Evaluation of alternative cover systems using GIS

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-355
Author(s):  
Julie Coonrod ◽  
John Stormont ◽  
Lisa Vantassell

Abstract Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to determine and display the depths of native soil covers required for waste containment sites. Readily available data for the State of New Mexico are used in a GIS environment to determine the required depth of two separate cover systems. The depth of an evapotranspirative (ET) soil cover is determined using the available water capacity of the soil and the amount of dormant precipitation. The thickness of a capillary barrier cover system is determined using unsaturated hydraulic parameters, the amount of dormant precipitation, and an iterative numerical model. A difference map showing the savings using a capillary barrier instead of an ET cover is then created. The use of a capillary barrier in areas with fine-grained soils can decrease the necessary soil cover thickness by 90 cm of soil. The computed cover thickness compare well with those determined using Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) (Schroeder et al., 1994), a model commonly used in New Mexico to determine if alternative cover systems can meet the required performance criteria.

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1146-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aubertin ◽  
E. Cifuentes ◽  
S. A. Apithy ◽  
B. Bussière ◽  
J. Molson ◽  
...  

Various types of cover systems can be used to control water infiltration into waste disposal sites. One promising option is to combine different types of soil to create a layered cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE). A CCBE basically involves the placement of a relatively fine-grained soil, which acts as a water-retention layer, over a coarser capillary break material. On slopes, a CCBE promotes lateral water diversion. Inclined CCBEs, however, are relatively complex, as their behaviour is influenced by numerous factors. In this paper, the authors present the key results obtained from a numerical investigation into the response of steeply inclined CCBEs. The study evaluates the behaviour of covers under dry and humid climatic conditions. After a review of the physical processes and background studies, the paper presents simulation results that demonstrate the effect of key factors on the diversion length of covers, including layer thicknesses, material properties, and recharge rates. The results shown here indicate that increasing the thickness of the cover may improve its efficiency, but only up to a certain maximum beyond which the gain becomes minimal. These results should be of help to those involved in the design of inclined CCBEs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 1571-1585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Hansford

A conceptual design for a handheld X-ray diffraction (HHXRD) instrument is proposed. Central to the design is the application of energy-dispersive XRD (EDXRD) in a back-reflection geometry. This technique brings unique advantages which enable a handheld instrument format, most notably, insensitivity to sample morphology and to the precise sample position relative to the instrument. For fine-grained samples, including many geological specimens and the majority of common alloys, these characteristics negate sample preparation requirements. A prototype HHXRD device has been developed by minor modification of a handheld X-ray fluorescence instrument, and the performance of the prototype has been tested with samples relevant to mining/quarrying and with an extensive range of metal samples. It is shown, for example, that the mineralogical composition of iron-ore samples can be approximately quantified. In metals analysis, identification and quantification of the major phases have been demonstrated, along with extraction of lattice parameters. Texture analysis is also possible and a simple example for a phosphor bronze sample is presented. Instrument formats other than handheld are possible and online process control in metals production is a promising area. The prototype instrument requires extended measurement times but it is argued that a purpose-designed instrument can achieve data-acquisition times below one minute. HHXRD based on back-reflection EDXRD is limited by the low resolution of diffraction peaks and interference by overlapping fluorescence peaks and, for these reasons, cannot serve as a general-purpose XRD tool. However, the advantages ofin situ, nondestructive and rapid measurement, tolerance of irregular surfaces, and no sample preparation requirement in many cases are potentially transformative. For targeted applications in which the analysis meets commercially relevant performance criteria, HHXRD could become the method of choice through sheer speed and convenience.


2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (10) ◽  
pp. 1165-1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.R. Harnas ◽  
H. Rahardjo ◽  
E.C. Leong ◽  
J.Y. Wang

The performance of a capillary barrier cover as a cover system is affected by the ability of the capillary barrier to store water. To increase the water storage of a capillary barrier cover, the dual capillary barrier (DCB) concept is proposed. The objective of this paper is to investigate the water storage of the proposed DCB as compared to the storage of a traditional single capillary barrier (SCB). The investigation is conducted using two one-dimensional infiltration column tests under different rainfall conditions. The results show that a DCB stores more water as compared to SCB. The results show that the fine-grained layers of a DCB have higher volumetric water contents during drainage as compared to that of the fine-grained layer of an SCB. The higher volumetric water content is caused by the fact that the thickness of the layers in a DCB corresponds to a pore-water pressure head range where the material has the highest volumetric water content. In addition, a slower drainage rate is resulted from additional layering in a DCB.


1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 846-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul H Simms ◽  
Ernest K Yanful

An experimental soil cover constructed near London, Ontario, 23.2 m × 15.2 m in plan area, has been monitored for 2 years for percolation and water-content data. The cover was a multilayer system consisting of a compacted till barrier soil placed between evaporation and drainage barriers of sandy gravel. Half of the cover was capped with coarse stone to prevent erosion and the other half was covered with topsoil to facilitate revegetation. High percolation rates and substantial desiccation of the barrier soil were reported under the topsoil protection layer. Unsaturated-saturated liquid and vapour flow modelling shows that the topsoil may act as a capillary barrier to infiltration, thereby promoting desiccation of the underlying compacted till. Percolation through the cover was measured using lysimeters filled with 5-16 cm (2-6 in.) diameter stone placed directly underneath the compacted till. Though the field lysimeters report water and laboratory tests show no evidence of flow partitioning between coarse stone and gravel, two-dimensional unsaturated-saturated liquid flow modelling of the lysimeter-cover interaction predicts that the lysimeters should not report significant water. Phenomena not simulated by the modelling, which include macrostructure flow in the barrier soil, trickle flow in the coarse stone, and vapour diffusion, are investigated and discussed. Consideration of vapour flow yields results that are inconsistent with the predictions of the liquid flow modelling. Key words: capillary barrier, lysimeters, soil covers, unsaturated flow, vapour flow.


2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (S2) ◽  
pp. 532-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
RI Grauch ◽  
DD Eberl ◽  
AR Butcher ◽  
PWSK Botha

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3 – August 7, 2008


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 667-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Guan ◽  
Hai-jian Xie ◽  
Zhan-hong Qiu ◽  
Yun-min Chen ◽  
Pei-xiong Chen

Author(s):  
Antonio Conceição Paranhos Filho ◽  
Alberto Pio Fiori ◽  
Leonardo Disperati ◽  
Cristiane Lucchesi ◽  
Alessandro Ciali ◽  
...  

O ambiente SIG (Sistema de Informações Geográficas) é o ideal para integrar dados, informações e cartas de naturezas diferentes. Por exemplo, dados climáticos e cartas topográficas ou de solos podem ser analisados em conjunto, levando toda a informação para uma base comum, o que permite a sua integração e uso. A Equação Universal de Perdas dos Solos (EUPS ou USLE) é atualmente utilizada, com sucesso, como uma forma para a avaliação da perda dos solos por erosão laminar e foi aplicada para a Bacia do Rio Taquarizinho (ao Sul de Coxim, Mato Grosso do Sul), região que apresentou grandes modificações no tipo de uso e ocupação do solo no período analisado. Neste trabalho são apresentados os parâmetros envolvidos com a USLE, alguns obtidos da digitalização de cartas temáticas e tabelas como de Erosividade das chuvas (R), Erodibilidade do solo (K) ou Uso e Manejo do Solo e Práticas Conservacionistas (CP) e outros, como Comprimento (L) e Declividade de vertentes (S,) obtidos em ambiente SIG, através de dados topográficos. O ambiente SIG permitiu a completa integração entre os dados para a obtenção dos parâmetros da USLE e os resultados. Para a Bacia do Rio Taquarizinho a USLE foi aplicada em três diferentes momentos: 1966, 1985 e 1996. Esta aplicação multitemporal mostrou a tendência evolutiva do processo erosivo na região. Para os valores absolutos da taxa de erosão laminar dos solos, de 1966 a 1996, em alguns locais, o desmatamento implicou num aumento da taxa de erosão laminar dos solos em mais de 50 vezes. As perdas médias anuais de solo por erosão laminar foram representadas por valores médios, para toda a Bacia do Taquarizinho, de 4,44 ton/ha. para 1966, de 5,53 ton/ha. para 1985 e de 8,65 ton/ha. para 1996. MULTITEMPORAL EVALUATION OF SOIL LOSS IN THE TAQUARIZINHO BASIN, MATO GROSSO DO SUL - BRAZIL Abstract The GIS - Geographic Information System environment is ideal for integrating data, information and different kinds of maps. For example, climate data and topographic or soil cover maps can be analyzed together, bringing all the information into a common base, thus permitting integration and use. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is currently used successfully as a form of evaluating soil loss via laminar erosion, and it was applied to the Taquarizinho River Basin (to the south of Coxim, Mato Grosso do Sul State), a region which showed great changes in the type of use and occupation of the soil during the period analyzed. In the present work are presented the parameters involved in the USLE, some obtained from the digitalization of thematic maps and tables, such as the Rain Erosive Potential (R), Soil Erodability (K), and Cover and Management of the Soil and Conservation Practices (CP), and others, such as Length (L) and Slope Declivity (S), obtained from the GIS environment, from topographic data. The GIS environment permitted a complete integration between the data used to obtain the USLE parameters, and the results. For the Taquarizinho River Basin, the USLE was applied to three different periods: 1966, 1985 and 1996. This multi-temporal application showed a tendency of evolving erosion in the region. Calculations of the absolute values of rates of laminar erosion of the soils indicate that deforestation has lead to an increase of more than fifty times in such erosion, from 1966 to 1996. The mean annual losses of soil from laminar erosion for the entire Taquarizinho River Basin are calculated to have been 4.44 ton/ha in 1996, 5.53 ton/ha in 1985, and 8.65 ton/ha in 1996.


2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 813-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Westgate ◽  
Giday WoldeGabriel ◽  
Henry C. Halls ◽  
Colin J. Bray ◽  
René W. Barendregt ◽  
...  

AbstractA fine-grained, up to 3-m-thick tephra bed in southwestern Saskatchewan, herein named Duncairn tephra (Dt), is derived from an early Pleistocene eruption in the Jemez Mountains volcanic field of New Mexico, requiring a trajectory of northward tephra dispersal of ~1500 km. An unusually low CaO content in its glass shards denies a source in the closer Yellowstone and Heise volcanic fields, whereas a Pleistocene tephra bed (LSMt) in the La Sal Mountains of Utah has a very similar glass chemistry to that of the Dt, supporting a more southerly source. Comprehensive characterization of these two distal tephra beds along with samples collected near the Valles caldera in New Mexico, including grain size, mineral assemblage, major- and trace-element composition of glass and minerals, paleomagnetism, and fission-track dating, justify this correlation. Two glass populations each exist in the Dt and LSMt. The proximal correlative of Dt1 is the plinian Tsankawi Pumice and co-ignimbritic ash of the first ignimbrite (Qbt1g) of the 1.24 Ma Tshirege Member of the Bandelier Tuff. The correlative of Dt2 and LSMt is the co-ignimbritic ash of Qbt2. Mixing of Dt1 and Dt2 probably occurred during northward transport in a jet stream.


2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celestina Adu-Wusu ◽  
Ernest K. Yanful ◽  
Lisa Lanteigne ◽  
Mike O’Kane

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document