Search results for "Sediment"
showing 10 items of 1648 documents
Organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in the intertidal sediments from the Yangtze Estuary, China
2005
The natural isotopic compositions and C/N elemental ratios of sedimentary organic matter were determined in the intertidal flat of the Yangtze Estuary. The results showed that the ratios of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were respectively -29.8 per thousand to -26.0 per thousand and 1.6 per thousand-5.5 per thousand in the flood season (July), while they were -27.3 per thousand to -25.6 per thousand and 1.7 per thousand-7.8 per thousand in the dry season (February), respectively. The delta(13)C signatures were remarkably higher in July than in February, and gradually increased from the freshwater areas to the brackish areas. In contrast, there were relatively complex seasonal and spati…
Multi-residue determination of organic micro-pollutants in river sediment by stir-disc solid phase extraction based on oxidized buckypaper
2020
This paper describes a procedure for the isolation of 20 organic micro-pollutants among pesticides, drugs, recreational drugs, flame retardants from river sediments. After a solid-liquid extraction with a methanol:water (50:50, v/v) solution, the supernatant was diluted with water and cleaned up by stir-disc solid-phase extraction (SPE). The disc was made of buckypaper, a self-supporting entangled assembly of carbon nanotubes, which was used as a highly porous, two-sided, sorbent membrane. In the preliminary activation step, the membrane was oxidised for 2-hours with nitric acid to extend its extraction capability also to more polar compounds. All extracts were analysed by ultra-high-perfor…
Distribution of Cr and Pb in artificial sea water and their sorption in marine sediments: an example from experimental mesocosms
2016
The uptake of two heavy metals (chromium and lead) in sediments in experimental mesocosms under exposure to different metal concentrations was evaluated by monitoring their concentrations over time both in seawater and in sediment. Two separate experiments under laboratory-controlled conditions were carried out for the two metals. Sediments were collected from a protected natural area characterized by low anthropic influence and were placed in mesocosms that were housed in aquaria each with seawater at a different metal concentration. At pre-established time intervals, seawater and sediment samples were collected from each mesocosm for chemical analyses. Quantification of chromium and lead …
Microstructural evolution of gas hydrates in sedimentary matrices observed with synchrotron X-ray computed tomographic microscopy
2015
The formation process of gas hydrates in sedimentary matrices is of crucial importance for the physical and transport properties of the resulting aggregates. This process has never been observed in situ at submicron resolution. Here we report on synchrotron-based microtomographic studies by which the nucleation and growth processes of gas hydrate were observed at 276 K in various sedimentary matrices such as natural quartz (with and without admixtures of montmorillonite type clay) or glass beads with different surface properties, at varying water saturation. Both juvenile water and metastably gas-enriched water obtained from gas hydrate decomposition was used. Xenon gas was employed to enha…
Paleoenvironmental evolution of the Pliocene Villarroya Lake, northern Spain. A multidisciplinary approach
2002
The Pliocene Villarroya basin fill consists of lacustrine and alluvial deposits over 100 m thick. The lacustrine deposits, up to 30 m thick, comprise three sequences. The two lower sequences consist of profundal, laminated deposits formed by mostly terrigenous facies that are overlain by charophytic carbonates and varves. The uppermost, third sequence made up of massive bioturbated mudstones corresponds to a very shallow lacustrine-palustrine environment. Bulk mineralogy comprises carbonates, clay minerals, quartz and feldspars. The carbonates are: exogenic, biogenic calcite and biogenic aragonite. Biogenic calcite constitutes ostracod shells and charophyte stem encrustations, whereas arago…
Millstone coastal quarries of the Mediterranean: A new class of sea level indicator
2014
The coasts of Italy still preserve several remnants of coastal quarries built in antiquity, that now provide insights into the intervening sea-level changes occurred during the last millennia. In this paper, we show and discuss a new class of sea level indicator consisting of millstones carved along the rocky coast of southern Italy since 2500 BP, that are currently submerged. They were extracted from beachrocks, sandstones or similar sedimentary rocks, easier for carving by ancient carving tools. Our study focuses on 10 coastal sites located at Capo d'Orlando, Avola, and Letojanni, in Sicily; Soverato, Tropea, and Capo dell'Armi, in Calabria; Castellabate, Palinuro, and Scario, in Campania…
Aggregation and sedimentation of active Brownian particles at constant affinity.
2019
We study the motility-induced phase separation of active particles driven through the interconversion of two chemical species controlled by ideal reservoirs (chemiostats). As a consequence, the propulsion speed is non-constant and depends on the actual inter-particle forces, enhancing the positive feedback between increased density and reduced motility that is responsible for the observed inhomogeneous density. For hard discs, we find that this effect is negligible and that the phase separation is controlled by the average propulsion speed. For soft particles and large propulsion speeds, however, we predict an observable impact on the collective behavior. We briefly comment on the reentrant…
Some techniques for improving the resolution of finite difference component-wise WENO schemes for polydisperse sedimentation models
2014
Polydisperse sedimentation models can be described by a system of conservation laws for the concentration of each species of solids. Some of these models, as the Masliyah-Locket-Bassoon model, can be proven to be hyperbolic, but its full characteristic structure cannot be computed in closed form. Component-wise finite difference WENO schemes may be used in these cases, but these schemes suffer from an excessive diffusion and may present spurious oscillations near shocks. In this work we propose to use a flux-splitting that prescribes less numerical viscosity for component-wise finite difference WENO schemes. We compare this technique with others to alleviate the diffusion and oscillatory be…
Flotation with sedimentation: Steady states and numerical simulation of transient operation
2020
Abstract A spatially one-dimensional model of the hydrodynamics of a flotation column is based on one continuous phase, the fluid, and two disperse phases: the aggregates, that is, bubbles with attached hydrophobic valuable particles, and the solid particles that form the gangue. A common feed inlet for slurry mixture and gas is considered and the bubbles are assumed to be fully aggregated with hydrophobic particles as they enter the column. The conservation law of the three phases yields a model expressed as a system of partial differential equations where the nonlinear constitutive flux functions come from the drift-flux and solids-flux theories. In addition, the total flux functions are …
Current anthropogenic pressures on agro-ecological protected coastal wetlands
2015
Coastal wetlands are areas that suffer from great pressure. Much of it is due to the rapid development of the surrounding artificial landscapes, where socio-economic factors lead to alterations in the nearby environment, affecting the quality of natural and agricultural systems. This work analyses interconnections among landscapes under the hypothesis that urban-artificial impacts could be detected on soils and waters of an agro-ecological protected area, L'Albufera de Valencia Natural Park, located in the vicinity of the City of Valencia, Spain. The methodological framework developed addresses two types of anthropogenic pressure: (1) direct, due to artificialisation of soil covers that cau…