Salinity changes in the Bay of Puck due to brine discharge based on in-situ measurements

Author(s):  
Małgorzata Robakiewicz

AbstractBrine, a by-product in the process of constructing gas storage caverns in salt deposits, has been discharged into Puck Bay by a system of diffusers since autumn 2010. In-situ measurements taken in the period of October 2010–December 2012 were used to assess salinity changes in the vicinity of the discharge installation. The measured salinity values included two components: the natural, representing salinity in the absence of discharge, and salinity excess due to brine discharge. Owing to the limited number of locations in the Gulf of Gdańsk where the national program of monitoring environmental changes is carried out, it was impossible to determine exactly the natural component. As a consequence, four estimation methods were proposed. A detailed analysis was carried out for the second half of 2012, when parameters of brine were close to the maximum permissible values. It was found that the average salinity excess in the vicinity of the installation rarely reached 0.5 PSU, and the maximum values at individual sites occasionally reached 0.6 PSU. It was shown that the local wind plays an important role in brine mixing with the surrounding environment, however, it is not sufficient to explain the observed salinity patterns.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joao Pedro Veiga ◽  
Fernanda Carvalho ◽  
Hugo Aguas ◽  
Giampiero Montesperelli ◽  
Elissavet Kavoulaki ◽  
...  

<div> <p>The Minoan Palace of Knossos and the Venetian coastal fortress “Rocca a mare” (Koules), located in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, are two important monuments for the history of mankind particularly vulnerable to environmental conditions, since they are located in an island subjected to strong variations in humidity and, as in the case of the Venetian fortress, in direct contact with sea water. In this type of surrounding environment, the formation of salt efflorescence as well as various other soluble salts crusts is a common situation. They occur according to the existing solubilization and crystallization conditions and can happen either in exterior or interior areas of the monuments. Their presence may stimulate further degradation, either due to the chemical dissolution of the substrate materials or due to the mechanical actions created by the formation of crystals, which may result in the decay of the substrate.</p> <p>A set of samples from both monuments were analysed using various laboratory (ex-situ) analytical methods such as optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). In-situ measurements using portable Raman and LIBS instruments were also performed. The comparative results from ex-situ analysis and in-situ measurements will be presented with emphasis to the chemical composition of the crusts and their origin. Results indicate that observed stalactites and salt efflorescence are directly related to the type of supporting material and the conditions of the surrounding environment. In general, the formation of crusts and salts are due to processes of alteration of the supporting material while the high impact of sea salt on the formation of the efflorescence at the Venetian coastal fortress was also confirmed.</p> <p> </p> <p>[1] This work was supported by the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020 under Grant Agreement 700395 project HERACLES.</p> <p>Acknowledgment to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) UID/EAT/00729/2013 and EAT/00729-3 by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Programme and National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project number POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688, Reference UID/CTM/50025/2013 NOVA.ID.FCT, and the PhD Scholarship SFRH/BD/145308/2019.</p> </div>


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 963
Author(s):  
Yu Bai ◽  
Shunlin Liang ◽  
Wenping Yuan

The gross primary production (GPP) is important for regulating the global carbon cycle and climate change. Recent studies have shown that sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is highly advantageous regarding GPP monitoring. However, using SIF to estimate GPP on a global scale is limited by the lack of a stable SIF-GPP relationship. Here, we estimated global monthly GPP at 0.05° spatial resolution for the period 2001–2017, using the global OCO-2-based SIF product (GOSIF) and other auxiliary data. Large amounts of flux tower data are not available to the public and the available data is not evenly distributed globally and has a smaller measured footprint than the GOSIF data. This makes it difficult to use the flux tower GPP directly as an input to the model. Our strategy is to scale in situ measurements using two moderate-resolution satellite GPP products (MODIS and GLASS). Specifically, these two satellite GPP products were calibrated and eventually integrated by in situ measurements (FLUXNET2015 dataset, 83 sites), which was then used to train a machine learning model (GBRT) that performed the best among five evaluated models. The GPP estimates from GOSIF were highly accurate coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.58, root mean square error (RMSE) = 2.74 g C·m−2, bias = –0.34 g C·m−2) as validated by in situ measurements, and exhibited reasonable spatial and seasonal variations on a global scale. Our method requires fewer input variables and has higher computational efficiency than other satellite GPP estimation methods. Satellite-based SIF data provide a unique opportunity for more accurate, near real-time GPP mapping in the future.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stukel ◽  
Thomas Kelly

Thorium-234 (234Th) is a powerful tracer of particle dynamics and the biological pump in the surface ocean; however, variability in carbon:thorium ratios of sinking particles adds substantial uncertainty to estimates of organic carbon export. We coupled a mechanistic thorium sorption and desorption model to a one-dimensional particle sinking model that uses realistic particle settling velocity spectra. The model generates estimates of 238U-234Th disequilibrium, particulate organic carbon concentration, and the C:234Th ratio of sinking particles, which are then compared to in situ measurements from quasi-Lagrangian studies conducted on six cruises in the California Current Ecosystem. Broad patterns observed in in situ measurements, including decreasing C:234Th ratios with depth and a strong correlation between sinking C:234Th and the ratio of vertically-integrated particulate organic carbon (POC) to vertically-integrated total water column 234Th, were accurately recovered by models assuming either a power law distribution of sinking speeds or a double log normal distribution of sinking speeds. Simulations suggested that the observed decrease in C:234Th with depth may be driven by preferential remineralization of carbon by particle-attached microbes. However, an alternate model structure featuring complete consumption and/or disaggregation of particles by mesozooplankton (e.g. no preferential remineralization of carbon) was also able to simulate decreasing C:234Th with depth (although the decrease was weaker), driven by 234Th adsorption onto slowly sinking particles. Model results also suggest that during bloom decays C:234Th ratios of sinking particles should be higher than expected (based on contemporaneous water column POC), because high settling velocities minimize carbon remineralization during sinking.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Ming LI ◽  
Qinghua YANG ◽  
Jiechen ZHAO ◽  
Lin ZHANG ◽  
Chunhua LI ◽  
...  

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Guymer ◽  
Rob O'Brien

Previously, the design of sewer systems has been limited to studies of their hydraulic characteristics, in particular the ability of the system to convey the maximum discharge. Greater environmental awareness has necessitated that new designs, and some existing schemes, are assessed to determine the environmental load which the scheme will deliver to any downstream component. This paper describes a laboratory programme which has been designed to elucidate the effects of manholes on the longitudinal dispersion of solutes. A laboratory system is described, which allows in situ measurements to be taken of the concentration of a fluorescent solute tracer, both up- and down-stream of a surcharged manhole junction. Results are presented from a preliminary series of studies undertaken for a single manhole geometry over a range of discharges, with varying levels of surcharge. Results are presented showing the variation of travel time, change in second moment of the distribution and of a dispersion factor with surcharge, assuming a Taylor approach and determining the dispersion factor using a ‘change in moment’ method. The effect of the stored volume within the manhole is clearly evident. The limitations and the applicability of this approach are discussed.


Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 565
Author(s):  
Nguyen Nguyen Vu ◽  
Le Van Trung ◽  
Tran Thi Van

This article presents the methodology for developing a statistical model for monitoring salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta based on the integration of satellite imagery and in-situ measurements. We used Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor (Landsat- 8 OLI and TIRS) satellite data to establish the relationship between the planetary reflectance and the ground measured data in the dry season during 2014. The three spectral bands (blue, green, red) and the principal component band were used to obtain the most suitable models. The selected model showed a good correlation with the exponential function of the principal component band and the ground measured data (R2 > 0.8). Simulation of the salinity distribution along the river shows the intrusion of a 4 g/L salt boundary from the estuary to the inner field of more than 50 km. The developed model will be an active contribution, providing managers with adaptation and response solutions suitable for intrusion in the estuary as well as the inner field of the Mekong Delta.


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