Abstract: On the basis of daily meteorological data from 15 meteorological stations in the Heihe River Basin (HRB) during the period from 1959 to 2012, long-term trends of reference evapotranspiration () and key meteorological factors that affect were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test. The evaporation paradox was also investigated at 15 meteorological stations. In order to explore the contribution of key meteorological factors to the temporal variation of , a sensitivity coefficient method was employed in this study. The results show that: (1) mean annual air temperature significantly increased at all 15 meteorological stations, while the mean annual decreased at most of sites; (2) the evaporation paradox did exist in the HRB, while the evaporation paradox was not continuous in space and time; and (3) relative humidity was the most sensitive meteorological factor with regard to the temporal variation of in the HRB, followed by wind speed, air temperature, and solar radiation. Air temperature and solar radiation contributed most to the temporal variation of in the upper reaches; solar radiation and wind speed were the determining factors for the temporal variation of in the middle-lower reaches.
Abstract: This paper describes research undertaken by the authors to develop an integrated measurement and modeling methodology for water quality management of estuaries. The approach developed utilizes modeling and measurement results in a synergistic manner. Modeling results were initially used to inform the field campaign of appropriate sampling locations and times, and field data were used to develop accurate models. Remote sensing techniques were used to capture data for both model development and model validation. Field surveys were undertaken to provide model initial conditions through data assimilation and determine nutrient fluxes into the model domain. From field data, salinity relationships were developed with various water quality parameters, and relationships between chlorophyll a concentrations, transparency, and light attenuation were also developed. These relationships proved to be invaluable in model development, particularly in modeling the growth and decay of chlorophyll a. Cork Harbour, an estuary that regularly experiences summer algal blooms due to anthropogenic sources of nutrients, was used as a case study to develop the methodology. The integration of remote sensing, conventional fieldwork, and modeling is one of the novel aspects of this research and the approach developed has widespread applicability.
Abstract: A quantitative description of a long-term series of aquatic environmental factors and their spatial distributions was generated using measured data from the Jiaojiang Estuary from 1982 to 2011. The aquatic environmental factors included suspended matter, salinity, and nutrients. Based on these factors, the aquatic ecosystem health in the Jiaojiang Estuary over the last 30 years was analyzed. The results indicated that the suspended matter concentration in the estuary was mainly affected by the amounts of suspended sediment and solid waste, with the value fluctuating over a long period, and the range of high concentration expanded continually; the salinity was mainly affected by precipitation and surface water resources, showing an overall decreasing trend, and the region with low salinity moved seaward and toward the reclamation areas; and the nutritional status, mainly affected by discharge of industrial wastewater and domestic sewage, was satisfactory in the 1980s and 1990s, but the status became severe in recent years. Reclamation had a great influence on these three factors: high reclamation strength led to a significant increase in the suspended matter concentration and a deterioration of the nutritional status, and the reclamation rate was negatively related with the salinity in the estuary. There was a significant positive correlation between the health status of the aquatic ecosystem and salinity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.93. The correlation coefficient between the health status and nutritional status was −0.71, while the correlation between the suspended matter concentration and health status was not as significant as that of the other two factors. The dynamics of the aquatic environment could be divided into four stages: sustainable health from the 1980s to the 1990s, continued deterioration from 2000 to 2003, improvement from 2004 to 2005, and secondary deterioration from 2006 to 2011. The Jiaojiang Estuary is faced with imminent environmental pressure at present.
Abstract: The water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir has attracted considerable attention from the Chinese public and government since the announcement of the Middle Route of the South to North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), which commenced transferring water in 2014. Integrated research on the evaluation, prediction, and protection of water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir was carried out in this study in order to improve environmental management. Based on 120 water samples, wherein 17 water quality indices were measured at 20 monitoring sites, a single factor evaluation method was used to evaluate the current status of water quality. The results show that the main indices influencing the water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir are total phosphorus (TP), permanganate index (CODMn), dissolved oxygen (DO), and five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), and the concentrations of TP, BOD5, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), CODMn, DO, and anionic surfactant (Surfa) do not reach the specified standard levels in the tributaries. Seasonal Mann-Kendall tests indicated that the CODMn concentration shows a highly significant increasing trend, and the TP concentration shows a significant increasing trend in the Danjiangkou Reservoir. The distribution of the main water quality indices in the Danjiangkou Reservoir was predicted using a two-dimensional water quality numerical model, and showed that the sphere of influence from the tributaries can spread across half of the Han Reservoir if the pollutants are not controlled. Cluster analysis (CA) results suggest that the Shending River is heavily polluted, that the Jianghe, Sihe, and Jianhe rivers are moderately polluted, and that they should be the focus of environmental remediation.
Abstract: In order to study toxicological effects of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and their mixtures (PFNA/PFOS) on Daphnia magna (D. magna), a suite of comprehensive toxicity tests were conducted, including a 48-hour acute toxicity test, a 21-day chronic test, a feeding experiment, and a biomarker assay. D. magna were exposed to aqueous solutions of PFNA and PFOS (alone and in combination) at concentrations ranging from 0.008 to 5 mg/L. The survival, growth, and reproduction of D. magna were monitored over a 21-day life cycle. The biomarkers, including acetylcholinesterase (AChE), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities, were determined after seven days of exposure. PFOS was more toxic than PFNA based on the results of the acute toxicity test. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) inhibited both growth and reproduction of D. magna during the testing period. The ingestion rates and the biomarkers, including AChE, SOD, and CAT activities, were significantly inhibited by PFCs in most cases. Moreover, the combined effects related to the growth and reproduction showed the antagonistic effects of PFCs.
Abstract: In order to enhance the hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of a subsurface wastewater infiltration system (SWIS) used in treating domestic sewage, the intermittent operation mode was employed in the SWIS. The results show that the intermittent operation mode contributes to the improvement of the HLR and the pollutant removal rate. When the wetting-drying ratio (RWD) was 1.0, the pollutant removal rate increased by (13.6 ± 0.3)% for NH3-N, (20.7 ± 1.1)% for TN, (18.6 ± 0.4)% for TP, (12.2 ± 0.5)% for BOD, (10.1 ± 0.3)% for COD, and (36.2 ± 1.2)% for SS, compared with pollutant removal rates under the continuous operation mode. The pollutant removal rate declined with the increase of the HLR. The effluent quality met The Reuse of Urban Recycling Water - Water Quality Standard for Scenic Environment Use (GB/T 18921-2002) even when the HLR was as high as 10 cm/d. Hydraulic conductivity, oxygen reduction potential (ORP), the quantity of nitrifying bacteria, and the pollutant removal rate of NH3-N increased with the decrease of the RWD. For the pollutant removal rates of TP, BOD, and COD, there were no significant difference (p < 0.05) under different RWDs. The suggested RWD was 1.0. Relative contribution of the pretreatment and SWIS to the pollutant removal was examined, and more than 80% removal of NH3-N, TN, TP, COD, and BOD occurred in the SWIS.
Abstract: There are many fracture zones crossing the dam foundation of the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project in southwestern China. Clastic rock is the main media of the fracture zone and has poor physical and mechanical properties. In order to investigate the creep behavior of clastic rock, triaxial creep tests were conducted using a rock servo-controlling rheological testing machine. The results show that the creep behavior of clastic rock is significant at a high level of deviatoric stress, and less time-dependent deformation occurs at high confining pressure. Based on the creep test results, the relationship between axial strain and time under different confining pressures was investigated, and the relationship between axial strain rate and deviatoric stress was also discussed. The strain rate increases rapidly, and the rock sample fails eventually under high deviatoric stress. Moreover, the creep failure mechanism under different confining pressures was analyzed. The main failure mechanism of clastic rock is plastic shear, accompanied by a significant compression and ductile dilatancy. On the other hand, with the determined parameters, the Burgers creep model was used to fit the creep curves. The results indicate that the Burgers model can exactly describe the creep behavior of clastic rock in the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project.
Abstract: The presence of submerged vegetation on river beds can change the water flow structure and alter the state of sediment motion. In this study, the incipient motion of sediment in the presence of submerged flexible vegetation in open channels was investigated in a laboratory experiment. The vegetation was simulated with flexible rubber cylinders arranged in parallel arrays. The effect of the vegetation density, water depth, and sediment grain size on the incipient motion was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the incipient motion velocity of sediment increases as the vegetation density decreases and the water depth and sediment grain size increase. With flexible plants, the incipient motion velocity of sediment is lower than it is without vegetation, and is larger than it is with rigid vegetation. A general incipient motion velocity equation was derived, which can be applied to both flexible and rigid vegetation conditions.
Abstract: A constitutive model on the evolution of debris flow with and without a barrier was established based on the theory of the Bingham model. A certain area of the Laoshan Mountain in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, in China was chosen for experimental study, and the slope sliding and debris flow detection system was utilized. The change curve of the soil moisture content was attained, demonstrating that the moisture content of the shallow soil layer increases faster than that of the deep soil layer, and that the growth rate of the soil moisture content of the steep slope is large under the first weak rainfall, and that of the gentle slope is significantly affected by the second heavy rainfall. For the steep slope, slope sliding first occurs on the upper slope surface under heavy rainfall and further develops along the top platform and lower slope surface, while under weak rainfall the soil moisture content at the lower part of the slope first increases because of the high runoff velocity, meaning that failure occurring there is more serious. When a barrier was placed at a high position on a slope, debris flow was separated and distributed early and had less ability to carry solids, and the variation of the greatest depth of erosion pits on soil slopes was not significant.
Abstract: The Xiaolangdi Reservoir has entered the later sediment-retaining period, and new sediment transport phenomena and channel re-establishing behaviors are appearing. A physical model test was used to forecast the scouring and silting trends of the lower Yellow River. Based on water and sediment data from the lower Yellow River during the period from 1960 to 2012, and using a statistical method, this paper analyzed the sediment transport in sediment-laden flows with different discharges and sediment concentrations in the lower Yellow River. The results show that rational water-sediment regulation is necessary to avoid silting in the later sediment-retaining period. The combination of 3 000 m3/s < Q < 4 000 m3/s and 20 kg/m3 < S < 60 kg/m3 (where Q is the discharge and S is the sediment concentration) at the Huayuankou section is considered an optimal combination for equilibrium sediment transport in the lower Yellow River over a long period of time.
Abstract: Orifice plate energy dissipaters have been successfully used in large-scale hydropower projects due to their simple structure, convenient construction procedure, and high energy dissipation ratio. The minimum wall pressure coefficient of an orifice plate can indirectly reflect its cavitation characteristics: the lower the minimum wall pressure coefficient is, the better the ability of the orifice plate to resist cavitation damage is. Thus, it is important to study the minimum wall pressure coefficient of the orifice plate. In this study, this coefficient and related parameters, such as the contraction ratio, defined as the ratio of the orifice plate diameter to the flood-discharging tunnel diameter; the relative thickness, defined as the ratio of the orifice plate thickness to the tunnel diameter; and the Reynolds number of the flow through the orifice plate, were theoretically analyzed, and their relationships were obtained through physical model experiments. It can be concluded that the minimum wall pressure coefficient is mainly dominated by the contraction ratio and relative thickness. The lower the contraction ratio and relative thickness are, the larger the minimum wall pressure coefficient is. The effects of the Reynolds number on the minimum wall pressure coefficient can be neglected when it is larger than 105. An empirical expression was presented to calculate the minimum wall pressure coefficient in this study.
