ALBERT

Beschreibung: Erratum to: Spatial–temporal characteristics of surface water quality in the Taihu Basin, China Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-1 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1141-6 Authors Guangju Zhao, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100 People’s Republic of China Junfeng Gao, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008 People’s Republic of China Peng Tian, College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100 People’s Republic of China Kun Tian, State Key Laboratory of Hydro-Science and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 People’s Republic of China Guangheng Ni, State Key Laboratory of Hydro-Science and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A three-dimensional model for non-reactive solute transport in physically homogeneous subsurface porous media is presented. The model involves solution of the advection-dispersion equation, which additionally considered temporally dependent dispersion. The model also account for a uniform flow field, first-order decay which is inversely proportional to the dispersion coefficient and retardation factor. Porous media with semi-infinite domain is considered. Initially, the space domain is not solute free. Analytical solutions are obtained for uniform and varying pulse-type input source conditions. The governing solute transport equation is solved analytically by employing Laplace transformation technique (LTT). The solutions are illustrated and the behavior of solute transport may be observed for different values of retardation factor, for which simpler models that account for solute adsorption through a retardation factor may yield a misleading assessment of solute transport in ‘‘hydrologically sensitive’’ subsurface environments. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1129-2 Authors R. R. Yadav, Department of Mathematics and Astronomy, Lucknow University, Lucknow, 226007 India Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Department of Mathematics and Astronomy, Lucknow University, Lucknow, 226007 India Hareesh Kumar Yadav, Department of Mathematics and Astronomy, Lucknow University, Lucknow, 226007 India Gulrana, Department of Mathematics and Astronomy, Lucknow University, Lucknow, 226007 India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    To offer an insight into the toxicity of nanomaterials (NM) on the growth of bacteria, Escherichia coli ( E . coli ), Bacillus subtilis ( B . subtilis ) and Agrobacterium tumefaciens ( A . tumefaciens ) were exposed to nano-Au, nano-Ag, nano-Fe and fullerene (C 60 ) in this study. As an effective bactericide, nano-Ag induced high toxicity on these three bacteria; C 60 could inhibit their growth; however, B . subtilis and E . coli could recover as exposure time extended. Nano-Au and nano-Fe had hardly any effect on three bacteria. A . tumefaciens showed the lowest resistance and slowest growth rate during exposure. Images obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that nano-Ag could cause damage to the cell structure of three bacteria at 1 μg/mL. Slight damage on E. coli was found when exposed to C 60 , whereas no obvious physical damage was found after exposure to nano-Au or nano-Fe. It is assumed that surface activities of NM might be responsible for the different toxic effects on these bacteria. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1139-0 Authors Chang Wang, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085 People’s Republic of China Ling Wang, Key Lab of Subtropical Agriculture and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 People’s Republic of China Ying Wang, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056 People’s Republic of China Yong Liang, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085 People’s Republic of China Jie Zhang, Key Lab of Subtropical Agriculture and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Landfill site selection is a complex and time-consuming process, which requires evaluation of several factors where many different attributes are taken into account. Decision makers always have some difficulties in making the right decision in the multiple attribute environments. After identifying candidate sites, these sites should be ranked using decision-making methods. This study applies Chang’s fuzzy AHP-based multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) method for selection of the best site of landfills based on a set of decision criteria. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was designed to make pairwise comparisons of selected criteria by domain experts for assigning weights to the decision criteria. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to make pairwise comparisons and assign weights to the decision criteria. It is easier for a decision maker to describe a value for an alternative by using linguistic terms and fuzzy numbers. In the fuzzy-based AHP method, the rating of each alternative was described using the expression of triangular fuzzy membership functions. Once the global weights of the criteria is calculated by AHP, they are incorporated into the decision matrices composed by decision maker and passed to fuzzy-AHP method which is used to determine preference order of siting alternatives. In this study, a computer program based on the Chang’s fuzzy method was also developed in MATLAB environment for ranking and selecting the landfill site. As an example of the proposed methodology, four different hypothetical areas were chosen and implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the program. By using this program, the precision was improved in comparison with traditional methods and computational time required for ranking and selecting the suitable landfill site was significantly reduced. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1137-2 Authors Abdolhadi Nazari, Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, 424 Hafez Ave, 15875-4413 Tehran, Iran Mohammad Mehdi Salarirad, Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, 424 Hafez Ave, 15875-4413 Tehran, Iran Abbas Aghajani Bazzazi, Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, 424 Hafez Ave, 15875-4413 Tehran, Iran Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Heavy metal enrichment parity in sandy and shaly mechanic village (MV) soils was studied in order to explain the technical and economic imperatives of setting an environmentally friendly MV on either soil. Okigwe (shaly) and Nekede (sandy) mechanic village soils in the Imo River basin Nigeria were tested and compared. Spectroscopic analysis of the soil samples collected from three surface layers (L), where L1: 0–10 cm; L2: 10–20 cm and L3: 90–100 cm shows that Pb 〉 Cu 〉 Mn in the Okigwe MV, and Mn 〉 Pb 〉 Cu in the Nekede MV. Mean concentration of metals (mg kg −1 ) in Okigwe MV are Fe: 51,291 ± 18,148, Ni: 22 ± 4, Cd: 20 ± 3, Pb: 500 ± 513, Cu: 616 ± 369, Cr: 16 ± 9, and Mn: 378 ± 207. Similarly, Nekede MV has 22,101 ± 7,273 of Fe; 8 ± 0.8 of Ni; 11 ± 4 of Cd; 320 ± 122 of Pb; 265 ± 145 of Cu; 11 ± 2 of Cr; and 350 ± 191 of Mn. Pollution factor (Pf): Okigwe MV has 0.77, and Nekede has 0.68. Pollution degree: Okigwe MV is greater in L1 and L2, while Nekede is greater in L3, with greater potentials for Pb, and Mn mobility than the Okigwe. Both have similar trends of metal distribution, and significant correlation with their background values. Low clay-silt content in Nekede MV soil suggests low sorption capacity, whereas the high clay-silt content (47–64%) of the Okigwe soil suggests lower bioavailability. Infiltration basin is not recommended in a MV on sandy soil if water table is near surface. In such case, the MV must be moved to a location where water table is 〉37 m, or have clay-shale material transported to the site to form impervious layer base for detention basin. For groundwater safety and sustainability, shaly soils are most recommended for MVs so that detention basin could be economically used for storm water treatment. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1122-9 Authors Michael A. Nwachukwu, Earth and Environ Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA Huan Feng, Earth and Environ Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA Jude Alinnor, School of Science, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria Maureen Nwachukwu, GEOPROBE International Consultants Ltd, Owerri, Nigeria Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: Upcoming international events Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1138-1 Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The purpose of this study is to present a weighting method, integrating subjective weight with objective weight, for landslides susceptibility mapping based on geographical information system (GIS). First, the landslide inventory, aspect, slope, proximity to streams of drainage network, proximity to railway, proximity to road, topography, elevation, lithology, tectonic activity and annual precipitation, including their subclasses, were taken as independent landslide causal factors. Second, objective weights of the causal factors were calculated according to the landslide area density based on entropy weighting method, and key factors were selected according to the rank of the objective weights. Third, trapezoidal fuzzy number weighting approach was used to assess the sub-classes of each key factor. Finally, a case study was carried out in Guizhou province, China. A landslide susceptibility map was created using weighted linear combination model based on GIS. Using a predicted map of probability, the study area was classified into four categories of landslide susceptibility: low, moderate, moderate-high, and high. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1148-z Authors Wei-Dong Wang, School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University, 22 South Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410075 China Jing Guo, School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University, 22 South Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410075 China Li-Gang Fang, School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University, 22 South Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410075 China Xin-Sheng Chang, School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University, 22 South Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410075 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    This paper reports the results of the in situ application of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) passive samplers for trace metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) monitoring in transboundary Udy and Lopan rivers of the Seversky Donets watershed in the Kharkiv region (Ukraine), which has a long history of industrial development. The research discusses potential sources of DGT-measured labile metals in water and seasonal variations. Our results demonstrate the application of DGT for identifying and measuring labile metal concentrations in contrasted climate conditions (cold snowy winter and hot summer) and appropriateness of such a tool for continuous water monitoring with the presence of an ice cover. Results show that DGT-measured concentrations of most of trace metals were much higher downstream of the wastewater treatment plants discharges than upstream; thus wastewater treatment plants seemed not able to reduce or to remove trace metals’ contaminations and become major sources of pollutants in the studied rivers. The calculation of the average metal fluxes based on the DGT-measured concentrations confirmed that the urban wastewater discharges significantly contribute to the metal fluxes into the Udy and the Lopan rivers during both low-flow and high-flow periods. Compared to the wastewaters inputs to the rivers, the transboundary effect is limited, but should be taken into account as the origin of some metals is from sources located on the adjacent Russian territory. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1151-4 Authors Yuliya Vystavna, UFR des Sciences de la Terre et de la Mer, Université de Bordeaux, B18, Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence, France Frédéric Huneau, UFR des Sciences de la Terre et de la Mer, Université de Bordeaux, B18, Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence, France Mikael Motelica-Heino, CNRS/INSU Institut des Sciences de la Terre d’Orléans, Université d’Orléans, UMR 6113 ISTO, Campus Géosciences, 1A rue de la Férollerie, 41071 Orléans, France Philippe Le Coustumer, UFR des Sciences de la Terre et de la Mer, Université de Bordeaux, B18, Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence, France Yuri Vergeles, Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Academy of Municipal Economy at Kharkiv, vul. Revolutsii 12, Kharkiv, 61002 Ukraine Felix Stolberg, Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Academy of Municipal Economy at Kharkiv, vul. Revolutsii 12, Kharkiv, 61002 Ukraine Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A combined geophysical investigation consisting of vertical electrical sounding (VES) and multielectrode system was carried out to map the subsurface resistivity in all major lakes which are highly polluted by the discharge of sewage and other chemical effluents in greater Hyderabad, India. The structural features identified in the study area play a major role in groundwater flow and storage. The interpretation of geophysical data and lithologs indicates that a silt/clay zone (predominantly silt) has a thickness of 5–10 m all along the drainage from Patelcheruvu to the Musi River. The silt/clay zone inferred close to the lakes is a mixture of clay, silt and sand with more silt content as indicated from the lithologs during drilling. The low resistivity values obtained can be attributed to the pollutant accumulated in the silt which can reduce the resistivity values. Further, the TDS of the water samples in these wells are more than 1,000 mg/l which further confirms the above scenario. The pollution spread is less in the upstream areas whereas it is more in the downstream which can be attributed to the shallow water table conditions and also due to the interaction of surface water and groundwater. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-15 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1132-7 Authors N. Sundararajan, Department of Earth Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Post Box 36, Al-Khod, 123 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman S. Sankaran, National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, 500007 India T. K. Al-Hosni, Department of Earth Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Post Box 36, Al-Khod, 123 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Groundwater contaminated with arsenic (As), when extensively used for irrigation, causes potentially long-term detrimental effects to surface soils. Such contamination can also directly affect human health when irrigated crops, such as rice, vegetable and fruits, are used for human consumption. Therefore, an understanding of the leaching behavior of As in surface soils is of high importance, because such behavior may increase the bioavailability of As in the soil horizon. In this study, we have investigated the role of phosphate ions in leaching and bioavailability of As in the soil horizon, where drinking groundwater contains elevated levels of As (≥50 μg/L). Soil and groundwater samples were characterized in the laboratory and measured for physical and chemical constituents. The soils are generally neutral to slightly alkaline in character (pH range 7.5–8.1) with low to moderate levels of free Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , CaCO 3 , organic carbon, and clay content. The measured electrical conductivity (mean 599 μS/cm) of the soils demonstrates their non-saline nature. The Eh values (range −37 to −151 mV) of the groundwater indicate anoxic condition with low to moderate levels of bicarbonate (range 100–630 mg/L) and phosphate (range 0.002–4.0 mg/L). The arsenic content (range 50–690 μg/L; mean 321 μg/L) in groundwater has exceeded both WHO recommended guideline values (10 μg/L) and the National safe drinking water limit (50 μg/L). Regression analyses demonstrate that the bioavailability of As in the soil horizon is mainly controlled by the composition of free Fe 2 O 3 and CaCO 3 content of the soils. However, application of P could increase bioavailability of As in the soil horizon and become available to plants for uptake. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1126-5 Authors Sudip Jyoti Sahu, Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741 235 West Bengal, India Bibhash Nath, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia Sharmi Roy, Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741 235 West Bengal, India Biswapati Mandal, Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani, 741 235 West Bengal, India Debashis Chatterjee, Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741 235 West Bengal, India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: Erratum to: Groundwater geochemistry in the Meshkinshahr basin of Ardabil province in Iran Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-1 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1140-7 Authors Kaveh Pazand, Department of Mining Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hesarak Blvd, Poonak Sq., Tehran, Iran Ardeshir Hezarkhani, Department of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineering, Amirkabir University, Hafez Ave. No. 424, Tehran, Iran Yousef Ghanbari, Department of Mining Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hesarak Blvd, Poonak Sq., Tehran, Iran Nasrin Aghavali, Department of Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hesarak Blvd, Poonak Sq., Tehran, Iran Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Semi-arid environments are generally more sensitive to urbanization than humid regions in terms of both hydrologic modifications and water resources sustainability. The current study integrates hydrologic modeling and land use projections to predict long-term impacts of urbanization on hydrologic behavior and water supply in semi-arid regions. The study focuses on the Upper Santa Clara River basin in northern Los Angeles County, CA, USA, which is undergoing rapid and extensive development. The semi-distributed Hydrologic Simulation Program Fortran (HSPF) model is parameterized with land use, soil, and channel characteristics of the study watershed. Model parameters related to hydrologic processes are calibrated at the daily time step using various spatial configurations of precipitation and parameters. Potential urbanization scenarios are generated on the basis of a regional development plan. The calibrated (and validated) model is run under the proposed development scenarios for a 10 year period. Results reveal that increasing development increases total annual runoff and wet season flows, while decreases are observed in existing baseflow and groundwater recharge during both dry and wet seasons. As development increases, medium-sized storms increase in both peak flow and overall volume, while low and high flow events (extremes) appear less affected. Urbanization is also shown to decrease natural recharge and, when considered at the regional scale, may result in a loss of critical water supply to Southern California. The current study provides a coupled framework for a decision support tool that can guide efforts involved in regional urban development planning and water supply management. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-15 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1144-3 Authors Minxue He, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Terri S. Hogue, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The integration of remote sensing, geographic information system, landscape ecology and statistical analysis methods was applied to study the urban thermal environment in Guangzhou. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Build-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Barren Index (NDBaI) and Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) were used to analyze the relationships between land surface temperature (LST) and land use/land cover (LULC) qualitatively. The result revealed that, most urban built-up lands were located in the middle part, and high LST areas mostly and were in the middle and southern parts. Therefore, the urbanization and thermal environment in the middle and southern parts need to be determined. Land surface temperature increased with the density of urban built-up and barren land, but decreased with vegetation cover. The relationship between MNDWI and LST was found to be negative, which implied that pure water would decrease the surface temperature and the polluted water would increase the surface temperature. A multiple regression between LST and each indices as well as the elevation was created to elevate the urban thermal environment, which showed that NDVI, NDBI, NDBaI, MNDWI were effective indicators for quantifying LULC impacts on LST. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1145-2 Authors Qinqin Sun, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China Zhifeng Wu, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510640 Guangzhou, China Jianjun Tan, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510640 Guangzhou, China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Modern agricultural production uses phosphorus (P) extensively to meet the challenges of feeding rapidly growing population and changing lifestyles, making P a leading source of impairment for rivers and streams in Canada. Developing effective management strategies to reduce P losses from agro-ecosystems requires improved understanding of P transport pathways in the soil. The purpose of this study was to investigate vertical distribution and transport processes of phosphate (PO 4 ) in reconstructed soil columns using HYDRUS-1D model. Results obtained from field experiments were used to calibrate and validate the HYDRUS-1D model. The results showed that 98% of the total P applied was concentrated in the top 0.2 m of the columns, and decreased progressively with soil depth. The model over-predicted PO 4 adsorption, leading to a weak correspondence between the simulated and the measured results for PO 4 . This is a suggestion that the HYDRUS-1D model could not account accurately for the different soil structures found in the undisturbed soil columns and the preferential flow that occurs in these columns. This may be due to the fact that Freundlich isotherm, which is part of the transport equations, could not adequately describe PO 4 adsorption onto the soil particles. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1154-1 Authors Abdirashid Elmi, Department of Environmental Technology Management, College for Women, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, 13060 Safat, Kuwait Joumana S. Abou Nohra, Bioresource Engineering Department, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada Chandra A. Madramootoo, Bioresource Engineering Department, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada William Hendershot, Natural Resource Sciences Department, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: International viewpoint and news Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-1 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1149-y Authors Anne Marie de Grosbois, Friedmar-Brendel-Weg 9a, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A single parameter index method, in which ground temperature and air temperature is the sole input variable, respectively, is used to evaluate and compare the glacial runoff in three typical glacier catchments, Dongkemadi glacier catchment in Tibetan plateau, Koxkar glacier catchment and the headwater catchment of Urumqi River catchment in Tianshan Mountains in West China. The method based on ground temperature is an attempt to evaluate glacier runoff in elevated terrains, as few studies have focused specifically on the association between glacier runoff and ground temperature. The results identify ground temperature versus a certain depth, which is a critical factor that affected glacier hydrological processes and showed that runoff data is much better correlated with ground temperature than air temperature. Especially, at the latter two catchments, the largest coefficients of exponential relationship R 2 between glacier runoff and ground temperature are 0.9 and 0.83, respectively. The accuracy of the method makes it possible to estimate the glacier runoff with a certain depth ground temperature at a certain site, which may provide a new approach to evaluate the glacier runoff for areas where there is a lack of observation data. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1115-8 Authors Ren-sheng Chen, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, People’s Republic of China Wen-wu Qing, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, People’s Republic of China Shi-yin Liu, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, People’s Republic of China Hai-dong Han, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, People’s Republic of China Xiao-bo He, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, People’s Republic of China Jian Wang, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, People’s Republic of China Guang-yue Liu, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    In this paper, the application of a fully distributed hydrological model J2000 with limited hydrological data was investigated in an alpine small and glacierized catchment, the Qugaqie (55 km 2 with 7.3% glacier area), in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). The J2000 was examined to investigate the influence on model performance, as well as on data, parameters and sensitivities. The model was calibrated with time series of discharge at the basin outlet for the summers of 2006 and 2007 and validated for the summer of 2008 by examining multiple objective functions. The model coefficients of determination were 0.62 and 0.91 for the calibration periods in 2006 and 2007, respectively, and 0.56 for the validation period in 2008. Simulated discharge was generally less than the observed values for the calibration and validation periods. The sensitivity to alteration in meteorological parameter has revealed that a change in air temperature would cause a dramatic increase of discharge in the Qugaqie catchment. Hypothetical climate scenario experiments showed that the increase of air temperature by 1°C resulted in 14% increase in runoff, whereas 20% increase in precipitation caused 9% increase in runoff but 12% reduction in glacier melt. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1142-5 Authors Tanguang Gao, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environmental Change and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing, 100085 China Shichang Kang, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environmental Change and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing, 100085 China Peter Krause, Department for Geoinformatics, Hydrology and Modelling, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany Lan Cuo, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environmental Change and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing, 100085 China Santoch Nepal, Department for Geoinformatics, Hydrology and Modelling, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A sediment core from Guanabara Bay (Brazil) was analyzed for 210 Pb dating, grain size, total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen, carbon stable isotope ratio (δ 13 C), nitrogen stable isotope ratio (δ 15 N) and the metals Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Cu, Pb, V and Zn, to assess the influence of land use changes on the aquatic system in a region for which large industrial and urban development is expected in the next few decades. To obtain baseline data for improving the monitoring of the expected increase in anthropogenic impacts from surrounding drainage basins, a multivariate analysis of data from different sediment layers was carried out to evaluate the dated sediment record. The geochemical data suggested three different sedimentary phases along the last 200 years. Before the 1880s, the highest clay and TOC contents were observed, where the C/N ratios and the δ 13 C values suggested a mixture of algal and terrestrial organic matter and the lowest concentrations of Co, Cu, Pb, V and Zn, for which background levels were estimated (4.6, 2.7, 14.9, 24.3 and 70.2 mg kg −1 , respectively). From the 1880s to the 1950s, the metal concentrations and sand particles increased, but no change in organic matter quality was observed, reflecting a period of land use change, still without significant sewage input. After the 1950s, the sedimentation rate increased from 0.42 to 0.77 cm year −1 and increasing urban sewage input was evidenced by lower C/N ratios, higher δ 15 N, decrease of Fe and Mn concentrations and increased fluxes of metals and TOC, which showed a good relationship with population growth data. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1143-4 Authors Fábio F. Monteiro, Departamento de Geoquímica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro São João Batista, Centro Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Renato C. Cordeiro, Departamento de Geoquímica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro São João Batista, Centro Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Ricardo E. Santelli, Departamento de Geoquímica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro São João Batista, Centro Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Wilson Machado, Departamento de Geoquímica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro São João Batista, Centro Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Heitor Evangelista, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Leonardo S. Villar, Departamento de Geoquímica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro São João Batista, Centro Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Luis C. A. Viana, Departamento de Geoquímica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro São João Batista, Centro Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Edison D. Bidone, Departamento de Geoquímica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro São João Batista, Centro Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Disaster loss estimates are helpful for managing post-disaster reconstruction and for designing disaster-risk mitigation strategies. However, most of these estimates in China merely consider direct losses, and only a few include indirect economic losses. As the most destructive earthquake since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Wenchuan Earthquake that occurred in 2008 resulted in direct economic damages reached Chinese Yuan (CNY) 845 billion (US $124 billion). The aim of the study was to estimate indirect economic losses caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan Province through the Adaptive Regional Input–Output (ARIO) model, which can reflect disaster-related changes in production capacity, ripple effects within the economic system, and adaptive behaviors of economic actors. The results showed that indirect economic losses in the production and housing sectors were estimated at 40% of the direct economic losses, i.e., approximately CNY 300 billion; moreover, the model predicted an 8-year reconstruction period. Several factors contributed to these losses, including significant damages to key sectors, financial constraints on reconstruction, post-earthquake investment instability, and limits in reconstruction capacity. Active government support policies post-earthquake are a useful strategy to mitigate the adverse economic impact of an earthquake in developing countries. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1078-9 Authors Jidong Wu, State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China Ning Li, State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China Stéphane Hallegatte, Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement, Paris, France Peijun Shi, State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China Aijun Hu, Hunan Meteorological Bureau, Changsha, China Xueqin Liu, Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    How to integrate environmental geographic information and biodiversity data combined with management measures to effectively assess soil health is still an unresolved problem. This paper suggests an approach for systematically estimating soil quality and guiding ecological management. First, canonical correspondence analysis is used to predict the distributions of plant species or microorganism communities, principle pollutants and environmental variables from which spatial and environmental data are extracted by the geographic information system (GIS). Secondly, geostatistical methodologies are then used to estimate and quantify the spatial distribution characteristic of the species and pollutants and to create maps of spatial uncertainty and hazard assessment through ArcGis technology. Finally, redundancy analysis provides a suggestion about better management strategy and environmental factor for improving soil health and biodiversity. The combination of these methods with “3S” techniques as an assessment approach effectively meets the challenges for estimation and management in different soil environments. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1101-1 Authors Yang Gao, Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, 100101 Beijing, China Yafeng Wang, State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100085 Beijing, China Guoming Zhang, State Key Laboratory Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, 100078 Beijing, China Jun Xia, Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, 100101 Beijing, China Liang Mao, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South), Ministry of Agriculture, 200240 Shanghai, China Zhenwu Tang, Research Academy of Energy and Environmental Studies, North China Electric Power University, 102206 Beijing, China Pei Zhou, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South), Ministry of Agriculture, 200240 Shanghai, China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Acid rock/mine drainage and metal leaching constitute major environmental management risks in the mining industry. This paper assesses the environmental risks due to acid rock/mine drainage, and the metal leaching potential of multiple mines of gold and manganese on the Ankobra River Drainage Basin in Southwestern Ghana. The basin is a hub of mining activity in Ghana, hosting several mines. A combination of mineralogical, and static geochemical acid drainage predictive investigation of overburden of varied geological units, complimented with hydrochemical drainage quality analysis was used to assess potential environmental risks posed by acid-generating lithologies and mine spoil. Mineralogical investigations revealed sulphide-bearing lithological units with profound compositional variations due to the incorporation of potentially toxic heavy metals and metalloids, in association with carbonates and silicates. Accounting Base Accounting (ABA) and Net acid generation potential pH (NAGpH) tests delimited two tailing sites as potentially acid generating with NAGpH of 3.5 and 4.8, respectively. Five other samples, representing specific lithological units in the stratigraphic sequence, with net acid neutralization potential ratio (NNPR) less than 5.0, were classified as being potentially acid generating according to the categorization requirement of the US Forestry Service. The rest of the samples exhibited moderate to very strong buffering capabilities. The assessment also evaluated drainage quality of the network of streams and rivers constituting the basin and identified sources of drainage contaminants. Acidic waters emanate from identified acid generating sources, while high metal load regimes were identified with both low pH waters and high pH regimes, coincident with high sulphide and carbonate alteration sites, respectively. The study results show that Zn, Cu, Ni, As, Co, Sb, SO 4 2− , pH, alkalinity and conductivity are essential and adequate parameters in routine environmental risk monitoring programmes of mines in the area. Sites characterized by low pH (〈5.5) with high sulphate and metal ions are suggestive of acid mine drainage, while sites with high pH (〉7.5), metal ions and sulphate are suggestive of net acid neutralizing. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-22 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1090-0 Authors Thomas M. Akabzaa, Department of Earth Science, University of Ghana, Box LG 58, Accra, Legon, Ghana Sandow Mark Yidana, Department of Earth Science, University of Ghana, Box LG 58, Accra, Legon, Ghana Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The use of geographic information system (GIS) minimizes the effort and improves the efficiency of numerical models. The GIS provides a platform for high capacity collection, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display of spatial data. The conceptual model is created using GIS objects including points, arcs and polygons so that it can accurately represent real world condition. According to the research problem, the geographical model is based on Hypergraph Based Data Structure method, and a conceptual data model has been created from which a physical data model was elaborated in ArcGIS9.3 platform. The groundwater modeling system (GMS) provides a powerful tool for hydrodynamics modeling and it is able to solve complex problems such as the groundwater flow and seawater intrusion. The sand-dune system of Hardelot-Plage (North of France) suffers from a lack of well-developed foredune. This problem is linked to the almost constant saturation of beach sand which is the potential source of dune nourishment. In the south of Hardelot, the coastline is slowly, but constantly retreating. To remedy this situation, a coupling between a GIS and GMS was adopted, in order to find the possible scenarios which could lower the piezometric surface in the concerned area and allow dune nourishment again. The GMS used supports the Modflow-2000 code. A direct approach to designing Modflow finite difference model is tedious and less intuitive, specifically for complex boundary and initial conditions. Therefore, a Modflow model can be developed either using a grid or conceptual model approach. The preparation of input data modeling is tedious and takes a long time. The model created in GMS was calibrated against the historical and observed water level data for 1995–2006. Then a hydrodispersive model (MT3d code in GMS) was launched for evaluating sea-water intrusion. The model was run to generate groundwater and salt concentration scenario during pumping tests. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1080-2 Authors Fadi Chaaban, Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE), Université Lille1: Sciences et Technologies, Polytech’Lille, Avenue Paul Langevin, 59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France Hanan Darwishe, Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE), Université Lille1: Sciences et Technologies, Polytech’Lille, Avenue Paul Langevin, 59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France Barbara Louche, Faculty Jean Perrin, Université Artois, Lens Cedex, France Yvonne Battiau-Queney, Laboratoire de Préhistoire, Géomorphologie et Quaternaire, UFR de Géographie, Université Lille1: Sciences et Technologies, Lille, France Eric Masson, Laboratoire Territoires, Villes, Environnement et Société, UFR de Géographie, Université Lille1: Sciences et Technologies, Lille, France Jamal El Khattabi, Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE), Université Lille1: Sciences et Technologies, Polytech’Lille, Avenue Paul Langevin, 59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France Erick Carlier, Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE), Université Lille1: Sciences et Technologies, Polytech’Lille, Avenue Paul Langevin, 59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Study area with an area of about 415 km 2 is located from 31°40′ to 32°05′ northern latitudes and 48°45′ to 49°00′ eastern longitudes 85 km to the north-east of Ahwaz city, in the north of Khuzestan province, and south west of Iran. The purpose of this study is: (1) the determination of the pesticides concentration in the groundwater of the Shushtar plain (Mian-Ab) and (2) the assessment of geology, hydrogeology and anthropogenic activities impacts the groundwater quality. Thirty-seven groundwater samples were taken from product wells based on the standard methods. A simple and efficient automated method for extraction and preconcentration was used. In this method, a pyrrole-based polymer was synthesized and applied as an efficient sorbent for micro-solid-phase extraction. After extraction, analytes were desorbed in ethyl acetate and analyzed using gas chromatography–flame. The study area is surrounded by Aghajari Formation dominated by silt and clay sediments and the Bakhtiari Formation dominated by sand and gravel. Existence of these formations affects the aquifer sediments and the hydrogeological properties. In the study area, the sediments grade from gravel and sand in the north and east into silt and clay to the south and west, respectively. The topsoil in the south of the study area contains more clay sediments. In this study, the concentration of two common herbicides, i.e., 2,4-D and clodinafop propargyl and two pesticides, i.e., permethrin and diazinon, in the groundwater of Mian-Ab aquifer was assessed. Chemical analysis results showed that the 2,4-D residue in the groundwater has the highest concentration (15 ppm). About 50% of the samples have concentration values more than the maximum contamination level based on EPA drinking standard. The pesticides concentrations decrease from the north to the south of the study area. Pesticides influx to the groundwater in the south of the area is prevented or diminished due to the specific geological situation and soil type. Distribution pattern of population centers, which increase to the north of the study area, and the role of groundwater as the main source of drinking water are two important issues that must be considered in management of pesticides use in the area. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1086-9 Authors Ali Akbar Shahsavari, Department of Geology, ACECR, Research Institute of Applied Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Kamal Khodaei, Department of Geology, ACECR, Research Institute of Applied Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Farhad Asadian, Department of Geology, ACECR, Research Institute of Applied Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Farhad Ahmadi, Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Seyed Mohammad Zamanzadeh, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The morphosedimentary evolution of a sector of the southern Espinhaco range (northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil) and its regional neotectonic setting are presented herein. The studied site is a stream at base level flowing along the western border of the range. Its identification was accomplished by using remote sensing techniques including the analysis of 3D slope models generated with shuttle radar topography mission images. The main geomorphological features of the identified site were surveyed in a 1:500 scale. In addition, seven stratigraphic logs are described. A regional geologic compilation and facies diagrams were used as a basis for the integration of the geomorphological and stratigraphic data, which produced some conclusions about the recent tectonic reactivations at the eastern border of Sao Francisco Craton. The results point to a local eastward tilting of the Espinhaco range. This fact is in accordance with previous findings in neighboring areas and results in the asymmetric evolution of the fluvial valley, as well as the regional relief. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1111-z Authors Claudio E. Lana, Departamento de Engenharia Rural, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Alto Universitario S/N, Alegre, ES, Brazil Paulo de Tarso A. Castro, Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro S/N, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The safety of the center-core type of fill dam structure was assessed by examining the effects of the distortion of electrical response verified in terms of two-dimensional (2D) apparent resistivity and its inverted sections from three-dimensional (3D) modeling for the embankment. The distortion effect is due to 2D interpretation of the 3D structure of the embankment. From the analysis, it was found that water level was correctly described by the resistivity section around the middle part rather than each side at the end of the embankment. This is due to the 3D terrain effect when the material of the embankment is assumed to be horizontally uniform. In addition, when the slope of the outer rock-fill section is set as uniform, the resistivity section is more similar for sharper center-core slopes. On the other hand, when the rock-fill slope is steep, the resistivity section shows the water level at a lower position than the real one, and the 3D distortion effect at the end of the embankment is enhanced. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1104-y Authors Seokhoon Oh, Department of Energy & Resources Engineering, Kangwon National University, Hyoja 2-dong, Chuncheon, Kangwon 200-701, Korea Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Investigation of water sources and flow pathways is crucial to understand and evaluate the characteristics of surface water and groundwater systems. This article aims to identify the hydrochemical and hydrological processes in different landscape zones based on hydrochemical analyses of various samples, including samples from glacier, snow, frozen soil meltwater, surface water, groundwater, and precipitation, in the alpine cold region of China. Hydrochemical tracers indicated that chemical compositions are characterized by the Ca-HCO 3 type in the glacier-snow zone; the Mg-Ca-SO 4 type in the alpine cold desert zone; the Ca-HCO 3 -SO 4 type in the marsh meadow zone; the Ca-Mg-HCO 3 type in the alpine shrub zone; and the Ca-Na-SO 4 type in the mountain grassland zone. An end-member mixing model was used for hydrograph separation. The results showed that the Mafengou River in the wet season was recharged by groundwater in the alpine cold desert and alpine shrub zones (67%), surface runoff in the glacier-snow zone (11%), surface runoff in the alpine cold desert zone (8%), thawed water from frozen soil in the marsh meadow and mountain grassland zones (9%), and direct precipitation on the river channel (5%). This study suggests that precipitation from the whole catchment yielded little direct surface runoff; precipitation was mostly transformed into groundwater or interflow and was then concentrated into the river channel. This study provides a scientific basis for evaluation and management of water resources in the basin. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1108-7 Authors Yong-gang Yang, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, No. 92, Wucheng Road, Taiyuan, 030006 Shanxi, China Hong-lang Xiao, Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology and River Basin Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Song-bing Zou, Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology and River Basin Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Liang-ju Zhao, Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology and River Basin Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Mao-xian Zhou, Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology and River Basin Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Lan-gong Hou, Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology and River Basin Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Fang Wang, Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology and River Basin Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    In this paper, the contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil samples around three different oily sludge plants in winter were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the pollution degree with PAHs in soil samples was determined. Soil samples were collected from the agricultural soil around three different oily sludge plants (the Third Wenming Plant, the Third Mazhai Plant, and the Fourth Wener Plant) along with the leeway in Zhongyuan oil field. The distances from collected sample sites to oily sludge plants are 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 m, respectively. The results show that the contents of PAHs in soil samples decrease dramatically with the increase of the distance from the oily sludge, and that the PAHs with 2–4 rings are major pollutants in the oily sludge and soil samples. The main factors, which influenced the distribution of PAHs are discussed. Based on Nemero Index P, the classification evaluation shows that the soils around the oily sludge are heavily polluted in winter. The health risk assessment and ecological risk assessment of the soils around the oily sludge in Zhongyuan oil field in winter are analyzed. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-0960-9 Authors Shaoping Kuang, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042 China Zhanchao Wu, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042 China Laishi Zhao, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Water shortage and groundwater pollution have become two primary environmental concerns to Beijing since the 1990s. The local aquifers, as the dominant sources for domestic and agricultural water supply, are depleting due to groundwater abstraction and continuous drought in recent years with rapid urbanization and increasing water consumption. Therefore, understanding the hydrogeological system is fundamental for a sustainable water resources management. In this article, the numerical analysis of a 3-D regional groundwater flow model for the Nankou area is presented. The hydrogeological system is reproduced according to sparsely distributed boreholes data. The numerical analysis is carried out using the scientific software OpenGeoSys, which is based on the finite element method. The model calibration and sensitivity analysis are accomplished with inverse methods by applying a model independent parameter estimation system (PEST). The results of the calibrated model show reasonable agreements with observed water levels. The transient groundwater flow simulations reflect the observed drawdown of the last 9 years and show the formation of a depression cone in an intensively pumped area. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-0957-4 Authors Feng Sun, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Haibing Shao, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Thomas Kalbacher, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Wenqing Wang, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Zhongshan Yang, Beijing Hydrological Center, Beijing, 100089 People’s Republic of China Zhenfang Huang, Beijing Hydrological Center, Beijing, 100089 People’s Republic of China Olaf Kolditz, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Subao River lies along the Beichuan–Yingxiu fault in Beichuan County, which has been heavily impacted by the Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 and has become sources of many geo-hazards. On 24 September 2008, a rainstorm triggered a large debris flow in the catchment, causing several deaths and significant damages. A case study on changes of the debris flow was conducted in the river. The peak discharges were calculated in the Guanmenzi, Huangnidi, and Daanshan gullies. Results indicated that the peak discharges corresponded to various return periods in different gullies: 200 years in Daanshan, 100 years in Huangnidi, and 50 years in Guanmenzi. However, the triggering precipitation in these three gullies was only of a 20-year return period. The debris flows had undergone significant changes. Analysis indicated that the changes should be ascribed to the flow characteristics, initiation conditions, and the channel blockage impacted by the rapid accumulation of loose material. Channel blockage was the principal factor increasing the scale of the debris flow. The values on the blocking coefficient were presented based on density, height, and other characteristics of dams. Finally, all of the peak debris flow discharges of the Subao River Valley for a 20-year return period were calculated using the recommended blocking coefficient values. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-0949-4 Authors Xingzhang Chen, School of Environment and Resource, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010 Sichuan China Peng Cui, Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Process and Hazards/Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China Yong You, Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Process and Hazards/Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China Jinfeng Liu, Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Process and Hazards/Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Few studies exist that investigate the potential impact of groundwater mounding due to mining near an environmentally sensitive area in a real world scenario. This paper presents a case study in which the development and extent of groundwater mounding due to mining near the Shark Bay World Heritage Property (SBWHP) in Western Australia (WA) has been simulated. A numerical model was developed that enabled a detailed simulation of groundwater level response to the discharge of a water saturated sand slurry during mining at the project site near Coburn in WA. The simulations showed that after a mining period of around two and a half years, a groundwater mound of around 2.5 m would develop along the margins of the open pit at the SBWHP boundary. 500 m further into the SBWHP, the groundwater mound is predicted to be around 1 m high. A depth to water analysis showed that the groundwater may come within 4 m of the surface in the area of a sand dune swale that traverses from SW to NE near the SBWHP boundary. The results of these analyses provide a perspective of mine-related impacts in a unique environment. The results have been included in an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and used for mine water balance predictions. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-0961-8 Authors Stefan Gödeke, URS Australia Pty Ltd, 20 Terrace Rd, 6004 Perth, WA Australia Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: International viewpoint and news Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-2 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-0955-6 Authors Anne Marie de Grosbois, Friedmar-Brendel-Weg 9a, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A new simplified method based on one-dimensional displacement theory and 2-D finite element (FE) analysis was developed to predict the vertical displacement behavior of a concrete-faced rockfill dam. The FE analyses were carried out at the end of construction (EOC) and the end of first filling of reservoir. The proposed method was calibrated by using continuously monitored vertical displacement of the dam’s body to determine the mobilized modulus of elasticity of the rockfills at the EOC. The prediction capability of the method was demonstrated using field measurements against the findings from the 2-D FE analysis simulating characteristics of construction stages of the dam. The validity of the method was also examined on another membrane-faced rockfill dam by comparing the geodetic measurements of vertical displacement measurements of the dam’s body with the calculated vertical displacements from 2-D FE analysis at the EOC. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1070-4 Authors Ayhan Gurbuz, Civil Engineering Department, Atilim University, 06836 Incek-Ankara, Turkey Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Peatlands contain approximately 25% of the total soil organic carbon, despite covering only 3% of earth’s land surface. The ecological, hydrological and biogeochemical functions of peatlands are tightly coupled to climate. Therefore, both direct human impacts and indirect effects of climate change can threaten the ecological function of peatlands through changes in hydrology. However, little is known about how peatland ecosystems, and specifically their biogeochemistry, carbon cycling, and development, may respond to climatic change. In this study, the Peat Accumulation Model was adapted to investigate the response of peatland development and carbon cycling to climatic change through simulating changes in precipitation and temperature at different stages of peatland development history. The warming and wetting were imposed on this system at 10,000 years since its initialization (mid-development stage) and at 20,000 years since its initialization (late-development stage). Here, it was revealed that peatlands can switch between carbon sinks and sources suddenly, but the extent to which the change takes place depends on the developmental stage of peatland ecosystems. The simulation results for the late-development stage showed that peatlands could function as carbon sources once warming and wetting was imposed but that peatland ecosystems during the mid-development stage can still function as carbon sinks under warming and wetting conditions. Moreover, peatland ecosystems have self-regulation capabilities so that they can go back to their normal ecological and biogeochemical functions under newly stabilized climates. Also, it is the change in temperature that results in the fundamental change in peatland development and carbon cycling. This study indicates that the response of peatland ecosystems to climate change is largely determined by their developmental stages. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1073-1 Authors Jianghua Wu, Sustainable Resource Management, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus, 1 University Drive, Corner Brook, NL A2H 6P9, Canada Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    In this study, the vegetation dynamics in Heilongjiang province and their relationships with climate variability were assessed using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and meteorological datasets from 1981 to 2003. The conclusions from our results are as follows: (1) After 1981, vegetation cover, as indicated by the NDVI, exhibited an insignificant increasing tendency. However, the inter-annual variations of the NDVI showed apparent spatial differentiations. (2) The inter-annual changes of the NDVI were different from season to season. The spring and autumn NDVI values increased, while the summer and winter NDVI decreased. (3) The annual NDVI was significantly correlated with precipitation. Thus, as compared to temperature, precipitation was the dominant climatic factor affecting the vegetation dynamics in Heilongjiang province. (4) The trend in the NDVI showed a marked homogeneity corresponding to regional and seasonal variations in climate. Additionally, land use changes also play an important role in influencing the NDVI trends over some regions. All of these findings will enrich our knowledge of the natural forces that impact the stability of boreal ecosystems and provide a scientific basis for the environmental management in Heilongjiang province in response to climate change and human activities. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1021-0 Authors Wenbin Liu, Department of Ecology, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, 150040 Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China Tijiu Cai, Department of Ecology, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, 150040 Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China Cunyong Ju, Department of Ecology, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, 150040 Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China Guobin Fu, Land and Water, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia Yuefeng Yao, Department of Ecology, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, 150040 Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China Xueqing Cui, Department of Ecology, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, 150040 Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    In arid regions, because of spatial variability, using single climate records is difficult to reconstruct the past climate change for the drainage basins. Holocene environmental records were collected from the upper, middle and lower regions of the Shiyang River drainage basin in the marginal area of the Asian monsoon (northwest China). The main objective of this paper was to compare the records from the terminal lake and the middle and upper reaches of the basin to study the basin-wide environmental changes. During the early Holocene the vegetation was sparse, and the effective moisture was relatively low in the basin. The Holocene Climatic Optimum started between 7.0 and 8.0 cal ka BP, during which the lake level reached the highest level in the terminal lake; the vegetation density and the effective moisture reached the highest level during the Holocene in the drainage basin. From 4.7 cal ka BP the terminal lake began to shrink, while the vegetation density decreased dramatically. In the middle and upper regions of the drainage, the effective moisture began to decrease since 3.5 cal ka BP, and the arid tendency was earlier in the terminal lake than it was in the middle and upper regions of the drainage basin. During the early Holocene the relatively arid environment was affected by the gradually intensifying East Asian monsoon and the dry westerly winds. The mid-Holocene Optimum benefited from the intensive East Asian monsoon and the humid westerly winds. Then, the East Asian monsoon retreated since the late-Holocene. In the basin the arid tendency may be related to the retracting of the East Asian monsoon. However, the intensifying acidification after 1.5 cal ka BP may be correlated to the increasing dryness of the westerly winds. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1083-z Authors Yu Li, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Center for Hydrologic Cycle and Water Resources in Arid Region, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Nai’ang Wang, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Center for Hydrologic Cycle and Water Resources in Arid Region, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Zhuolun Li, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Center for Hydrologic Cycle and Water Resources in Arid Region, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Hua’an Zhang, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Center for Hydrologic Cycle and Water Resources in Arid Region, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Land use/cover change and its driving forces has been one of the most important fields in global environmental change research since the 1990s. Karst areas are distributed extensively on the Earth’s surface and are usually characterized by a fragile eco-environment. In southwest China, karst landforms are fully developed and their eco-environment is highly fragile. Over the past decades, irrational land use practice has caused a series of alarming eco-environmental issues including forest clearing, soil erosion, and karst rocky desertification. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to study land use/cover change in this area and its driving forces in order to re-build the damaged eco-environment and achieve sustainable land use. In this paper, the authors conduct a case study on land use/cover change and its natural and human driving forces since the early 1970s in southwest China’s Maotiaohe watershed. The results indicate that the land use/cover pattern in the study area has undergone a very complex change, which is a result of combined action of both natural and anthropological factors. In the 1970s and 1980s, climate change and fast population increase played dominating roles in the change of arable land, shrub land, grassland, and rocky desertification land. Since the early 1990s, economic development has gradually taken the place of population change to become the overwhelming human factor to go along with climate change in driving the land use/cover change, particularly the change in arable land, construction land, and rocky desertification land. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1037-5 Authors Jian Peng, School of Management, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 People’s Republic of China Yueqing Xu, Department of Land Resources and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100093 People’s Republic of China Yunlong Cai, Department of Resource and Environmental Geography, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 People’s Republic of China Honglin Xiao, Department of History and Geography, Elon University, Elon, NC 27244, USA Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: International viewpoint and news Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-2 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1036-6 Authors Anne Marie de Grosbois, Friedmar-Brendel-Weg 9a, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The Paraná River is one of the largest drainage systems in the Americas. Its hydrology is characterized by an active teleconnection with the ENSO, and by a significant discharge increase trend, evident since the mid-1970s. An Eh–pH data set collected in the Paraná’s middle stretch suggests that large flood events, such as the one triggered by the 1982–1983 ENSO, are discernible in the plot, probably due to the influx of water draining flood plain water bodies. The total (particulate + dissolved) concentration of a set of heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) was determined in a downriver survey of the middle stretch. With the exception of Cu, Cd, and Pb, the metals exhibit a significantly increasing concentration trend towards the river mouth. The slopes of the regression lines imply that Zn and Ni, on one hand, and Mn and Cr, on the other would have common controlling sources. Another set of analyses were performed during the 1982–1983 flooding event; besides an increased variability observable during the flood arrival, most elements, with the only exception of Pb, did not show a variability coherent with the discharge series. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1068-y Authors Andrea I. Pasquini, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA CONICET-UNC), Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016GCA Córdoba, Argentina Pedro J. Depetris, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA CONICET-UNC), Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016GCA Córdoba, Argentina Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: Upcoming international events Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1035-7 Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Grain-size distributions and detrital minerals were investigated for modern dust and for lacustrine sediment in Lake Barkol region, northwest China. Characteristics of the modern dust and lacustrine sediments, principle component analysis, and changes of quartz contents all suggest grain size 45–138 μm in the core sediment is the dust sensitive component. It indicates that high dust flux climate occurred at mid-Holocene (5.5–4.5 cal ka BP), corresponding to the high dust flux record in northwest Pacific and the drought interval of deserts in northwest China during the mid-Holocene. The strong dust activity is in contradiction with the climatic optimum recorded by the lacustrine evidence in Xinjiang. Different responses of the dust source region and watershed to the regional climate may have led to the inconsistency between dust and climate records during the mid-Holocene in arid central Asia. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1084-y Authors Yanbin Lu, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, MOE, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Chengbang An, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, MOE, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Jiawu Zhang, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, MOE, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Zongli Wang, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, MOE, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Shichen Tao, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, MOE, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Jiaju Zhao, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, MOE, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Generally, pixels are the basic unit for assessment of landslide susceptibility. However, even if the results facilitate the comparison, a pixel-based analysis does not clearly illustrate the distribution relationships. To eliminate this deficiency, the concept of the Landslide Response Unit (LRU) is proposed in this study, for which adjacent pixels that have similar properties are combined as a basic unit for susceptibility assessment. The Subao River basin, seriously impacted by the Wenchuan Earthquake, was selected as the study area, and three factors including slope gradient, slope aspect, and slope shape, which have a significant impact on landslides, were chosen to divide the basin into 25,984 LRUs. Then topographic, geologic, and distance factors were applied for the landslide susceptibility evaluation. The logistic regression method was used to establish the susceptibility assessing model by analyzing 2,000 susceptible LRUs and 2,000 un-susceptible LRUs. The model accuracy was defined in terms of the ROC curve value and the κ value, 0.531 and 0.84, respectively. The susceptibility of landslides was divided into low, moderate, high, and very high in Subao River basin, and 73% of historical landslides and all four new landslides are in the highly susceptible zone and very highly susceptible zones. Finally, the LRUs with houses, farmlands, and roads prone to sliding and burial hazard were assessed separately. On the basis of considering the potential movement directions of the LRUs, the result found that 1,001 and 835 LRUs probably would be destroyed by slope sliding and landslide burial, respectively. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1002-3 Authors Jianqiang Zhang, Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041 China Peng Cui, Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041 China Yonggang Ge, Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041 China Lingzhi Xiang, Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    For water management purposes, information about an entire aquifer system is generally more important than information about a specific spring. Since a karstic aquifer system might drain to several outlets, conclusions derived from a single spring can be misleading for characterization and modeling. In this study we apply a conceptual model to an Alpine dolomite karst system in Austria. The particular challenge was that several small springs with strongly varying hydrological behavior and diffuse flow into surrounding streams drain this system. Instead of applying the model to a single spring, it was calibrated simultaneously to several observations within the system aiming to identify the karst system’s intrinsic hydrodynamic parameters. Parameter identification is supported by modeling the transport of water isotopes (δ 18 O). The parameters were transferred to the whole system with a simple upscaling procedure and a sensitivity analysis was performed to unfold influence of isotopic information on parameter sensitivity and simulation uncertainty. The results show that it is possible to identify system intrinsic parameters. But the sensitivity analysis revealed that some are hardly identifiable. Only by considering uncertainty reasonable predictions can be provided for the whole system. Including isotopic information increases the sensitivity of some intrinsic parameters, but it goes along with a sensitivity decrease for others. However, a possible reduction of prediction uncertainty by isotopic information is compensated by deficiencies in the transport modeling routines. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1033-9 Authors Andreas Hartmann, Institute of Hydrology, Freiburg University, Fahnenbergplatz, 79098 Freiburg, Germany Martin Kralik, Umweltbundesamt, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria Franko Humer, Umweltbundesamt, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria Jens Lange, Institute of Hydrology, Freiburg University, Fahnenbergplatz, 79098 Freiburg, Germany Markus Weiler, Institute of Hydrology, Freiburg University, Fahnenbergplatz, 79098 Freiburg, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The article presents the geochemical and biogeochemical characteristics of heavy metal elements within the soil–plant system in the Hetai mine-abandoned areas and wasteland, China. The cytogenetic toxic effects of gold mine wastelands environment on the chromosome and micronucleus were analyzed by genetic methods. The results showed that abundances of Au and Au-associated heavy metal elements such as Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Hg in soils, plants and the pigments in those abandoned mine areas were much higher than those in the background region. The cell structures of the plants in the abandoned mine areas were anomalous and aberrant, and there were many nano-metal particles diffused in the cells. Moreover, the heavy metal elements in those abandoned mine areas had entered the ultrastructure and caused toxicities to the organism. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1176-8 Authors Li Miao, Key Laboratory of Marginal Sea Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510301 Guangzhou, GD, People’s Republic of China Yueliang Ma, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510640 Guangzhou, GD, People’s Republic of China Ruisong Xu, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510640 Guangzhou, GD, People’s Republic of China Wen Yan, Key Laboratory of Marginal Sea Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510301 Guangzhou, GD, People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Petrographic, mineralogical, and stable isotopes (δ 13 C, δ 18 O values) compositions were used to characterise marbles and sedimentary carbonate rocks from central Morocco, which are considered to be a likely source of ornamental and building material from Roman time to the present day. This new data set was used in the frame of an archaeometric provenance study on Roman artefacts from the town of Thamusida (Kenitra, north Morocco), to assess the potential employment of these rocks for the manufacture of the archaeological materials. A representative set of samples from marbles and other carbonate rocks (limestone, dolostone) were collected in several quarries and outcrops in the Moroccan Meseta, in a region extending from the Meknes–Khenifra alignment to the Atlantic Ocean. All the samples were studied using a petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical methods. The petrographic and minerological investigations (optical microscopy, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction) allowed to group the carbonate rocks in limestones, foliated limestone, diagenetic breccias and dolostone. The limestones could be further grouped as mudstones, wackestones–packstones, crinoid grainstones, oolitic grainstone and floatstones. Textural differences allowed to define marbles varieties. The stable carbon and oxygen isotope composition proved to be quite useful in the discrimination of marble sources, with apparently less discriminatory potential for carbonate rocks. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1224-4 Authors Francesca Origlia, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy Elisabetta Gliozzo, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy Anna Gandin, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy Marco Meccheri, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy Jorge E. Spangenberg, Institute of Mineralogy and Geochemistry, University of Lausanne, Building Anthropole, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Isabella Turbanti Memmi, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Spent mushroom compost (SMC) is widely used as reactor matrix in passive bioreactor involving sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) for acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment. Follow-up our previous report, recent work has been established the extent of activity, sustained organic carbon availability, and the biochemical events of successive alkalinity producing system-based chemo-bioreactor for continuous performance using SMC. Removal of iron and sulfate from influent was over 77 and 90%, respectively, for first 13 weeks, while sulfate removal efficiency suddenly dropped down to 31% thereafter. Ahead of 13th week, process failure was beginning to be noticed when available dissolved organic carbon (DOC) value dropped down to 50 mg/L. SRB population was mostly affected with DOC drought at this stage. Sulfur was one of the major elements found with other tested metals in blackish green effluent precipitate. Sulfide compounds of the tested metals were formed on both exhausted chemo-bioreactor bed and precipitate. FTIR analysis indicated that SMC was responsible for metal binding and available nutrients supply. The present study revealed the feasibility of SMC as a host for treating AMD by this chemo-bioreactor that will assist in designing the continuous treatment practice. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1268-5 Authors Bidus Kanti Das, Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302 India Santi M. Mandal, Central Research Facility, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302 India Jayanta Bhattacharya, Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302 India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The potential release of metals from anoxic sediments exposed to oxygen was investigated by using a synthetic preparation of metal sulphides dominated by solid phase FeS. The technique of DGT (diffusive gradients in thin-films) was used to measure sulphide and Fe, Mn and Ni in the anoxic metal-sulphide slurry, which had a pH of 6.4. Speciation calculations based on these data showed there was moderate supersaturation with respect to amorphous FeS in the solution phase. Measurements made using DGT with a range of diffusion layer thicknesses showed that when Fe, Mn and Ni are removed from solution there is fairly rapid (minutes) release from the solid phase, that is reasonably well sustained. This presumed desorptive release will be responsible for elevated concentrations of some metals in solution when sediments are resuspended. Oxidation of the slurry by bubbling with air rapidly (hours) removed Fe, Mn and Ni from the pore water solution. While Fe concentrations in solution remained low after the removal, Mn and Ni were transiently released. These results were consistent with initial rapid oxidation of Fe(II) to oxyhydroxides, which remove Mn(II) and Ni by adsorption. The slower oxidation of FeS then releases Mn and Ni, but these too are eventually removed by adsorption to iron oxyhydroxides. These data suggest that oxidation of metal sulphides will contribute to the release of metals from sediment disturbed by dredging or remedial aeration, but it is likely to be short lived, with complete removal within a day. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1194-6 Authors C. Naylor, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK W. Davison, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK M. Motelica-Heino, ISTO, UMR 6113, CNRS Université d’Orléans, Orléans, France L. M. van der Heijdt, Transport and Water Management Inspectorate, P.O. Box 61, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands G. A. van den Berg, Kiwa Water Research, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The application of compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) was evaluated to characterise a complex groundwater contamination. For this purpose, δ 13 C and δ 2 H analysis of benzenes and alkylated derivatives were used to interpret both the impact of different sources on a contaminant plume and the presence of degradation processes. The different contaminant sources could be distinguished based on their combined δ 13 C–δ 2 H signature of the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) dissolved in the groundwater. Despite this source differentiation, plume characterisation was not possible due to the complex mixing of the respective contaminant plumes. Furthermore, the original isotope signatures of the sources were not preserved across these plumes. To estimate the level of in situ biodegradation independently from concentration data, the Rayleigh equation was used. Although current literature identifies the application of CSIA as very promising in the frame of characterising organic groundwater pollution, this study has indicated that this approach can be limited with respect to successfully distinguish the different plumes and their relation to the known source zones. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1254-y Authors Ilse Van Keer, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium Jan Bronders, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium Jeroen Verhack, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium Jan Schwarzbauer, Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, RWTH Aachen University, Lochnerstrasse 4-20, 52056 Aachen, Germany Rudy Swennen, Geology, Catholic University Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: International viewpoint and news Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-2 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1226-2 Authors Anne Marie de Grosbois, Friedmar-Brendel-Weg 9a, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Insufficient knowledge of the hydrogeochemistry of aquifers in the Central Region of Ghana has necessitated a preliminary water quality assessment in some parts of the region. Major and minor ions, and trace metal compositions of groundwater have been studied with the aim of evaluating hydrogeochemical processes that are likely to impair the quality of water in the study area. The results show that groundwater in the area is weakly acidic with mean acidity being 5.83 pH units. The dominant cation in the area is Na, followed by K, Ca, and Mg, and the dominant anion is Cl − , followed by HCO 3 − and SO 4 2− . Two major hydrochemical facies have been identified as Na–Cl and Na–HCO 3, water types. Multivariate statistical techniques such as cluster analysis (CA) and factor analysis/principal component analysis (PCA), in R mode, were employed to examine the chemical compositions of groundwater and to identify factors that influenced each. Q-mode CA analysis resulted in two distinct water types as established by the hydrochemical facies. Cluster 1 waters contain predominantly Na–Cl. Cluster 2 waters contain Na–HCO 3 and Na–Cl. Cluster 2 waters are fresher and of good quality than cluster 1. Factor analysis yielded five significant factors, explaining 86.56% of the total variance. PC1 explains 41.95% of the variance and is contributed by temperature, electrical conductivity, TDS, turbidity, SO 4 2− , Cl − , Na, K, Ca, Mg, and Mn and influenced by geochemical processes such as weathering, mineral dissolution, cation exchange, and oxidation–reduction reactions. PC2 explains 16.43% of the total variance and is characterized by high positive loadings of pH and HCO 3 − . This results from biogenic activities taking place to generate gaseous carbon dioxide that reacts with infiltrating water to generate HCO 3 − , which intend affect the pH. PC3 explains 11.17% of the total variance and is negatively loaded on PO 4 3− and NO 3 − indicating anthropogenic influence. The R-mode PCA, supported by R-mode CA, have revealed hydrogeochemical processes as the major sources of ions in the groundwater. Factor score plot revealed a possible flow direction from the northern sections of the study area, marked by higher topography, to the south. Compositional relations confirmed the predominant geochemical process responsible for the various ions in the groundwater as mineral dissolution and thus agree with the multivariate analysis. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-15 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1266-7 Authors Samuel Y. Ganyaglo, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Shiloh Osae, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Samuel B. Dampare, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Joseph R. Fianko, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Mohammad A. H. Bhuiyan, Department of Earth Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Abass Gibrilla, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Edward Bam, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Elikem Ahialey, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Juliet Osei, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A numerical model consisting of simplified equations was developed to simulate nitrate concentrations in groundwater in a reservoir area of a subsurface dam in a Quaternary limestone region. The model was composed of a water balance sub-model and a nitrogen balance sub-model; the water balance sub-model was built from tank models which can express the quick dilution near caves and the effect of dam construction; and the nitrogen balance sub-model was made to represent changes in nitrogen forms and movement of nitrogen in the soil and aquifer zones. The model was calibrated and verified by observed data before and after the dam construction and then applied to a predictive simulation under a simple assumption that rainfall descends gradually. The model seemed applicable to long-term prediction of changes in NO 3 -N in the reservoir area. Content Type Journal Article Category Special Issue Pages 1-17 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1356-6 Authors Shuhei Yoshimoto, National Institute for Rural Engineering, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1-6 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8609, Japan Takeo Tsuchihara, National Institute for Rural Engineering, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1-6 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8609, Japan Satoshi Ishida, National Institute for Rural Engineering, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1-6 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8609, Japan Masayuki Imaizumi, National Institute for Rural Engineering, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1-6 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8609, Japan Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The loss of coral coverage from environmental degradation is a progressive phenomenon that occurs in coral communities around the world. However, the consequences of land use changes and its impact on the state of conservation of coral communities are not yet understood. This study compares the impact of coastal land use changes on four coral communities near rural (Isla Faro and El Zapote) and suburban (Caleta de Chon and Playa Manzanillo) sites in the states of Michoacan and Guerrero, along the central Pacific coast of Mexico. Indicators of environmental degradation in coral communities (sediment deposition, water transparency, total suspended solids, and chlorophyll concentration) show that signs of eutrophication are absent from both rural sites in Michoacan. This absence suggests that human impact is not the main cause of the observed degradation (coral Mortality Index MI = 0.85, a high death coral coverage ~42% and the lowest species richness). Instead, the 1997–1998 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event (the strongest in the last decade) appears to be the major factor in this coral cover decline, as it occurred in the eastern Pacific and other regions of the world. In contrast, coral communities near the suburban sites in Guerrero are well developed, and their coral coverage and species richness (up to 67.7% and 7 species, respectively) are comparable to other major coral communities in this region. Nonetheless, indicators of human-derived degradation in the Guerrero coastal zone near Caleta de Chon and Playa Manzanillo, including high sediment deposition up to 1.2 kg m −2  d −1 , low water transparency 〈5 m, presence of filamentous algae on dead corals and a coral Mortality Index of MI ~0.6 show that human impact is beginning to affect the conservation state of these coral communities, reducing their species richness and coral coverage. Although the ENSO impact on coral communities could be more drastic than the anthropogenic impact, the current study confirms that increased land use changes and coastal erosion are causing progressive coral community degradation. Therefore, land and coastal changes must be rigorously regulated. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1359-3 Authors Héctor Nava, Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro, No. 8701 Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de La Huerta, C. P. 58190 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico María Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro, No. 8701 Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de La Huerta, C. P. 58190 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Grot tailing dump has the highest altitude of all tailing dumps in the Republic of Serbia. About 5.5 million tons of hydrocycloned sand was deposited in the tailing dump. This material was formed by flotation processing of ore from the Blagodat ore field. Vegetation was not developed in any part of the tailing. Minerals determined by X-ray diffraction analyses of representative samples form the tailing are quartz, clay minerals, calcite, feldspars, hematite, siderite, pyrite, sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite. No regularities were noticed in their quantitative distribution. Statistical analysis of chemical fluctuations of lead, zinc, copper, arsenic and manganese concentrations showed that those with the highest concentrations are usually found on the central plateau. Lead displays the largest concentration range in the whole tailing. Maximal concentrations are found on the central and minimal in the south-western plateau. Zinc concentrations are up to 5,000 mg/kg, except in the central plateau where they reach extreme several times higher values. Copper concentrations are increased in the central plateau. In other parts of the tailing, concentrations are uniform and several times lower. Arsenic concentrations are mostly uniform, with the exception of extreme values in the north-western parts of the central plateau. Manganese shows uniform concentrations, somewhat increased on the south-eastern plateau. Chemical heterogeneity of the tailing material was influenced by the chronological discontinuity of the deposition and resedimentation. Resedimentation was the main cause of the fluctuation in the concentrations of the most mentioned heavy metals. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1303-6 Authors Božidar V. Djokić, Geological Institute of Serbia, Rovinjska 12, Belgrade, Serbia Vidojko Jović, Faculty of Mining and Geology, Djušina 7, Belgrade, Serbia Milun Jovanović, Geological Institute of Serbia, Rovinjska 12, Belgrade, Serbia Aleksandra Ćirić, Geological Institute of Serbia, Rovinjska 12, Belgrade, Serbia Dragan Jovanović, Geological Institute of Serbia, Rovinjska 12, Belgrade, Serbia Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The main purposes of this study are the textural, chemical and mineralogical characterization of the urban soils of Lisbon and the identification of probable relations between the several soil properties. The results are used to infer which soil properties control the superficial dispersion of potential harmful elements to human health. Soil sampling was carried out in 51 selected sites all through the city, under the criterion that such sites should be spaces usually frequented by children. The concentrations of 42 elements in the 〉2 mm soil size fraction were determined at a commercial laboratory in Canada (ActLabs, LTD), by ICP-MS/ICP-OES after an acid digestion with aqua regia. The soil mineralogy was determined by X-ray diffraction in the 〈2 and 〈62 μm size fractions. The results indicate that the urban soils have mainly a sandy texture and a main mineralogical assemblage of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase and calcite. In terms of clay minerals, smectite, illite and kaolinite are the main clays in the soil. Smectite and illite show a dichotomy in their distribution, with the smectites prevailing in the soils of the volcanic complex of Lisbon, which are classified as being residual, and illite prevailing in the remaining soils, which are considered mainly as man-made soils. Smectite seems to exert an important role in the fixation of Ni and Cr. The results of the geochemical study show that Ni and Cr have concentrations above the soil guideline value established to the UK and pose a probable risk to human health. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1362-8 Authors C. Costa, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal A. P. Reis, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal E. Ferreira da Silva, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal F. Rocha, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal C. Patinha, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal A. C. Dias, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal C. Sequeira, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal D. Terroso, GEOBIOTEC, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The main purpose of this study is to assess arsenic and antimony availability in soils, as well as Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn availability in soils derived from the schist–metagraywacke complex close to old Sb–Au mines and in soils developed from Ordovician slates and close to an old As–Au mine in Portugal. The availability was determined using a European certified sequential extraction procedure (BCR). The results demonstrated that metalloids are not readily bioavailable, because they are mainly associated with the residual fraction. Arsenic and antimony proportions in exchangeable fractions are up to 3 and 1%, respectively. However, arsenic is up to 24% in oxy-hydroxide fractions, while antimony is up to 4% in them, demonstrating the highest bioavailability of arsenic compared to that of antimony, as metalloids are weakly bound to the soils in that fraction. Therefore, arsenic tends to be more toxic than antimony in all soils studied. However, the pseudo-total contents show that both metalloids are above the Italian and Dutch guidelines. Therefore, if physico-chemical changes occur arsenic and antimony will show higher potential environmental risk than evidenced by Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-16 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1370-8 Authors P. C. S. Carvalho, Geosciences Centre, University of Coimbra, 3000-272 Coimbra, Portugal A. M. R. Neiva, Geosciences Centre, University of Coimbra, 3000-272 Coimbra, Portugal M. M. V. G. Silva, Geosciences Centre, University of Coimbra, 3000-272 Coimbra, Portugal Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Evaluation of major ion chemistry and solute acquisition process controlling water chemical composition were studied by collecting a total of fifty-one groundwater samples in shallow (〈25 m) and deep aquifer (〉25 m) in the Varanasi area. Hydrochemical facies, Mg-HCO 3 dominated in the largest part of shallow groundwater followed by Na-HCO 3 and Ca-HCO 3 whereas Ca-HCO 3 is dominated in deep groundwater followed by Mg-HCO 3 and Na-HCO 3 . High As concentration (〉50 μg/l) is found in some of the villages situated in northeastern parts (i.e. adjacent to the concave part of the meandering Ganga river) of the Varanasi area. Arsenic contamination is confined mostly in tube wells (hand pump) within the Holocene newer alluvium deposits, whereas older alluvial aquifers are having arsenic free groundwater. Geochemical modeling using WATEQ4F enabled prediction of saturation state of minerals and indicated dissolution and precipitation reactions occurring in groundwater. Majority of shallow and deep groundwater samples of the study area are oversaturated with carbonate bearing minerals and under-saturated with respect to sulfur and amorphous silica bearing minerals. Sluggish hydraulic conductivity in shallow aquifer results in higher mineralization of groundwater than in deep aquifer. But the major processes in deep aquifer are leakage of shallow aquifer followed by dominant ion-exchange and weathering of silicate minerals. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-18 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1377-1 Authors Janardhana Raju Nandimandalam, School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110 067 India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The aim of this work was to understand and reproduce the hydrological dynamics of a slope that is terraced by dry retaining walls. This approach will help to assess the influence of temporary groundwater perched tables, which can form at the area of contact between the backfill of the wall and the bedrock, on the wall’s stability. The study area is located in Valtellina (Northern Italy) near the village of Tresenda, which was affected by three debris flows that caused 18 casualties in 1983. In 2002, another event of the same type affected this area, but that event only caused the interruption of a major transport road. Direct observations of one of the three flows in 1983 and the reconstruction of 2002 indicated that the most probable triggering cause was the collapse of a dry retaining wall after its backfill was saturated. After field work was conducted to discover the principal hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics of the slope, numerical modelling was performed to determine under what conditions the soil will saturate, and therefore, when the collapse of a dry retaining wall might occur. First, a study of the interaction between pluviometric events and groundwater behaviour was conducted; then, modelling was performed using finite element analysis software that permits the calculation of groundwater flow both for completely and partially saturated conditions. The model was calibrated and validated using the hydrographs of the groundwater table recorded on site. It can be used as a predictive instrument for rainfall events of a given duration and return period. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1367-3 Authors Corrado Camera, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra A. Desio, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy Marco Masetti, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra A. Desio, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy Tiziana Apuani, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra A. Desio, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The mobility of strontium in subsurface is largely influenced by sorption on to clay minerals. In the present study, kaolinite clay samples collected from the Kalpakkam nuclear plant site were employed to understand the sorption characteristics of strontium by batch method. The effect of several parameters such as time, strontium ion concentration, pH, temperature and ionic strength was investigated. The kinetic studies suggested pseudo-second-order mechanism. The experimental sorption data was fitted to Langmuir adsorption model for obtaining the sorption capacity of the sorbent. The maximum sorption capacity was 5.77 mg/g at 298 K and was found to increase with an increase in temperature. It was observed that the distribution coefficient ( K d ) of strontium on clay increased as the pH of the solution increased. The distribution coefficient was found to decrease with an increase in concentration of Na + and Ca 2+ ions. This variation of K d suggests that cation exchange is the predominant sorption process. It was also observed that sorption process is endothermic. The thermodynamic parameters such as ∆ G 0 , ∆ H 0 and ∆ S 0 were calculated. The negative values obtained for ∆ G 0 indicated that the sorption of strontium on clay was spontaneous at all studied concentrations. ∆ G 0 becomes more negative with an increase in temperature, suggests that the sorption process is more favorable at higher temperatures. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1374-4 Authors R. Deepthi Rani, Safety Research Institute, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Kalpakkam, 603102 India P. Sasidhar, Safety Research Institute, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Kalpakkam, 603102 India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Geochemical processes are identified as controlling factors of groundwater chemistry, including chemical leaching and fluoride contaminations. These geochemical processes are identified using characterization of the major physico-chemical parameters of ground water from northern part of Sikar city. For this purpose, 15 ground water samples have collected and analyzed for different water quality parameters, such as pH, EC, TDS, TH, TA, DO, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, nitrate, sulfate and fluoride with the help of standard methods recommended by American Public Health Association. The analysis indicated that fluoride concentrations in four samples are at alarming state as compared to the World Health Organization standards for drinking purposes, thereby suggesting the need for treatment and precautionary measures for use of the particular ground water. The increased fluoride level in the ground water of Sikar city is due to the some geological process such as dissolution of fluoride rich mineral (fluorspar) in the favorable environment. To classify the ground water ability for different purposes various graphical plots like Piper tri-linear, Durov, Schoeller, Bar, Scatter diagrams have been drawn. On the basis of physico-chemical, graphical and statistical analysis (Spearman’s Rank correlations), various dimension of improving water quality for drinking purposes have also been suggested. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1375-3 Authors Radhey Shyam, P. G. Department of Chemistry, S.K. Government College, Sikar, 332001 Rajasthan, India G. S. Kalwania, P. G. Department of Chemistry, S.K. Government College, Sikar, 332001 Rajasthan, India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The importance of polluted alluvial soils as a potential diffuse source of heavy metals was investigated in a catchment of the Matylda stream affected by an abandoned lead and zinc ore mine in Upper Silesia, southern Poland. This was attempted by means of standard groundwater analyses performed together with measurements of Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe and Mn concentrations in soil and groundwater. The Matylda stream, receiving mine water, was converted in the 20th century into a straight channel directed in its middle reach over the valley bottom. This changed the drainage direction of the Matylda stream water. During mining operations, groundwater seepage, combined with surface drainage by shallow ditches caused pollution of sandy soils exceeding over 100 mg/kg of Cd, 24% of Zn and 4% of Pb at surface or subsurface soil horizons, and reaching at least 60 cm in depth. After mine closure in the 1970s, the network of ditches appears to be a source of Ca, Mg, chlorides, carbonates and nitrates, as indicated by the more or less regular increase of these major ion concentrations in groundwater down ditches. Whereas, the ditches are a sink rather than a source of zinc, cadmium and lead in permanently dry reaches, or transition zones in reaches with surface water flowing periodically. The metal concentrations and distribution in soil and groundwater suggest the slow mobilization of heavy metals stored in the valley bottom and the minor importance of soil as a diffuse source for surface water pollution. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1366-4 Authors Urszula Aleksander-Kwaterczak, Department of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, Krakow, Poland Dariusz Ciszewski, Department of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, Krakow, Poland Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The possible sources of water pollution and the evolution of water quality in the Malian River Basin of China’s Longdong Loess Plateau were studied based on chemical analysis. Concentrations of major chemicals in the river were related to the distance downstream from the source of the river and the surface water in the upstream had good quality, while the river from Southern Huanxian County to Qingcheng County was seriously polluted. Groundwater quality was generally good in the phreatic aquifer beneath the loess plateau, with bicarbonate and calcium dominant, but salinity was high and petroleum pollution was present in many parts of the study area. Both surface water and groundwater quality have declined rapidly during the past 20 years, leading to much of the water unsafe to drink and unsuitable for use in irrigation. The substances released into the water included industrial wastes, domestic sewage, organic and inorganic fertilizers, and pesticides, as well as a range of other substances that are harmful to humans. However, petroleum contamination caused by the oil industry in the Longdong oilfield is the largest source of pollution that infiltrates surface water and groundwater, leading to deterioration of water quality. It is recommended that oilfield management must be improved and the petroleum products and wastes must be disposed carefully to reduce the risk of further spills and pollution. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1399-8 Authors Jinzhu Ma, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China Feng Pan, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China Jiahua He, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China Lihua Chen, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China Sujing Fu, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China Bing Jia, Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The relationship between soil erosion distribution and its influencing factors is critical for soil erosion modeling and soil conservation planning. Based on subbasins, this study quantitatively analyzed the variation of relationships between spatial pattern of soil erosion risk and its main influencing factors such as slope, rainfall, vegetation cover, and land use in Yimeng mountainous area from 1986 to 2005. The results showed that, on the hilly and mountainous region, the increase of vegetation cover and optimized land use structure resulted in an evident decline of erosion risk over the period of approximately 20 years, especially in the second half of the period. The number of subbasins with soil erosion risk index value over 2 decreased from 49 in 1995 to 29 in 2005 due to the Grain for Green Program implemented in this area. As the increase of spatial heterogeneity of rainfall erosivity in 2005, rainfall with a low contribution rate (about 5.4%) became one of the significant factors affecting the spatial pattern of erosion risk. With the impact of human activities on the erosion, the contribution rate (CR) of slope on the erosion pattern fell from 92.8 to 79.7%. The CR of vegetation cover diminished from 7.2% in 1986, while that of land use structure gradually enhanced to 14.9% in 2005. This study indicated that with the restoration of vegetation cover; the impact of land use pattern on soil erosion distribution had become increasingly important, suggesting that more attention should be paid to the role of adjustment and optimization of land use structure in soil erosion control in this area. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1393-1 Authors Qian Ma, Shandong Key Laboratory of Soil Conservation and Environmental Protection, School of Chemistry and Resources Environment, Linyi University, Linyi, 276005 China Xingxiu Yu, Shandong Key Laboratory of Soil Conservation and Environmental Protection, School of Chemistry and Resources Environment, Linyi University, Linyi, 276005 China Guoan Lü, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China Qianjin Liu, Shandong Key Laboratory of Soil Conservation and Environmental Protection, School of Chemistry and Resources Environment, Linyi University, Linyi, 276005 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The Yellow River is the second biggest river in China and serves as a source of domestic and agricultural water supply in the watershed. In the last several decades, this river’s discharge reduced to zero several times since 1960, especially in the 1990s. The decreasing river flow has caused some serious eco-environmental problems in the source region. To study the important effects of climate on river discharge in the source area, a data set of 44 water-year river flow, air temperature and precipitation is selected and wavelet analysis is performed to describe and identify the features of climate (air temperature and precipitation) and river discharge. Results of continuous wavelet transform (CWT) show that all three parameters have common significant periods of 1–2 and 3–6 years against red noise in different time spans while river discharge probably has a 16-year-period mainly in the cone of influence (COI). Comparison of river flow and its CWT suggests these zero river flows are connected to extreme low values located in different scales, indicating that climate does control the river discharge in the source area. The cross wavelet (XWT) and wavelet coherence (WTC) clearly illustrate that the first zero river discharge (about in 1961) is only related to precipitation, while the rest have resulted from the combination of air temperature and precipitation. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1390-4 Authors Jianfeng Zhang, Division of Engineering Geology and Water Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Guomin Li, Division of Engineering Geology and Water Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China S. Liang, School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    This article presents the analysis of the temporal changes in water chemistry in a semi-confined aquifer (Wielkopolska Buried Valley aquifer, Poland) during one decade of water exploitation. It is shown that the groundwater contamination, as documented in a previous work, still persists and has lead to steady groundwater quality deterioration. The most intensive changes in water chemistry due to contamination are observed in the regions recognized earlier as the most vulnerable parts of the aquifer. The influence of contamination is effective despite implementation of groundwater protection activities. The travails of groundwater quality protection of the confined or semi-confined aquifers were accented. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1376-2 Authors Krzysztof Dragon, Department of Hydrogeology and Water Protection, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Institute of Geology, Makow Polnych Street 16, 61-606 Poznan, Poland Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The Lez karst spring, located in the Mediterranean basin (southern France) supplies drinking water to the metropolitan area of Montpellier (France) since the nineteenth century. Since 1981, an intense pumping is being performed directly in the main conduit with a maximum exploitation flow rate of about 1,700 l/s. To improve the understanding of groundwater origins and circulation dynamic in this karst system, as well as the impact of three decades of intense water exploitation, groundwater samples have been collected during various hydrologic conditions since March 2006. A previous hydrochemical study on the Lez karst system had been carried out before the installation of the pumping plant. This dataset was compared to the present one to identify possible changes on groundwater hydrochemistry. The results of this analysis indicate the existence of historical changes in water hydrogeochemistry and evidence a decrease of the deep compartment participation to the Lez spring outflow. This change in spring water hydrogeochemistry may be attributed to the intense pumping of the karst system and, in the absence of noticeable climatic changes, expresses the direct consequences of anthropogenic forcing on the overall functioning of the aquifer. This study aims to analyze the differences, to understand the water chemistry changes and to better foresee the aquifer evolution for the future. Content Type Journal Article Category Special Issue Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1384-2 Authors C. C. Bicalho, HydroSciences Montpellier, UMR 5569, CNRS, UM1, UM2, IRD, Université Montpellier 2 CC MSE, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France C. Batiot-Guilhe, HydroSciences Montpellier, UMR 5569, CNRS, UM1, UM2, IRD, Université Montpellier 2 CC MSE, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France J. L. Seidel, HydroSciences Montpellier, UMR 5569, CNRS, UM1, UM2, IRD, Université Montpellier 2 CC MSE, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France S. Van Exter, HydroSciences Montpellier, UMR 5569, CNRS, UM1, UM2, IRD, Université Montpellier 2 CC MSE, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France H. Jourde, HydroSciences Montpellier, UMR 5569, CNRS, UM1, UM2, IRD, Université Montpellier 2 CC MSE, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The hydrogeochemical study of surface and subsurface water of Mahi River basin was undertaken to assess the major ion chemistry, solute acquisition processes and water quality in relation to domestic and irrigation uses. The analytical results show the mildly acidic to alkaline nature of water and dominance of Na + and Ca 2+ in cationic and HCO 3 − and Cl − in anionic composition. In general, alkaline-earth elements (Ca 2+  + Mg 2+ ) exceed alkalis (Na +  + K + ) and weak acids (HCO 3 − ) dominate over strong acids (SO 4 2+  + Cl − ) in majority of the surface and groundwater samples. Ca 2+ –Mg 2+ –HCO 3 − is the dominant hydrochemical facies both in surface and groundwater of the area. The weathering of rock-forming minerals mainly controlled the solute acquisition process with secondary contribution from marine and anthropogenic sources. The higher concentration of sodium and dissolved silica, high equivalent ratios of (Na +  + K + /TZ + ), (Na +  + K + /Cl − ) and low ratio of (Ca 2+  + Mg 2+ )/(Na +  + K + ) suggest that the chemical composition of the water is largely controlled by silicate weathering with limited contribution from carbonate weathering and marine and anthropogenic sources. Kaolinite is the possible mineral that is in equilibrium with the water, implying that the chemistry of river water favors kaolinite formation. Assessment of water samples for drinking purposes suggests that the majority of the water samples are suitable for drinking. At some sites concentrations of TDS, TH, F − , NO 3 − and Fe are exceeding the desirable limit of drinking. However, these parameters are well within the maximum permissible limit except for some cases. To assess the suitability for irrigation, parameters like SAR, RSC and %Na were calculated. In general, both surface and groundwater is of good to suitable category for irrigation uses except at some sites where high values of salinity, %Na and RSC restrict its uses. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-20 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1371-7 Authors Anupam Sharma, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53-University Road, Lucknow, 226007 UP, India Abhay Kumar Singh, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad, 826015 Jharkhand, India Kamlesh Kumar, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53-University Road, Lucknow, 226007 UP, India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Although the mining activity of the Idrija mine in Slovenia ceased in 1995, a large amount of mining dregs containing high concentrations of mercury remains in the area. The mining dregs were transported with river flow and deposition along the Idrija River. To estimate the dispersion and change in the chemical form of mercury, a total of 28 soil core samples were taken around the river. The individual core samples were separated into layers for the analysis of their chemical composition, carbon contents, total mercury (T-Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations. The chemical composition measured by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry was useful to estimate the dispersion of tailings: the fluvial terrace soil had a chemical composition similar to that of the tailings and could be distinguished clearly from the forest soil. The highest T-Hg concentration, 1,100 mg kg −1 , was observed in the fluvial terrace soil near the mine. Although the concentration decreased gradually along with distance from the mine, concentrations higher than 200 mg kg −1 of T-Hg were still observed in the fluvial terrace soil approximately 20 km downstream from the mine. In the vertical distribution of T-Hg in the hillslope soil, a higher value was observed in the upper layers, which suggests the recent atmospheric deposition of mercury. The concentration of MeHg was the lowest at the riverside and higher in the hillslope soil, which was the opposite of the T-Hg distribution. The total organic carbon content tracked similarly with the distribution of MeHg and a linear relation with a significantly high correlation coefficient was obtained. The distinction may be related to the different dispersion process of mercury, and the organic carbon contents may be an important factor for MeHg formation. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1379-z Authors Takashi Tomiyasu, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan Akito Matsuyama, National Institute for Minamata Disease, Minamata, Kumamoto 867-0008, Japan Ryusuke Imura, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan Hitoshi Kodamatani, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan Junko Miyamoto, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan Yuriko Kono, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan David Kocman, Department of Environmental Sciences, Institute Jožef Stefan, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia Jože Kotnik, Department of Environmental Sciences, Institute Jožef Stefan, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia Vesna Fajon, Department of Environmental Sciences, Institute Jožef Stefan, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia Milena Horvat, Department of Environmental Sciences, Institute Jožef Stefan, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Chloropinnoite, 2MgO·2B 2 O 3 ·MgCl 2 ·14H 2 O, was a new borate, obtained from the natural concentrated salt lake brine in Qinghai–Xizang Plateau, P. R. China. The phase transitions from chloropinnoite dissolved in water and boric acid solution would strongly consist of magnesium borate minerals deposited in a salt lake of China. The obtained results from phase relations and kinetic mechanism of chloropinnoite–water/boric acid system would further propose a new geochemical hypothesis for hydrated magnesium borate deposition. The chloropinnoite was diluted by rich boric acid or solution, and it would accelerate the phase transition of chloropinnoite into other borates, which would explain well the geochemical formation of hydrated borate minerals deposited in Qinghai–Xizang Plateau, China. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1354-8 Authors Xiaoping Li, Department of Environmental Science, College of Tourism and Environment, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199 Chang’an South Street, Xi’an, 710062 Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China Zhihong Liu, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062 Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China Shiyang Gao, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062 Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China Shuping Xia, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062 Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: Upcoming international events Content Type Journal Article Category Events Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1431-z Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    In this contribution, a methodology is reported in order to build an interval fuzzy model for the pollution index PLI (a composite index using relevant heavy metal concentration) with magnetic parameters as input variables. In general, modelling based on fuzzy set theory is designed to mimic how the human brain tends to classify imprecise information or data. The “interval fuzzy model” reported here, based on fuzzy logic and arithmetic of fuzzy numbers, calculates an “estimation interval” and seems to be an adequate mathematical tool for this nonlinear problem. For this model, fuzzy c -means clustering is used to partition data, hence the membership functions and rules are built. In addition, interval arithmetic is used to obtain the fuzzy intervals. The studied sets are different examples of pollution by different anthropogenic sources, in two different study areas: (a) soil samples collected in Antarctica and (b) road-deposited sediments collected in Argentina. The datasets comprise magnetic and chemical variables, and for both cases, relevant variables were selected: magnetic concentration-dependent variables, magnetic features-dependent variables and one chemical variable. The model output gives an estimation interval; its width depends on the data density, for the measured values. The results show not only satisfactory agreement between the estimation interval and data, but also provide valued information from the rules analysis that allows understanding the magnetic behaviour of the studied variables under different conditions. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1387-z Authors Mauro A. E. Chaparro, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Ecosistemas y Desarrollo Sustentable (UNCPBA)-CONICET, Pinto 399, B7000GHG Tandil, Argentina Marcos A. E. Chaparro, Instituto de Física Arroyo Seco (UNCPBA)-CONICET, Pinto 399, B7000GHG Tandil, Argentina Ana M. Sinito, Instituto de Física Arroyo Seco (UNCPBA)-CONICET, Pinto 399, B7000GHG Tandil, Argentina Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    This article examines the densification effects on the loose saturated sands impacted by a heavy steel tamper dropped from a great height (i.e., deep dynamic compaction, DDC). This examination was achieved by carrying out a series of piezocone penetration test (CPTu) soundings before and after the DDC impact. The depths at which densification took place ranged from 6.5 to 9.5 m below the ground surface (BGS) after one pass of DDC, and from 7.5 to 11.0 m BGS after two passes. The propagation of the surface waves generated in DDC disturbed the top 0.3–1.3 m soils. Directly below this disturbed layer, it was the most densified soil layer at the depths of 1.7–4.5 m BGS. The existence of the residual soft peat pockets reduced the densification effects substantially. Both the strength and the stiffness of the loose saturated sands were significantly improved after the DDC treatment. After two passes of impact, the liquefiable soils were densified to the level of unliquefiable along with dramatic reduction in liquefaction probabilities when subjected to earthquake motions. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1395-z Authors Ye Lu, Department of Civil Engineering, Shanghai University, 149 Yanchang Road, Shanghai, 200072 People’s Republic of China Yong Tan, Key Laboratory of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092 People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The effects of the depth of the active layer of permafrost on aboveground vegetation in semi-arid and semi-humid regions of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau were studied. The depth of active permafrost was measured and aboveground vegetation recorded. Differences in correspondence between permafrost depth and aboveground vegetation in semi-arid and semi-humid regions were analyzed. Vegetation cover and biomass were well correlated with permafrost depth in both semi-arid and semi-humid regions, but the correlation coefficient in the semi-arid region was larger than in the semi-humid region. With the increase in permafrost depth, vegetation cover and biomass decreased in both regions. Species richness and diversity decreased with increasing depth of permafrost in the semi-arid region. In the semi-humid region, these at first increased and then decreased as permafrost depth increased. It seems likely that vegetation on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau will degenerate to different degrees due to permafrost depth increasing as a result of climatic warming. The influence would be especially remarkable in the semi-arid region. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1405-1 Authors Wang Zengru, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 China Yang Guojing, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 China Yi Shuhua, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 China Wu Zhen, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 China Guan Jianyue, Institute of Computational Physics and Complex Systems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China He Xiaobo, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 China Ye Baisheng, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    With the over-exploitation of water resources, water pollution and poor management of water infrastructures are exacerbated. Ecosystem degradation is apparent at the basin level. The Tarim River Basin in northwest China has seen intensive confrontation between environmental protection and economic development over the past five decades. Ambitious agricultural development and land reclamation projects implemented by the Chinese government in the early 1960s led to several influences. For example, the construction of dams like the Daxihaizi Reservoir disrupted the stream-flow to the lower reaches. Water resource reproducible ability (WRRA) refers to the ability of water resources to be continually added by the natural water cycle. It includes the supplementation of water quantity and the self-purification of water quality in the natural cycle of water resources. This study discusses the WRRA index and introduces the computational method for calculating the WRRA index for the Tarim River Basin. The following conclusions are observed: (1) from 1956 to 2005, the indices of WRRA in the Hotan River Basin, Yarkand and Aksu River Basin are 0.26, 0.55, 0.58, respectively, which are between 0 and 1. The results indicate that the hydrological cycle in these three sub-basins is in a reproducible state. (2) The WRRA index in the Kaidu-Kong River Basin is 1.23 〉 1, which indicates that floods may occur in the Kaidu-Kong River Basin. (3) The index of WRRA in the main stream is 0, which indicates that the WRRA is very weak at this location, and zero-flow may occur. Calculating the WRRA of a basin can provide a basis for corresponding basin water resources management. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1396-y Authors Juan Wu, College of Business Administration, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310018 People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    There were many differences between rivers and lakes such as flow velocity, hydraulic retention time, water vegetation community and other chemical-physical factors that may lead to different characteristics of sedimentary phosphorus. In our research, sedimentary phosphorus fractions and its phosphorus adsorption differences between the lower Nansi Lake and its main inflow rivers were compared. The results showed that the contents of NaOH-P, Org-P, IP-P, and TP in lake sediments were obviously higher than those in its inflow river sediments while HCl-P had no obvious difference between them. Based on analysis, the unstable NaOH-P would accumulate in lake sediments, while it is difficult for it to retain in sediments of rivers because of a high frequency of flood flows and unstable bed sediments. In addition, water vegetation communities were helpful in the accumulation of Org-P in lake sediments. From phosphorus adsorption experiments results, the Ceqc (equilibrium concentration of phosphorus release/adsorption) of lake sediments was higher than that of river sediments. It was indicated that sedimentary phosphorus would be more easily released from lake sediments than river sediments. So in future more work should be focused on internal P loading from lake sediments release. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1400-6 Authors Zhi-bin Zhang, College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Shandong Architecture University, Jinan, 250101 China Xiao-bo Tan, College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Shandong Architecture University, Jinan, 250101 China Lei-lei Wei, College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Shandong Architecture University, Jinan, 250101 China Shi-miao Yu, College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Shandong Architecture University, Jinan, 250101 China Dao-ji Wu, College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Shandong Architecture University, Jinan, 250101 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: Upcoming international events Content Type Journal Article Category Events Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1459-0 Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    To explain the failure mechanism of a retaining wall in an earthquake and put forward effective aseismic measures based on energy theory, and taken from the upper bound theorem as a measure, the safety of anchor system is defined, and then the mechanism of input and dissipation of seismic energy is studied. Furthermore, by analyzing the wave characteristics of a destructive earthquake, an aseismic design of a retaining wall is proposed according to the flexible retaining theory. At last, an example is given and the result shows that the seismic behavior of a common rigid retaining wall is poor and the structure fails quickly under large seismic force with specific direction. On the contrary, the new system with an EPS damping layer can dissipate seismic energy well. Content Type Journal Article Category Special Issue Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1462-5 Authors Yong Wu, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS, Chengdu, 610041 China Siming He, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS, Chengdu, 610041 China Xinpo Li, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS, Chengdu, 610041 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The stable water isotopic composition (δ 2 H and δ 18 Ο), tritium ( 3 H) activity, dissolved organic carbon, alkalinity, as well as the composition of carbon 13 (δ 13 C) in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of 36 water samples taken from 16 resurgences in the northeast provinces of Viet Nam in the dry (Mar 2008) and rainy (June 2008) seasons were analyzed to elucidate hydrological characteristics of the karstic aquifers in the area. The stable water isotopic composition of the water samples collected clearly demonstrated that the karstic groundwater in the region was recharged from the local meteorological water. The tritium activity in the samples was found to be in between 3 and 4 TU, falling in the range of the 3 H activity in the local precipitation and thus meaning that the traveling of recharge water to the resurgences was very short. Concentrated and diffuse allogenic recharges seem to be important sources of karstic groundwater in the study region. Water in the karstic aquifers could be classified into three types as: (a) water from karstic areas with dense vegetation cover that causes DIC be depleted in carbon 13 ( 13 δ〈−12‰ vs. Pee Dee Belemnite standard of Vienna, VPDB); (b) water from karstic areas with poor vegetation cover that originates DIC with carbon 13 composition ranging from −11 to −12‰; and (c) surface water from lakes, springs and rivers that has DIC with enriched carbon 13 (δ 13 C 〉−10‰). This implies that there are several sources of carbon dioxide contributing to the DIC in water of the karstic aquifers in the study region. Among other potential sources, the atmospheric CO 2 , CO 2 from carbonate rock dissolution, biomineralization of soil organic matters and plant roots respiration seem to be important sources of the DIC in the waters of this region. The results show high vulnerability towards anthropogenic contaminants of karstic groundwater in the study region. Content Type Journal Article Category Special Issue Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-0943-x Authors Dang Duc Nhan, Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology, 179 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi, Viet Nam Nguyen Van Lam, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Ha Noi, Viet Nam Ha Chu Ha Long, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Ha Noi, Viet Nam Dao Dinh Thuan, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Ha Noi, Viet Nam Dang Anh Minh, Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology, 179 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi, Viet Nam Vo Thi Anh, Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology, 179 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi, Viet Nam Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Landslide inventories are essential because they provide the basis for predictive landslide hazard and susceptibility assessments and because they allow for the manipulation and storage of temporal and spatial data. The National Landslide Database has been developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS). It is the most extensive source of information on landslides in Great Britain with over 15,000 records of landslide events each documented as fully as possible. This information is invaluable for planners and developers as it helps them investigate, avoid or mitigate areas of unstable ground in accordance with Government planning policy guidelines. Therefore, it is vital that the continual verification, collection and updating of landslide information is carried out as part of the Survey’s ‘National Capability’ work. This paper describes the evolution from a static database to one that is continually updated forming part of a suite of national digital hazard products. The history of the National Landslide Database and associated Geographical Information System (GIS) is discussed, together with its application and future development. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1304-5 Authors C. Foster, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG12 5GG, UK C. V. L. Pennington, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG12 5GG, UK M. G. Culshaw, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG12 5GG, UK K. Lawrie, British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, UK Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The topsoil temperature in arid areas of Xinjiang, China can be up to about 80°C in summer. This may significantly affect the chemical properties of soil humic substances. However, the effects of high temperature on characteristics of soil humic substances and their complexation with toxic metals are still poorly known. In the present study, binding of Hg(II) to unheated soil humic substances and heated soil humic substances from sandy soils was comparatively investigated using three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. Two fluorescent peaks (peak I at Ex/Em = 365–370/470–474 nm; peak II at Ex/Em = 270–275/468–472 nm) identified as humic-like fluorescence were observed in the EEM spectra of humic substances. Both peaks were clearly quenched by Hg(II), indicating the strong interaction of humic-like substances with Hg(II), and showed blue shifts after heat treatment. Heat treatment caused an increase of the fraction of accessible fluorophore ( f a ), binding sites number ( n ) and effective quenching constants (log K a ), indicating that more binding sites in humic substances could bind Hg(II) and form more stable humic substances–Hg(II) complexes after heat treatment. However, a decrease of binding constants (log K b ) suggested that heat treatment would reduce the binding capacity of each binding site of humic substances to Hg(II). This study implies the transport of Hg(II) may be affected by high temperature in the arid zone due to the modification of the physicochemical properties of humic substances in soil. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1448-3 Authors Qinglong Fu, State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011 Xinjiang, China Xiangliang Pan, State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011 Xinjiang, China Daoyong Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002 Guizhou, China Bin Zhou, State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011 Xinjiang, China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: International viewpoint and news Content Type Journal Article Category Views and News Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1430-0 Authors Matthias Reich, Institute of Drilling Engineering and Fluid Mining, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Agricolastraße 22, 09596 Freiberg, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The impact of mining causes deterioration of environment and decline of groundwater level in the adjoining mining areas, which influences groundwater source for domestic and agriculture purposes. This necessitated locating and exploiting of new groundwater source. A fast, cost-effective and economical way of locating and exploration is to study and analyze remote sensing data. Interpreted remote sensing data were used to select sites for carrying out surface geophysical investigations. Various geomorphologic units were demarcated, and the lineaments were identified by interpretation of false color composite satellite imageries. The potential for occurrence of groundwater in the Sukinda Valley was classified as very good, good, moderate and poor by interpreting the images. Sub-surface geophysical investigations, namely vertical electrical soundings, were carried out to delineate and demarcate potential water-bearing zones. Integrated studies of interpretation of geomorphologic, lineaments and geophysical data (aquifer thickness) were used to prepare groundwater potential map. The studies reveal that the groundwater potential of shallow aquifers is due to geomorphologic features, and the potential of deeper aquifers is determined by lineaments and degree of weathering. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-15 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1454-5 Authors Ratnakar Dhakate, National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500007, India D. K. Chowdhary, National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500007, India V. V. S. Gurunadha Rao, National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500007, India R. K. Tiwary, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826001, India Amlendu Sinha, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826001, India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A new soil moisture content sensor coupled with a new matric potential sensor that can operate in the subfreezing environment was used to measure the moisture content and soil matric potential dynamics of Qinghai-Tibetan silty clay. Combined with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique and thermal resistor temperature probe, the characteristics of unfrozen water content and soil matric potential, and their relationships with temperature were analyzed. The results show that initial water content has an impact on the freezing point and unfrozen water content. The decrease in the initial water content results in a depression in the freezing point. The Qinghai-Tibetan silty clay has more similar unfrozen water content characteristic to clay than to silt. There is approximately 3% of unfrozen water content retained when the soil temperature drops to −15°C. The change of soil matric potential with temperature is similar to that of the unfrozen water content. The matric potential value of the saturated silty clay is approximately −200 kPa when the soil temperature drops to −20°C. The measured matric potentials are significantly lower than the calculated theoretical values based on the freezing point depression. Moisture migration experiment indicates that soil matric potential controls the direction of moisture movement and moisture redistribution (including ice and liquid water) during the soil freezing. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1386-0 Authors Zhi Wen, State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, CAREERI, CAS, Lanzhou Gansu, 730000 China Wei Ma, State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, CAREERI, CAS, Lanzhou Gansu, 730000 China Wenjie Feng, State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, CAREERI, CAS, Lanzhou Gansu, 730000 China Yousheng Deng, State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, CAREERI, CAS, Lanzhou Gansu, 730000 China Dayan Wang, State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, CAREERI, CAS, Lanzhou Gansu, 730000 China Zhaosheng Fan, Department of Geology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, USA Chenglin Zhou, State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, CAREERI, CAS, Lanzhou Gansu, 730000 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The effects of antecedent soil moisture on losses of rare earth elements (REEs) and phosphorus (P) in runoff were evaluated through a simulated rainfall experiment at the rate of 83 mm h −1 . The results revealed that antecedent moisture was a significant factor affecting the amounts of REE and P losses. It was observed that most REEs and P transported with sediments in the runoff. There was a significant correlation between the total amounts of REE losses and those of P losses in the runoff. The optimal antecedent moisture for minimization of losses for REEs ranged from 10.19 to 11.17% and it was 10.91% for P. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1463-4 Authors Lingqing Wang, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Tao Liang, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Weili Wang, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Chaosheng Zhang, Department of Geography and Environmental Change Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    To assess the pollution of heavy metal in dust fall, nine dust fall samples were collected during the heating period and non-heating period from Jinan, a city in northeastern China. The samples were analyzed for Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr and the contamination level of heavy metals was assessed on the basis of the geo-accumulation index ( I geo ). The results indicated that all of the four investigated metals accumulated significantly in the dust fall of Jinan, and the metal concentrations were much higher than background values. During the heating period, the mean values for Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr in the dust fall were 354.9, 688.5, 2,585.5 and 478.6 mg kg −1 . During the non-heating period, the mean values for Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr in the dust fall were 228.2, 518.2, 1,933.9 and 96.3 mg kg −1 , respectively. The I geo values calculated based on background values revealed that the contamination level of heavy metal in the dust fall ranges from moderately contaminated to heavily contaminated, and it mainly originates from traffic and industry. In this work, the dust fall residue compared to the standard reference was also chosen as the background value to calculate the I geo value. This method is useful for situations in which the background value is difficult to obtain. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1412-2 Authors Suping Feng, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100 China Hanchao Liu, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100 China Nannan Zhang, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100 China Hai Lin, College of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China Xiaolin Du, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100 China Yongli Liu, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Fractal method has been widely applied to many different fields since it can reveal the hidden methodological structures of the sophisticated phenomena in the natural world and obtain more reasonable prediction results. This paper deals with the feasibility of predicting dissolved oxygen (DO) in complex watershed system using fractal method. It adopted sectioned variable dimension fractal model to predict river DO, and yielded satisfactory results with relatively high prediction accuracy. The absolute values of percent relative errors were all less than 6%, most less than 4%. Fractal interpolation method was also employed to simulate river DO by plotting interpolation DO graphs. These findings have important application potential in terms of water DO prediction in complex watershed system. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1437-6 Authors Jian Lu, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009 Anhui, People’s Republic of China Jun Wu, Indian River Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL 34945-3138, USA Hong Yao, School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing Jiao Tong University, Beijing, 100044 People’s Republic of China Jiazhong Qian, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009 Anhui, People’s Republic of China Zhenlong Wang, Huaihe River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, Bengbu, 233000 Anhui, People’s Republic of China Jiaquan Wang, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009 Anhui, People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    From May 2005 to September 2006, the potential effects of marsh flooding regimes on the decomposition and nutrient (N, P) dynamics of Calamagrostis angustifolia litter were studied in the typical waterlogged depression in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. The decomposition of C. angustifolia litter was related to four sites with different hydrologic regimes [F1 (perennial flooding, average water depth of 480 days was 40.14 ± 8.93 cm), F2 (perennial flooding 33.27 ± 6.67 cm), F3 (perennial flooding 23.23 ± 5.65 cm) and F4 (seasonal flooding 1.02 ± 1.09 cm)]. Results showed that flooding regimes had important effects on the litter decomposition, the decomposition rates differed among the four sites, in the order of F3 (0.001820d −1 ) 〉 F1 (0.001210d −1 ) 〉 F2 (0.001040d −1 ) 〉 F4 (0.000917d −1 ), and the values in the perennial flooding regimes were much higher. Flooding regimes also had significant effects on the N and P dynamics of litter in decomposition process. If the perennial flooding regimes were formed in C. angustifolia wetland due to the changes of precipitation in the future, the litter mass loss would increase 23.28–48.88%, the decomposition rate would increase 13.41–98.47%, and the t 0.95 would decrease 1.07 yr–4.50 yr. In the perennial flooding regimes, the net N accumulated in some periods, while the net P released at all times. This study also indicated that the changes of N and P content in the litter of the four flooding regimes were probably related to the C/N or C/P ratios in the litter and the N or P availability in the decomposition environment. If the nutrient status of the decomposition environment did not change greatly, the decomposition rates depended on the substrate quality indices of the litter. Conversely, if the nutrient status changed greatly, the decomposition rates might depend on the supply status of nutrient in the decomposition environment. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1444-7 Authors Zhigao Sun, Key laboratory of Coastal Environment Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003 People’s Republic of China Xiaojie Mou, Key laboratory of Coastal Environment Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003 People’s Republic of China Jing Shuang Liu, Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130012 People’s Republic of China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Soft soil stabilization has been practised for quite some time by mixing additives, such as cement, lime and fly ash to the soil to increase its strength. However, there is a lack of investigations on the use of natural pozzolana alone or combined with lime for ground improvement applications. An experimental programme was undertaken to study the effect of using lime, natural pozzolana or a combination of both on the geotechnical characteristics of soft soils. Lime or natural pozzolana was added to soft soils at ranges of 0–10% and 0–20%, respectively. In addition, combinations of lime–natural pozzolana were added to soft soils at the same ranges. Test specimens were subjected to compaction tests, shear tests and unconfined compression tests. Specimens were cured for 1, 7, 28 and 90 days, after which they were tested for unconfined compression tests. Based on the favourable results obtained, it can be concluded that the soft soils can be successfully stabilized by the combined action of lime and natural pozzolana. Since natural pozzolana is much cheaper than lime, the addition of natural pozzolana in lime–soil mix may particularly become attractive and can result in cost reduction of construction. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1441-x Authors Khelifa Harichane, Civil Engineering Department, University of Chlef, Chlef, Algeria Mohamed Ghrici, Civil Engineering Department, University of Chlef, Chlef, Algeria Said Kenai, Geomaterials Laboratory, Civil Engineering Department, University of Blida, Blida, Algeria Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is one of the most frequently applied tests during the geotechnical investigation of soils. Due to its usefulness, the development of empirical equations to predict mechanical and compressibility of soil parameters from the SPT blow count has been an attractive subject for geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists. The purpose of this study is to perform regression analyses between the SPT blow counts and the pressuremeter test parameters obtained from a geotechnical investigation performed in a Mersin (Turkey) city sewerage project. In accordance with this purpose, new empirical equations between pressuremeter modulus ( E M ) and corrected SPT blow counts ( N 60 ) and between limit pressure ( P L ) and corrected SPT blow counts ( N 60 ) are developed in the study. When developing the empirical equations, in addition to the SPT blow counts, the role of moisture content and the plasticity index of soils on the pressuremeter parameters are also assessed. A series of simple and nonlinear multiple regression analyses are performed. As a result of the analyses, several empirical equations are developed. It is shown that the empirical equations between N 60 and E M , and N 60 and P L developed in this study are statistically acceptable. An assessment of the prediction performances of some existing empirical equations, depending on the new data, is also performed in the study. However, the prediction equations proposed in this study and the previous studies are developed using a limited number of data. For this reason, a cross-check should be applied before using these empirical equations for design purposes. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1439-4 Authors A. Kayabasi, General Directorate of Electrical Power Researches Survey and Development Administration, Ankara, Turkey Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Excessive arsenic concentrations above the Argentinean and WHO guidelines for drinking water (10 μg L −1 ) affects shallow aquifers of the southern Pampean Plain (Argentina) hosted in the Pampean and the Post Pampean formations (loess and reworked loess; Plio-Pleistocene–Holocene). Health problems related to high As concentrations in drinking waters are known as Endemic Regional Chronic Hydroarsenicism. Hydrochemistry of shallow groundwaters and soil geochemistry were investigated aiming to (1) understand the partition of As in the solid phase and its relationship with unacceptable As concentrations in waters, (2) identify the provision source of As to groundwaters. Only 5% of the samples had As concentrations 〈10 μg L −1 ; in 27% As concentrations ranged from 10 to 50 μg L −1 and in 58% it reached 60–500 μg L −1 . The coarse fraction (50–2,000 μm) hosts about 27% of the total As in the solid phase, being positively correlated to Ba ( p  〈 0.01; r 2  = 0.93). About 70% is included in the 〈2 μm fraction and had positive correlations of As–Fe ( p  〈 0.05; r 2  = 0.85) and As–Cr ( p  〈 0.05; r 2  = 0.68). Soils and sediment sand fractions of vadose zones are the primary sources of As in shallow groundwater while adsorption–desorption processes, codisolution–coprecipitation, and evaporation during the dry seasons raise As concentrations in waters exceeding the guideline value for drinking water. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1433-x Authors María del Carmen Blanco, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina Juan Darío Paoloni, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina Hector Morrás, Centro de Inv. de Rec. Nat, Inst. Nac. de Tec. Agropecuaria (CIRN-INTA), 1712 Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina Carmen Fiorentino, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina Mario Eduardo Sequeira, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina Nilda N. Amiotti, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina Oscar Bravo, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina Silvana Diaz, Agencia Nacional para la Promoción Científica y Técnica (ANPCYT), Buenos Aires, Argentina Martín Espósito, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Five dust storms that occurred in 2008 (15 March, 11 April, 28 April, 25, May and 26 June) in addition to the many sand dunes disseminated in the Western Desert of Iraq are sampled. The worse dust storm that occurred in Iraq in 11 April, 2008 covered 75% of the Iraq area and deposited 6.9 million tons approximately as a total weight of fallout during just 8 h, declining temperature 6°C. During the episodes of dust storms, visibility decreased enormously, no more than 30 m. Many people were taken to hospitals after sustaining breathing problems. Some of them died. Clay fraction is the dominant part in the dust storms forming 70% besides a little silt (20.6%) and sand (9.4%), then classified as mature arkose of clay to sandy clay, whereas sand dunes are formed from 72.7% sand, 25.1% silt and 2.19% clay, then classified as mature arkose of silty sand. Sand dunes have much maturity. Mineralogical composition of dust storms and sand dunes are Quartz (49.2%, 67.1%), feldspar (4.9%, 20.9%), calcite (38%, 5%), gypsum (4.8%, 0.4%), dolomite (0.8%, 1%) and heavy minerals (3.2%, 6.6%), respectively. Heavy mineral suites in the dust storms are represented by zircon, pyroxene, hornblende, chlorite and magnetite; whereas the sand dunes are represented by zircon, tourmaline, garnet and pyroxene, concentrated within sand fraction. Heavy minerals according to satellite images revealed the dry land of Sahara Desert in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as well as Syria and Jordan were a major source of the dust storms that have occurred in Asia, including Iraq. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1445-6 Authors Salih Muhammad Awadh, Earth Sciences Department, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The Narava basin in Visakhapatnam district situated on the east coast is a productive agricultural area, and is also one of the fastest growing urban areas in India. The agricultural and urban-industrialization activities have a lot of impact on this coastal aquifer water quality. The hydrochemistry of the groundwater was analyzed in the basin area with reference to drinking and agricultural purposes. The area is underlain by Precambrian rocks like khondalites, charnockites and migmatites. The water samples were collected from shallow wells for the year 2008. Physical and chemical parameters of groundwater such as pH, total alkalinity (TA), electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + , HCO 3 − , Cl − , SO 4 2− , NO 3 − , F − were determined. The analytical results revealed that the most of the groundwater found to be in polluted category. Geographical information system (GIS) was utilized to generate different spatial distribution maps of various chemical constituents in the study area. The analytical data were used to compute certain parameters such as salinity hazard, percent sodium (Na%), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), permeability index (PI), Kelley’s ratio (KR) and corrosivity ratio (CR) to determine the quality of water for agricultural purposes. The abundance of the major ions in the basin area was found to be in the following sequence: Na +  〉 Ca 2+  〉 Mg 2+  〉 K + :Cl −  〉 HCO 3 −  〉 SO 4 2−  〉 NO 3 −  〉 F − . According to Gibbs’ diagram most of the samples fall under rock dominance. As per Wilcox and USSL classification most of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation except few samples which are unsuitable due to the presence of high salinity and high sodium hazard. From the obtained data, it can be concluded that the water quality profile was good and useful for normal irrigation agriculture. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-27 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1438-5 Authors P. Swarna Latha, Department of Geography, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, 530 003 India K. Nageswara Rao, Geography Discipline, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, 110 068 India Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Neural networks are increasingly used in the field of hydrology due to their properties of parsimony and universal approximation with regard to nonlinear systems. Nevertheless, as a result of the existence of noise and approximations in hydrological data, which are very significant in some cases, such systems are particularly sensitive to increased model complexity. This dilemma is known in machine learning as bias–variance and can be avoided by suitable regularization methods. Following a presentation of the bias–variance dilemma along with regularization methods such as cross-validation, early stopping and weight decay, an application is provided for simulating and forecasting karst aquifer outflows at the Lez site. The efficiency of this regularization process is thus demonstrated on a nonlinear, partially unknown basin. As a last step, results are presented over the most intense rainfall event found in the database, which allows assessing the capability of neural networks to generalize with rare or extreme events. Content Type Journal Article Category Special Issue Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1450-9 Authors Line Kong A Siou, Ecole des Mines d’Alès, CMGD, 6 avenue de Clavières, 30319 Alès Cedex, France Anne Johannet, Ecole des Mines d’Alès, CMGD, 6 avenue de Clavières, 30319 Alès Cedex, France Borrell Estupina Valérie, Hydrosciences Montpellier, Université Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Séverin Pistre, Hydrosciences Montpellier, Université Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Geotechnical engineering and unpredictable piling problems of highly urbanized areas underlain by intensive geological fracture zones require a better understanding of their spatial pattern and developments. Unlike traditional techniques which use geophysical survey and visual interpretation of optical satellite images, this study presents a modified approach to revealing the buried geological fractures in karst terrain, which incorporates Wood’s algorithm. The algorithm binary maps were modified by applying additional Soble filter with 10% threshold and equalization enhancement. These modifications have proven good discrimination for morphological linear and curvilinear derived from DEM. Results of the modified method were compared to the existing geological map and validated by conducting field observations. The analysis of the results and corresponding geological and topographical maps showed the effectiveness of the method to recognize the pattern of buried geological fractures. The results obtained demonstrated that maps of the modified method can be used as a reference map prior to any site investigation. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1440-y Authors Samy Ismail Elmahdy, Institute of Advanced Technology (ITMA), University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Shattri Mansor, Institute of Advanced Technology (ITMA), University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Bujang B. K. Huat, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Ahmed Rodzi Mahmod, Institute of Advanced Technology (ITMA), University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    A good prediction of solid waste landfill settlement is important for landfill design and rehabilitation. A one-dimensional model which accounts for mechanical settlement and biodegradation processes is developed to simulate the settlement behavior of municipal solid waste landfill. The derivation of analytical solutions for specific conditions is introduced. The numerical approach, capable of coping with more general conditions, is also presented to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of landfill settlement. The proposed model can simulate typical features of short- and long-term landfill settlement behaviors. With proper selection of parameter values, field measurements are well simulated by this model. The effects of some design parameters on the settlement behavior of municipal solid waste landfills are also examined with the help of this model. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1453-6 Authors Kuo-Sheng Chen, Environmental Information and Engineering Department, National Defense University, No. 190, San-Yuan 1st St., Taoyuan, 335 Taiwan Rong-Her Chen, Civil Engineering Department, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan Chia-Nan Liu, Civil Engineering Department, National Chi-Nan University, No.1, University Road., Puli, Nantou, 545 Taiwan Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The study area is located in the northwestern part of Greece, in Aitoloakarnania prefecture. In this region, where no volcanic activity exists, thermal springs such as Kremasta and Kokkino Stefani, well-known for their healing properties occur. The objective of this study was the investigation of these springs, as well as the study of the chemical composition and origin of water. Relationships between these springs were also examined. The geological setting of the area comprises sedimentary rocks of the Pindos, Gavrovo-Tripolis and Ionian geotectonic zones, deformed by orogenic movements followed by Neogene extensional tectonism. The thermal and mineral springs were classified into three main groups. The first group is characterized by Ca-HCO 3 water type and low water temperatures. It corresponds to the springs that are hosted in the Ionian zone and their possible enrichment in SO 4 is mainly attributed to the evaporites. The other two groups consist of alkaline thermal water mainly hosted in the formations of Gavrovo-Tripolis zone. In these two groups, the very strong reducing conditions that prevail are expressed by high amounts of NH 3 and H 2 S. Moreover, Na, F, Li, Sr and Ba display elevated concentrations. The second includes mineral waters of (Ca)-Na-HCO 3 type that are depleted in calcium. Their residence time is rather long and they originate from deep water circulation through siliceous rocks. The third group includes thermal waters of Ca-Mg-Na-HCO 3 water type of higher water temperatures that reveal characteristics of deep circulation directly associated with the underlain limestones. Content Type Journal Article Category Special Issue Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1451-8 Authors K. Katsanou, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 26 504 Rio-Patras, Greece G. Siavalas, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 26 504 Rio-Patras, Greece N. Lambrakis, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 26 504 Rio-Patras, Greece Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The Península Valdés, in northeastern Patagonia, Argentina, is characterised by its arid climate and the lack of perennial watercourses; thus, all economic activities depend on the groundwater resources. Water demand is mainly associated with tourism, which is centralised in Puerto Pirámides and supplied by a water desalination plant, and to sheep farming, supplied by the local aquifer. Due to the exponential growth of tourism, the government is planning to exploit groundwater and convey it by aqueduct to the abovementioned locality. The objectives of this study were to corroborate the conceptual geohydrological model, to develop a mathematical model to simulate the response of the aquifer to different scenarios, and to assess the incidence of water input into the system as a variable—a function that poses difficulties in the models for arid regions. The Visual Modflow 4.1 code was used, calibrating it in trial-and-error mode, changing the recharge and hydraulic conductivity parameters with different variants in the recharge zone and in the inclusion or exclusion of the evapotranspiration module. Results indicate the importance of the recharge analysis by treating rainfall at daily time steps. The adjusted model was exposed to four scenarios with variations in water input and in output by pumping. It can be concluded that under different input conditions, but with a controlled extraction, the system responds in a sustainable manner. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1435-8 Authors María del Pilar Alvarez, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Cátedra de Hidrogeología, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 122 y 60, 1900 La Plata, Argentina María Marta Trovatto, Cátedra de Hidrogeología, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 122 y 60, 1900 La Plata, Argentina Mario Alberto Hernández, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Cátedra de Hidrogeología, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 122 y 60, 1900 La Plata, Argentina Nilda González, Cátedra de Hidrogeología, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 122 y 60, 1900 La Plata, Argentina Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Eighty-four to ninety-eight percent of land subsidence in Shanghai City is caused by the visco-elastic–plastic deformation of sediments. Numerical experiments are done on the sediments with visco-elastic–plastic deformation in Shanghai to verify the modified Merchant model (MM model) and land subsidence model based on the modified Merchant (LS-MM) model. There are two advantages of the MM model and the LS-MM model. One is that only a few parameters are involved. There are three parameters in the MM model and four parameters in the LS-MM model. The other one is that both models can describe elastic, elastic–plastic and visco-elastic deformation in addition to visco-elastic–plastic deformation. The corresponding models are developed by setting proper values of the three parameters of μ , α 1 and α 2 . The two advantages make the LS-MM model flexible and applicable to the simulation of the large regional land subsidence with visco-elastic–plastic deformation and other different kinds of deformation. The results can be improved by variable parameters, especially specific storage. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1389-x Authors Shujun Ye, Department of Hydrosciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 China Yuqun Xue, Department of Hydrosciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 China Jichun Wu, Department of Hydrosciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 China Qinfen Li, Shanghai Institute of Geology Survey, Shanghai, 200072 China Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The chemical speciation of potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in the contaminated soils and sulfides-rich tailings sediments of an abandoned tungsten mine in Korea was evaluated by conducting modified BCR sequential extraction tests. Kinetic and static batch leaching tests were also conducted to evaluate the potential release of As and other heavy metals by acidic rain water and the leaching behaviors of these heavy metals. The major sources of the elements were As-, Zn- and Pb-bearing sulfides, Pb carbonates (i.e., cerussite), and Pb sulfates (i.e., anglesite). The biggest pollutant fraction in these soil and tailing samples consists of metals bound to the oxidizable host phase, which can be released into the environment if conditions become oxidative, and/or to residual fractions. No significant difference in total element concentrations was observed between the tailings sediments and contaminated soils. For both sample types, almost no changes occurred in the mobility of As and the other heavy metals at 7 days, but the mobility increased afterwards until the end of the tests at 30 days, regardless of the initial pH. However, the mobility was approximately 5–10 times higher at initial pH 1.0 than at initial pHs of 3.0 and 5.0. The leached amounts of all the heavy metal contents were higher from tailings sediments than from contaminated soils at pH 〉 3.0, but were lower at pH 〈 3.0 except for As. Results of this study suggest that further dissolution of heavy metals from soil and tailing samples may occur during extended rainfall, resulting in a serious threat to surface and groundwater in the mine area. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-15 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1415-z Authors Pyeong-Koo Lee, Geological and Environmental Hazards Department, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, 30 Kajung-dong, Yusung-ku, Taejon, 305-350 Republic of Korea Min-Ju Kang, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Chungbuk National University, 410 Seongbong-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Chongju, Chungbuk 361-763, Republic of Korea Ho Young Jo, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-713 Republic of Korea Sang-Hoon Choi, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Chungbuk National University, 410 Seongbong-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Chongju, Chungbuk 361-763, Republic of Korea Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung: Reviews on books, internet and scientific media Content Type Journal Article Category Book Review Pages 1-2 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1420-2 Authors J. Matschullat, Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Center, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Brennhausgasse 14, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    The bulk of fly ash (an inorganic waste of coal-fired power generation) produced is deposited in disposal areas where it needs to be revegetated. The effects of addition of three conventional organic amendments (biosolids, poultry manure, green waste compost), or poultry manure-derived biochar, to coal fly ash (at two rates) on some key chemical, physical and microbial properties and on growth of Rhodes grass ( Chloris gayana ) was studied in a laboratory incubation/greenhouse study. Addition of all amendments, including biochar, increased concentrations of extractable Mg, K, Na and P and CEC (pH 7.0) . Additions of poultry manure, and particularly biosolids, also greatly increased levels of extractable NH 4 + and NO 3 − -N. Addition of biosolids, green waste compost and biochar resulted in a decrease in macroporosity, a concomitant increase in mesoporosity and, at the high rate of addition, an increase in available water-holding capacity. Basal respiration was very low in fly ash and was increased by addition of all amendments; metabolic quotient was markedly greater in control than amended treatments. Biosolids, poultry manure and green waste compost additions all increased microbial biomass C. Growth of Rhodes grass was extremely low under unfertilized conditions in control, biochar and, to a lesser extent, green waste compost treatments but addition of poultry manure and the lower rate of biosolids resulted in large increases in yields. Although biochar additions increased extractable Ca, K, P, Cu, Zn and Mn, CEC, mesoporosity and water-holding capacity, they had a little or no stimulatory effect on the size of the soil microbial community, N fertility or plant growth. This was attributable to the lack of metabolisable C and an insignificant N-supplying capacity. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1424-y Authors O. N. Belyaeva, School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences/CRC CARE, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia R. J. Haynes, School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences/CRC CARE, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280

Beschreibung:    Mining activities cause a wide range of changes to the environment, substantially affecting both the physical and biological environmental sectors. In the Carajás Mineral Province, located in the Amazon rainforest, environmental regulations tend to be more rigorous, due to the fragility of the environment in which large iron deposits are found. The characterization of the impact of mining on environment considers: the type and extent of the impact, the physical chemistry differences and similarities of the mineral deposits, the deposit size, the adopted mining process, and the environment (both natural and economic) in which the mining process was developed. Remote sensing technology is utilized in this study, in particular, the use of ortho-aerial photograph, and optical and radar images with distinct spatial resolution. These permit the elaboration in synoptic maps, multi-scale and dynamic, of the changes wrought upon the environment: deforestation, removal of vegetation cover, topographic surface and landscape alteration, and slope instabilities among others. In this aspect, determining the extent of influence of the mining activity is directly tied to the characterization of its impact on various natural systems at the observed scale, and not by simply defining a predetermined Euclidean distance. The results showed that remote sensing technology, optical and radar images, proved to be efficient in the study of environmental information and the areas of influence on the semi-regional and local scales in the Amazon forest. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12665-011-1434-9 Authors Maria Carolina de Morais, Mining School, Geology Department (DEGEO), Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Av. José Cândido da Silveira, 2000, Horto, Belo Horizonte, MG 31170-000, Brazil Paulo Pereira Martins Junior, Mining School, Geology Department (DEGEO), Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Av. José Cândido da Silveira, 2000, Horto, Belo Horizonte, MG 31170-000, Brazil Waldir Renato Paradella, Remote Sensing Division (DSR), National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Av. dos Astronautas, 1758, São José dos Campos, SP 12227-010, Brazil Journal Environmental Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1866-6299 Print ISSN 1866-6280