed from surface water to sediments to groundwater vertically and from land to the ocean horizontally.This study collected samples from surface water,groundwater,and sediments from upper to lower reaches and then to the estuary in 16 typical areas in the Jinjiang River Basin,Fujian Province,China.Afterward,it determined the components and abundance of the microplastics and analyzed the possible microplastic sources through principal component analysis(PCA).As a result,seven main components of microplastics were detected,i.e.,polyethylene(PE),polypropylene(PP),polyvinyl chloride(PVC),polyethylene terephthalate(PET),polyformaldehyde(POM),nylon 6(PA6),and polystyrene(PS).Among them,PE and PP were found to have the highest proportion in the surface water and sediments and in the groundwater,respectively.The surface water,groundwater,and sediments had average microplastic abundance of 1.6 n/L,2.7 n/L and 33.8 n/kg,respectively.The microplastics in the sediments had the largest particle size,while those in the groundwater had the smallest particle size.Compared with water bodies and sediments in other areas,those in the study area generally have medium-low-level microplastic abundance.Three pollution sources were determined according to PCA,i.e.,the dominant agriculture-forestry-fishery source,domestic wastewater,and industrial production.This study can provide a scientific basis for the control of microplastics in rivers.

Change trend of natural gas hydrates in permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(1960-2050)under the background of global warming and their impacts on carbon emissions

Global warming and the response to it have become a topic of concern in today’s society and are also a research focus in the global scientific community.As the world’s third pole,the global warming amplifier,and the starting region of China’s climate change,the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is extremely sensitive to climate change.The permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is rich in natural gas hydrates(NGHs)resources.Under the background of global warming,whether the NGHs will be disassociated and enter the atmosphere as the air temperature rises has become a major concern of both the public and the scientific community.Given this,this study reviewed the trend of global warming and accordingly summarized the characteristics of the temperature increase in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Based on this as well as the distribution characteristics of the NGHs in the permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,this study investigated the changes in the response of the NGHs to global warming,aiming to clarify the impacts of global warming on the NGHs in the permafrost of the plateau.A noticeable response to global warming has been observed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Over the past decades,the increase in the mean annual air temperature of the plateau was increasingly high and more recently.Specifically,the mean annual air temperature of the plateau changed at a rate of approximately 0.308-0.420℃/10a and increased by approximately 1.54-2.10℃in the past decades.Moreover,the annual mean ground temperature of the shallow permafrost on the plateau increased by approximately 1.155-1.575℃and the permafrost area decreased by approximately 0.34×10^(6)km^(2) from about 1.4×10^(6)km^(2) to 1.06×10^(6)km^(2) in the past decades.As indicated by simulated calculation results,the thickness of the NGH-bearing permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has decreased by 29-39 m in the past 50 years,with the equivalent of(1.69-2.27)×10^(10)-(1.12-1.51)×10^(12)m^(3) of methane(CH_(4))being released due to NGHs dissociation.It is predicted that the thickness of the NGH-bearing permafrost will decrease by 23 m and 27 m,and dissociated and released NGHs will be the equivalent of(1.34-88.8)×10^(10)m^(3) and(1.57-104)×10^(10)m^(3)of CH_(4),respectively by 2030 and 2050.Considering the positive feedback mechanism of NGHs on global warming and the fact that CH_(4) has a higher greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide,the NGHs in the permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will emit more CH_(4) into the atmosphere,which is an important trend of NGHs under the background of global warming.Therefore,the NGHs are destructive as a time bomb and may lead to a waste of efforts that mankind has made in carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality.Accordingly,this study suggests that human beings should make more efforts to conduct the exploration and exploitation of the NGHs in the permafrost of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,accelerate research on the techniques and equipment for NGHs extraction,storage,and transportation,and exploit the permafrost-associated NGHs while thawing them.The purpose is to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere and mitigate the atmospheric greenhouse effect,thus contributing to the global goal of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.

Current status and cause analysis of microplastic pollution in sea areas in China

As a new type of pollutants in the marine environment,microplastics have attracted increasing attention from scientific researchers and environmental protection workers in China and abroad.However,for the microplastic pollution in sea areas in China,there are a very limited number of studies on its current status and few reviews of research on the microplastics.This paper reviews the surveys and researches of microplastics in the Bohai Sea,the Yellow Sea,the East China Sea,the South China Sea,and main estuaries in China carried out in recent years and proposes an outlook for future work,aiming to provide research suggestions and solutions for ecological protection against microplastic pollution in sea areas in China.Previous studies have shown that microplastics are widely distributed in water bodies and sediments in sea areas and major estuaries in China.The Pearl River Estuary,in the South China Sea suffers the most serious microplastic pollution,followed by the Bohai Sea.In contrast,the microplastic pollution in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea is comparatively slight.Microplastics in sea areas in China are mainly fibrous and are concentrated in offshore areas with developed industry and a dense population(especially around estuaries and bays).In addition,they are widely affected by human activities,such as shipping,aquaculture,industry,and sewage discharge.Here the authors suggest unifying measurement units and research methods and developing related standard systems to carry out researches related to microplastics.Furthermore,this paper also suggests further deepening researches on both the source-sink process of microplastics and nanoscale microplastics while enhancing the development and implementation of related policies,aiming to promote researches and control of microplastics in sea areas in China.

Conversion relationship of rainfall-soil moisture-groundwater in Quaternary thick cohesive soil in Jianghan Plain,Hubei Province,China

The scientific field test site of rainfall-soil moisture-groundwater conversion in Dabie Mountain Area–Jianghan Plain is located in the northern region of the Jianghan Plain,the transition zone between the Dabie Mountain Area and Jianghan Plain.It’s a great field test site to study the material and energy exchange among rainfall,soil moisture,and groundwater of the Earth’s critical zone in subtropical monsoon climate plain areas.This paper analyzed the connection between rainfall and volume water content(VWC)of soil at different depths of several soil profiles,and the dynamic feature of groundwater was discussed,which reveals the rainfall infiltration recharge of Quaternary Upper Pleistocene strata.The results show that the Quaternary Upper Pleistocene aquifer groundwater accepts a little direct rainfall recharge,while the lateral recharge is the main supplement source.There were 75 effective rainfall events among 120 rainfall events during the monitoring period,with an accumulated amount of 672.9 mm,and the percentages of effective rainfall amount and duration time were 62.50%and 91.56%,respectively.The max evaporation depth at the upper part in Quaternary cohesive soil was no less than 1.4 m.The soil profile was divided into four zones:(1)The sensitive zone of rainfall infiltration within 1.4 m,where the material and energy exchange frequently near the interface between atmosphere and soil;(2)the buffer zone of rainfall infiltration between 1.4 m and 3.5 m;(3)the migration zone of rainfall infiltration between 3.5 m and 5.0 m;and(4)the rainfall infiltration and groundwater level co-influenced zone below 5.0 m.The results revealed the reaction of soil moisture and groundwater to rainfall in the area covered by cohesive soil under humid climate in Earth’s critical zone,which is of great theoretical and practical significance for groundwater resources evaluation and development,groundwater environmental protection,ecological environmental improvement,drought disaster prevention,and flood disaster prevention in subtropical monsoon climate plain areas.