Mixing Of Freshwater Research Articles

Assessment of sedimentary heterocyst glycolipids as tracers of freshwater input to the Changjiang Estuary and East China Sea

Heterocyst glycolipids (HGs) are biomarkers of important freshwater and marine diazotrophs known as heterocystous cyanobacteria. Recent research has found that HGs with hexose moieties (C6) are derived from free-living, mostly freshwater species while those with pentose moieties (C5) are derived from diatom-symbiont, mostly marine species. Here, we analyzed 39 surface sediments from a study area ranging from the Changjiang Estuary to the offshore East China Sea for HGs to investigate distribution patterns at this freshwater-seawater interface. We detected both C5 and C6 HGs in these samples; however, they had different spatial distributions: the C6 HG abundance was highest at the freshwater end of the estuary and decease offshore, whereas the abundance of C5 HGs displayed almost inverse pattern. We hypothesized that such distributions were likely caused by the mixing of freshwater and seawater, leading to a mixture of HGs derived from inland waters and/or soils and the marine environment. The proportion of C6 HGs to total HGs, defined as the FHG index, decreased with distance offshore, possibly reflecting the delivery of freshwater into the ocean. The FHG index changed curvilinearly with salinity, likely resulting from concentration-based weighting of end-member contributions. The FHG index correlated linearly (r2 = 0.76) with δ13Corg, suggesting that FHG could be used to indicate relative contributions of freshwater-delivered terrestrial organic matter in this estuarine and coastal region. However, the FHG index did not linearly correlate with the branched and isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index, another proxy used for terrestrial input, likely because the BIT index is predominantly controlled by variations in marine crenarchaeol production.

How marine incursion influences the quality of lacustrine source rocks: The Paleogene Nanxiang Basin, eastern China

The impact of marine incursions during transgression (i.e., sea level rises and the shoreline moves landward) on the formation and quality of lacustrine source rocks is an important and contentious issue. In this study, we present a case study of the Paleogene Hetaoyuan Formation in the Biyang sag, Nanxiang Basin, eastern China. Paleontological, trace-element, and biomarker data indicate that the Hetaoyuan source rocks in this region were influenced by a marine incursion. The paleontological evidence indicates that the marine incursion resulted in the introduction of red and brown algae, which commonly inhabit marine environments. Trace-element analyses yielded representative evidence of marine incursion (e.g., equivalent boron content >300 ppm and B/Ga ratio >4.2). Biomarker evidence for marine incursion includes C26/C25 tricyclic terpanes ratios of 1:3, which is the threshold for distinguishing marine organic matter from lacustrine. Using the B/Ga ratio as a typical paleosalinity indicator, it was determined that the influence of marine incursion decreased from the Biye 1 to Cheng 2 to An 3006 wells, with the B/Ga ratio average decreasing from 7.51 to 6.81 to 3.73, respectively. With an increasing extent of marine incursion (e.g., distance landward, overall water depth, and marine–freshwater mixing), the primary productivity of organic matter increased, and the preservational environment became more reducing. These changes resulted in higher contents of organic matter (total organic carbon e 2–8 wt. %) and a more favorable type of organic matter for oil generation (kerogen type I–II), indicating that the marine incursion had a positive effect on the formation of source rocks. Therefore, the formation mechanism of high-quality source rocks in coastal lacustrine basins during high sea-level periods and associated resource potential might need to be reevaluated (e.g., the Campanian lower Neslen Formation along the margins of the Western Interior Seaway of North America and the terminal Oligocene–early Miocene in the fluvial Saldanha Bay at the southwestern tip of Africa). The results also provide useful data for regional oil and gas exploration.

Flume Test Simulation and Study of Salt and Fresh Water Mixing Influenced by Tidal Reciprocating Flow

The salt-fresh water mixing is one of the basic topics of estuarine dynamics research. In partially mixed and highly stratified mixed estuaries, the structure of stratified flow is complicated by density gradient and tidal reciprocating flow. The velocity and salinity structures have been experimentally studied in a flume which is 167.8 m long, 0.5 m wide, and 0.5 m deep. The processes of the tidal levels, the flood and ebb current, and the salt-fresh water mixing have been simulated. Furthermore, the partially mixed and highly stratified mixed types have been repeatability showed in the flume, by solving the problems of experiment control and saltwater recycling. The control variable method has been used to dialectically analyze the influence of tidal range and runoff volume on the velocity and salinity distribution. The tide and runoff are respectively considered to affect the mixing type in two contradictory ways. In the condition of tidal reciprocating flow, the periodical change of interface stability has been investigated. It is considered that the interface stability is closely related to the vertical gradient of density and velocity. As a result, the critical value of interface stabilization has been presented. The experimental data and research results can be used for the basic study of estuarine dynamics and applied to practical problems such as estuarine saltwater intrusion.

Phosphate adsorption on hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) at different salinities and pHs

Phosphate adsorption on suspended sediments is largely influenced by the variations in salinity and pH such as is the case in estuaries where freshwater mixes with seawater, exhibiting strong physico-chemical gradients. In this research, the influence of salinity and pH on the adsorption of phosphate on hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) was investigated in NaCl solutions. The adsorption isotherm data at different salinities can be well fitted with the Langmuir-Freundlich model. At pH 8.5 the maximum adsorption capacity increases with increasing salinity, from 22.7 mg PO4/g at salinity 0–78.5 mg PO4/g at salinity 35 PSU (Practical Salinity Unit) with the largest increase occurring in the low salinity range (76.8 mg PO4/g at salinity 5 PSU). Phosphate adsorption is also highly pH dependent and the adsorption capacity decreases with increasing pH. The dependence of phosphate adsorption on salinity could be attributed to the inner-sphere complexation. The presence of Na+ modifies the phosphate speciation, which can also facilitate phosphate adsorption. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results show that both bidentate (≡Fe2PO4) and monodentate (≡FePO4) complexes are formed during phosphate adsorption on HFO surface. Quantitative relationships between phosphate adsorption and salinity are proposed for the different pHs investigated in this study, which is important for the understanding of the phosphate adsorption dynamics during estuarine mixing.

A novel actinobacterium species from a mangrove ecosystem- antibacterial activity and chemical characterization

The discovery of streptomycin by Selman Waksman (1943) brought into focus a new avenue of drugs from natural products, i.e., actinobacterial secondary metabolites. It forms more than 60 % of total bacterial secondary metabolites (mostly from Streptomyces). Interestingly, rare Actinobacteria can produce novel secondary metabolites with unique chemical structures. With the rise of drug resistant microbes, focus on actinobacterial research has shifted towards exploring unusual niches such as those located along land-ocean boundary where freshwater mixes with saltwater. One such ecosystem is the Sundarbans mangrove, located at the apex of Bay of Bengal. The present study aims to identify novel actinobacterial species from Sundarbans which has the ability to produce unique secondary metabolites. Mangrove sediments were collected, overall bacterial diversity and secondary metabolites producing bacterial diversity were elucidated by 16S rRNA and polyketide synthase (PKS) clone library approaches respectively. Fifteen bacterial strains were isolated from the sediment using cultured approach, among which, an isolate I2 was identified based on polyphasic taxonomy. The I2 represents a new species, Myceligenerans indicum sp. nov. This new species also possess PKS genes which indicate ability to produce secondary metabolite(s). Promising antibacterial activity of this new species was found against Escherchia coli XL10, Bacillus subtilis and Vibrio chemaguriensis Iso1 especially for fraction prepared using acetone and dichloromethane (1 : 1). Spectroscopic approaches have revealed the presence of functional groups such as amide, allene, isothiocyanate and ketenimine groups.

The Numerical Simulation of the Freshwater-Seawater Mixing in the Single Phase Coastal Aquifer

The interaction between freshwater and seawater usually occurs in the coastal aquifer. To simply explain this condition, describing the interface between them is conducted. This approach is a multiphase condition. Unfortunately, this condition is on immiscible condition, whereas the miscible condition should be obtained. The miscible condition of freshwater and seawater along coastal aquifer occurs on the single phase. This condition neglects the concept of the interface between them. The purpose of this research is to simulate the mixing of freshwater and seawater in the coastal aquifer by using the numerical method. Groundwater flow equation is governed involving the effect of contaminant concentration. On the other hand, the conservative groundwater contaminant transport equation is used. The discretization process uses the Finite-Difference Method. Coupling two equations will obtain the spreading of contaminant concentration along the model domain. The result shows that the freshwater-seawater interface does not appear and the change of concentration can be reviewed in every section and every point of the computational domain.

Modeling, simulation and optimization of a pressure retarded osmosis power station

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) power plants generate power from mixing of saltwater and freshwater by means of membrane systems. In this paper we present a model which describes the complete power station, suitable to optimize the power station both with respect to system parameters and in operating conditions. Special attention is dedicated to the flow model of the “core” membrane unit. It considers the relevant water and salt flows in the system. It also accounts for irreversible losses in the flow across the membrane as well as through the membrane unit, and in the surrounding pump-turbine system. The model represents a compromise between needed complexity (including the most relevant chemo-physics) and simplicity to allow rapid simulations which is an important prerequisit for optimisation. Finally, we optimise numerically, i.e., the net power output (per membrane area) with respect to geometric parameters, membrane parameters as well as operational parameters such as the applied pressure settings during operation.

Evaluation of lacustrine groundwater discharge and associated nutrients, trace elements and DIC loadings into Qinghai Lake in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, using radium isotopes and hydrological methods

Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in China with a surface area of 4260 km2, lies in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) at a mean altitude of 3194 m above sea level. The lake has a water volume of 71.6 × 109 m3, a salinity ranges of 4.18 ± 0.14 ppt to 12.3 ± 0.14 ppt during sampling period which is about a half of typical seawater. The aquifer systems at the lake shoreline have obvious saline water and freshwater mixing zones with similar hydrogeological and biogeochemical settings to coastal aquifers. This study aims to estimate lacustrine groundwater discharge (LGD) and the associated chemical loadings to western Qinghai Lake. Naturally occurring radium isotopes (223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra and 228Ra), nutrients, heavy metals and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) were systematically investigated in different water endmembers of western Qinghai Lake. LGD was estimated with radium inventory model and radium eddy diffusion model, leading to a LGD estimate of 7.67 × 106 m3 d−1 and 8.52 × 106 m3 d−1, respectively. The fresh groundwater discharge obtained based on regional water budget is about 5.97 × 106 m3 d−1 during sampling period, accounting for 73.74% (ranging from 53.22 to 80.43%) of total LGD. This study reveals that the fresh groundwater component is dominant in LGD of Qinghai Lake, which is quite different from most coastal scenarios. Furthermore, the chemical loadings derived from fresh-LGD and recirculated-LGD are evaluated. The preliminary results indicate that fresh-LGD is an important source of nutrient, barium, strontium, uranium, and DIC to the lake, and may significantly impact biogeochemical and ecological processes in the lake. This study presents the first LGD estimate in the largest QTP saline lake in China, and would be instructive to further similar studies in saline lakes in QTP and elsewhere in the world.

Response of chromophoric dissolved organic matter dynamics to tidal oscillations and anthropogenic disturbances in a large subtropical estuary

Estuaries support the livelihood of ~75% of the world's population and maintain high primary production in coastal waters, which are often subjected to strong tides and anthropogenic disturbances. There is a paucity of information on how the optical composition and bioavailability of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) are influenced by tidal oscillations in estuaries with highly urbanized surrounding areas. We examined the semi-diurnal Qiantang Bore, one of the Earth's three most predominant tide bores, and found that dissolved organic carbon (DOC), CDOM absorption a(254) and terrestrial humic-like C1, tryptophan-like C2 and C5, fulvic-like C3, and microbial humic-like C4 decreased markedly with increasing salinity. This suggests that physical mixing of riverine freshwater and saltwater can shape the optical composition of CDOM in the estuary. This was supported by the semi-diurnally and hourly observations at Zhijiang (salinity ~0.1‰, upstream of the estuary) that DOC, bioavailable DOC (BDOC), C1–C2, and C4–C5 increased markedly with decreasing tidal level, while DOC and C1–C5 increased notably with increasing salinity. We further found δ18O was enriched with increasing tidal level, while tryptophan-like C2 and C5, and fulvic-like C3 decreased significantly with increasing tidal level at Zhapu (salinity ~7‰, downstream of the estuary). Furthermore, DOC, BDOC, C1, and C4 decreased, while δ18O and C3 increased markedly with increasing salinity. Further evidences come from the notably lower mean first principal component (PC1) scores at Zhijiang and Zhapu, both positively associated with anthropogenic tryptophan-like inputs, were observed during ebb than during flood tides, and PC1 at Zhijiang increased notably with increasing salinity. We conclude that anthropogenic inputs contributed primarily to the CDOM pool in the estuary and are mediated by the physical mixing of riverine freshwater and seawater, and ebb tides are often associated with enhanced anthropogenic CDOM with relatively high bioavailability.

Estuarine Ecosystems and Their Place in Natural River Mouth Complexes of the Arctic: A Case Study of the Yenisei Mouth Area

The estuarine ecosystem is characterized by the mixing of seawater and freshwater with a resulting salinity of 0.5 to 22–26‰, which is preserved for no less than 2–3 weeks, and by the presence of specific brackish water species. The distinguishing features of Arctic estuarine ecosystems are a sharp thermohaline stratification of the waters and, as a consequence, a difference in the boundaries of the brackish water biota distribution near the bottom and in the pelagic zone. Note that only the bottom estuarine biocenoses are characteristic of the river mouth area. The most important factor in the Arctic estuarine ecosystems is the longitudinal migrations of the halocline, especially seasonal ones. The coincidence of the borders of distribution of the true brackish water species with the borders of hydrological and morphological regions of the Yenisei River estuary defined according to long-term observations is noteworthy. Given the relative similarity of the Arctic estuarine ecosystems in their physical, chemical, and biotic components associated with the latitudinal uniformity of the mouths, we assume the presence of this correlation in other estuarine areas as well. In this case, a single survey of the benthos may give the same result as multiyear series of hydrological observations in the regionalization of an estuarine ecosystem.

Isotopic and geochemical assessment of the sensitivity of groundwater resources of Guam, Mariana Islands, to intra- and inter-annual variations in hydroclimate

Assessing the sensitivity of groundwater systems to hydroclimate variability is critical to sustainable management of the water resources of Guam, US territory. We assess spatial and temporal variability of isotopic and geochemical compositions of vadose and phreatic groundwater sampled from cave drip sites and production wells, respectively, to better understand the vulnerability of the freshwater lens on Guam to variability in hydroclimate. We independently evaluate the existing conceptual model of the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer that is largely based on physical, as opposed to geochemical, observations. Sampling was conducted from 2008 to 2015, over which rainfall gradually increased. Major ion geochemistry and Sr isotope values of groundwater show varying influence from soil, limestone bedrock, and seawater. Geochemical modeling that can explain spatial variability in groundwater Na+ and Mg2+ concentrations and Sr/Ca and 87Sr/86Sr values indicates that groundwater compositions are dominantly controlled by mixing of freshwater with seawater and water-rock interaction. Differences between amount-weighted annual average precipitation δ18O values and groundwater δ18O values indicate a recharge bias toward the wet season, consistent with other tropical carbonate island aquifer settings. Intra- and inter-annual variations in Na+ concentrations and δ18O values in groundwater reflect sensitivity of recharge to seasonal variations in rainfall amount and changes in annual rainfall amounts. Our results indicate the influence of multiple modes of recharge on groundwater compositions and spatial variability in the sensitivity of groundwater to seawater mixing. This sensitivity of the freshwater lens points to the vulnerability of groundwater resources to changes in recharge associated with climate, land-use change, and increases in population.

Transformation of the chemical composition of surface waters in the area of the exploited Lomonosov diamond deposit (NW Russia).

The specific objective of this study was to investigate the changes in the chemical composition of river waters during the exploitation of the Lomonosov diamond deposit and the danger of these changes for the ichthyofauna. It was found that the Ca-HCO3 composition of river water both upstream and downstream from the quarry was almost identical before discharge of the drainage waters into the river. In subsequent years, the water downstream from the quarry acquired a Na-HCO3 composition, and then a Na-HCO3-Cl composition and TDS increased by 2.5 times. With respect to Fe, Mn, and Mo, concentrations that are above the maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs) for fishery rivers are apparent. At the same time, elevated Fe and Mn concentrations are associated with the natural composition of river water. The negative influence of drainage waters is manifested only with respect to the high concentrations of Mo. An important role in increasing Mo concentrations in drainage waters is played by the processes of hydrolysis of sodium aluminosilicates and mixing of fresh water with salt water. The concentrations of Sr, B, Ba, V, and Cr in drainage waters are higher than those in surface waters. However, they generally do not exceed the concentrations of the current MPCs. The source of Cr, Ba, Ni, and V in the drainage waters can be the products of the kimberlite magmatism. The possible impacts of metals effects on fish are presented.

Groundwater geochemistry fluctuations along a fresh-saltwater gradient on the carbonate islands of the lower Florida Keys

Climate change will have long-lasting effects on the availability of fresh water on small, carbonate islands that have isolated fresh groundwater lenses, particularly as sea level rises and rainfall regimes shift. The carbonate islands of the Florida Keys provide an ideal location to study the effect of variable rainfall on the aqueous geochemistry of the islands' groundwater. In a rainfall-driven carbonate system, the expectation is that limestone dissolution will occur within the vadose zone resulting in increased ions in the groundwater. However, geochemical processes are also affected by the salinity of groundwater and the extent of the mixing zone between fresh and salt water. We chose two islands to conduct the study of the shallow groundwater: the largest island in the lower Florida Keys, Big Pine Key (BPK), and a smaller island, Upper Sugarloaf Key (SLK). From May 2011 through April 2012, monthly groundwater samples were collected from 24 shallow (1 m deep) wells located along a fresh to saline gradient on both islands. Groundwater chemistry was compared with rainfall amounts from a weather station on BPK. Saturation indices for aragonite and calcite, generated with geochemical modeling in PHREEQC, were compared to conservative mixing between Gulf of Mexico water and freshwater. Equilibrium to supersaturated conditions with respect to carbonate minerals dominated in all of the groundwater samples. Saturation indices varied with rainfall with the most supersaturated samples observed after a large rain event and samples approaching equilibrium after the longest period without rainfall. Calcium in excess of what would be expected from conservative mixing of fresh water and seawater was observed in all groundwater samples and was elevated at near-shore locations, especially on BPK. Contrary to expectations, dissolution resulting from mixing of freshwater and seawater was not supported in the shallow groundwater. Instead, dissolution within the narrow vadose zone from rain events likely resulted in the excess calcium in the groundwater. Seasonal fluctuations in groundwater composition were primarily observed on the smaller island and were related to the fresh water balance, changing rapidly after a heavy rain event, and suggest that a size threshold has been surpassed for a stable lens. Rising seas will further decrease lens extent and vadose zone depth, reducing the potential for future limestone dissolution.

Air-Water Interface in an Estuarine Lake: Chlorophyll and Nutrient Enrichment

The surface water microlayer (SML) is a thin layer found at the interface of the hydrosphere and the atmosphere. It is capable of accumulating chemical substances and microorganisms at a rate as high as 100-fold greater than that observed in the subsurface water. The rate of accumulation of biogens and chlorophyll a in SML of an estuary, where marine and fresh waters mix, varies considerably and it depends on the degree mixing of these waters, which is manifested in the varying values of the enrichment factor (EF, calculated as the ratio of nutrients concentration in SML versus subsurface water). The influence of the Baltic Sea marine water and the freshwater Łeba River inflows on the estuarine Lake Łebsko (Poland) was examined. Nine sampling sites were located in the estuary. Water samples were collected from two layers: the surface microlayer (thickness 242 µm ± 40) and the subsurface water (15 cm depth). The capacity of the SML to enrich the water in nutrients and chlorophyll differed among various parts of the estuary, as well as between seawater and river waters. Statistically significant higher EF were found in the marine waters than in river waters for the nitrogen and phosphorus compounds as well as chlorophyll. There were also differences in EF between marine and lake waters. The highest EF were also recorded for organic forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in marine water. Most probably, marine flux into the estuarine Lake Łebsko, resulted in the increased EF for these investigated components.

C-O Isotope Analysis of Dolostone of Vempalle Formation in Dhone-Gudipadu-Korivipalle Sector, Western Part of Papaghni Sub-basin, Andhra Pradesh and Its Impact on Uranium Mineralization

ABSTRACT Cuddapah basin is an important uranium province, wherein unconformity related uranium deposit occur in Srisailam sub-basin in northern part and the dolostone hosted strata bound uranium deposit in Vempalle dolostone in southern part. The latter host the low-grade, large-tonnage uranium deposit. Vempalle Formation in Dhone-Gudipadu-Korivipalle (DGK) sector, along western part of the Papaghni sub-basin consists of three major units viz. (a) lower dolostone, (b) middle purple shale and (c) upper cherty dolostone. The lower dolostone has lot of detritus, represented mainly by quartz, feldspar, mica and clay. The upper cherty dolostone has chert as layers, nodules, rip-up clasts and at places do have conspicuous reddish brown shale bands with <2mm size siliceous oolite layers. They exhibit shallowing-upward carbonate depositional system with tidal flat environment. A number of uranium occurrences in Gudipadu-Korivipalle sector are hosted by the lower dolostone unit, especially at its lower stratigraphic level, i.e. 15-42m above the Gulcheru-Vempalle (GV) contact. Micro-stylolites are indicative of comparatively more burial pressure. Presence of fenestral voids filled with recrystallised fibrous calcite and thin mud drapes in the dolostone is indicative of precipitation in a shallow marine-tidal flat environment with late burial dolomitisation. Depletion of heavier C and O isotopes [13C: (-2.31 to 1.32%) and 18O: (-6.21 to -17.3%)] in the lower dolostone indicate mixing of fresh water with sea water in the depositional environment of tidal flat regime

A Multidisciplinary Approach for Clarifying the Recharge Processes and Origin of Saline Water in the Semi-Arid Punata Alluvial fan in Bolivia

The analysis of stable isotopes assisted in identifying that groundwater in the Punata alluvial fan is mainly recharged by heavy flash floods, and the recharge from rainfall is of less importance. In addition, the hydrochemical analysis identified the Pucara River as the main source of recharge. Other streams in the north and northwest of the fan do not seem to contribute to the recharge. The hydrochemistry also shows that there is an increase of the Na+ and Cl− concentrations in the middle and distal part of the fan. The salinization of groundwater is most likely a result of the mixing of fresh water with residual saline pore water in the lacustrine deposits and/or ion exchange within these layers. Geophysical surveys assisted in describing the aquifer system layering, and indicated a fine-grained bottom layer where ion exchange might occur. This study demonstrates that the integration of several methods (e.g., hydrochemistry, hydrogeophysics, and stable isotopes) is valuable for clarifying ambiguities during the interpretation process and for characterizing hydrogeological processes in alluvial fans in general.

Matters of Poetics and Resiliency in Daphne Marlatt’s Steveston1

In an estuarine habitat, flux is constant. The river’s mouth, a transitional environment of material and historical converging and churning, forces of turbidity, of ripping currents transforms place through the processes of predictable and unpredictable interactions. Water flows inland, seaward, downward, and upward, transported alternately by tides, floods, runoff, currents, clouds, rain. Salt and fresh water mix; land and water blend. Because of this influx, because rivers tend to meander, their edges erode, many often believe that all that pours into a river eventually makes it out to sea, and there, disperses, disappears, leaves behind little or no residue: a sense that nothing holds fast. Yet, while water and sediment flows alter substrates, shores accumulate matter: river washed stone, soils, a half-buried toilet seat, a matted knot of nets snaking out of cordgrass, the sodden and rotting remains of a seagull speckled with sand, an empty mayonnaise jar, endocrine disruptors. And, within these matrices, generations of life thrive, survive. The adjoining land and its more resilient inhabitants (human and other-than-human) adapt to this estuarine roil. Daphne Marlatt’s 1974 long poem, Steveston, brings the eponymous fishing town and experimental poetics into this convergence of ocean and river and terrestrial ecosystems to expose thresholds, the precariousness of homing, resiliency, and transformability of human and other-than-human communities reliant on and disrupted by fishing industry, and to a large extent, determined by the discriminatory politics of colonial-settlement.2 Through the river’s mouth, Marlatt reveals vestiges of historical and current social-ecological contexts hold fast, do not so readily wash away generational injustices.

Concentration and Temperature Effects on Water and Salt Permeabilities in Osmosis and Implications in Pressure-Retarded Osmosis.

Osmotic power extracted from the mixing of freshwater with seawater is a renewable energy resource that has gained increasing attention during recent years. The estimated energy can significantly contribute to the production of power worldwide. However, this power production will be subject to variation due to both local conditions and seasonal variation. The present paper explores the effect of concentration and temperature on water and salt fluxes in osmosis at zero transmembrane pressure for five different membranes. Further, the measured fluxes have been utilized to model water and salt permeabilities (A and B), and the structure parameter (S). The observed flux variations at different combinations of concentration and temperature have been ascribed to skin properties, i.e., changes in A and B of each membrane, whereas S was assumed constant within the range of concentrations and temperatures that were tested. Simplified equations for the variation in A and B with temperature and concentration have been developed, which enable A and B to be calculated at any concentration and temperature based on permeabilities determined from osmotic experiments at standard test conditions. The equations can be used to predict fluxes and specific power production with respect to geographical and seasonal variations in concentration and temperature for river water/seawater pressure-retarded osmosis. The obtained results are also useful for forward osmosis processes using seawater as draw solution.

Observation of the Dynamics and Horizontal Dispersion in a Shallow Intermittently Closed and Open Lake and Lagoon (ICOLL)

Among the 135 or more estuaries on the southeast Australian coastline, 45% are intermittently open. A number of others, which would normally have an intermittently open entrance, are kept permanently open to improve the flushing and water quality that are functions of the horizontal dispersion of the estuarine system. Field studies that investigate the dynamics and horizontal dispersion processes of open and closed states of Intermittenly Closed and Open Lakes and Lagoons (ICOLL) are conducted. Clusters of Lagrangian drifters were used to characterise the surface flow. Horizontal dispersion coefficients (K) under study varied significantly for different tidal phases; the mean ebb tide K (~4.7 ± 3.8 m2 s−1) is an order of magnitude higher than that of the flood tide. During the closed state, K values were up to two orders of magnitude lower than those observed in the open state. These results highlight the contribution of tidal dispersion to transport and mixing processes within an ICOLL. The results showed that tidal pumping effects and tidal-induced horizontal velocity gradients are responsible for the horizontal surface transport and dispersion occurring during the open inlet state. The horizontal surface dispersion processes identified at different inlets and environmental conditions within this site are valuable for managing transport of particles, freshwater mixing, larvae transport, waste, and pest control.

Nitrogen sources and cycling revealed by dual isotopes of nitrate in a complex urbanized environment

Elevated nutrient inputs have led to increased eutrophication in coastal marine ecosystems worldwide. An understanding of the relative contribution of different nutrient sources is imperative for effective water quality management. Stable isotope values of nitrate (δ15NNO3-, δ18ONO3-) can complement conventional water quality monitoring programs to help differentiate natural sources of NO3− from anthropogenic inputs and estimate the processes involved in N cycling within an ecosystem. We measured nutrient concentrations, δ15NNO3-, and δ18ONO3- in 76 locations along a salinity gradient from the lower end of the Pearl River Estuary, one of China's largest rivers discharging into the South China Sea, towards the open ocean. NO3− concentrations decreased with increasing salinity, indicative of conservative mixing of eutrophic freshwater and oligotrophic seawater. However, our data did not follow conservative mixing patterns. At salinities <20 psu, samples exhibited decreasing NO3−concentrations with almost unchanged NO3− isotope values, indicating simple dilution. At salinities >20 psu, NO3− concentrations decreased, while dual NO3− isotopes increased, suggesting mixing and/or other transformation processes. Our analysis yielded mean estimates for isotope enrichment factors (15ε = −2.02‰ and 18ε = −3.37‰), Δ(15,18) = -5.5‰ and δ15NNO3- - δ15NNO2- = 12.3‰. After consideration of potential alternative sources (sewage, atmospheric deposition and groundwater) we concluded that there are three plausible interpretations for deviations from conservative mixing behaviour (1) NO3− uptake by assimilation (2) in situ NO3− production (from fixation-derived nitrogen and nitrification of sewage-derived effluents) and (3) input of groundwater nitrate carrying a denitrification signal. Through this study, we propose a simple workflow that incorporates a synthesis of numerous isotope-based studies to constrain sources and behaviour of NO3− in urbanized marine environments.