The Maocun underground karst river system in the peak cluster depression is an important source of groundwater in southwest China. Multitracers and high resolution water-level-monitoring technology were used to assess and evaluate the hydrogeological structure and flow dynamics. The results showed that the spatial geological structures of the sites had high heterogeneity. Scatter plots of environmental tracers divided the sampling points into groups under different water flow patterns. The karstification was found to increase from sites XLB and LLS to sites BY, SGY and BDP to sites CY and DYQ, where the main water flow patterns at these site groups were diffuse water, both diffuse water and conduit water, and conduit water, respectively. The response times of the subsystems were found to be influenced by the spatial structure, the degree of karstification, and the volume of precipitation and frequency. The average response times of SGY, BDP, ZK, and Outlet in the selected precipitation scenarios were 5.17, 4.08, 16.42, and 5.83 h, respectively. In addition, the EC, δ13 CDIC , 222 Rn, and δ18 O exhibited both linear or exponential relationships. Overall, three hydrogeological conceptual models were constructed showing: (1) high precipitation driving the deep water, resulting in a concentrated flow regime and regional groundwater flow field; (2) both concentrated and diffuse water flows existing under moderate precipitation, resulting in mixed water flow field; (3) the water cycle in the shallow karst aquifer system under low precipitation causing the local groundwater flow field to be dominated by diffuse water flow.
Land use in karst areas affects soil properties, impacting carbon sinks. Accurate estimation of carbon sink flux in karst areas through zoning and classification is crucial for understanding global carbon cycling and climate change. The peak cluster depression is the largest continuous karst landform region in southern China, with the depressions primarily covered by farmland and influenced by agricultural activities. This study focused on the Guancun Underground River Basin, a typical peak cluster depression basin, where sampling and analysis were conducted during the agricultural period of 2021–2022. Using hydrochemical analysis and isotopic methods, the results indicated that: (1) The primary hydrochemical type in the Guancun Underground River Basin is HCO3-Ca, with hydrochemical composition mainly controlled by carbonate rock weathering. (2) The primary sources of Cl−, SO42−, and NO3− are agricultural activities, with agriculture contributing 0.68 mmol/L to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), accounting for about 13.86%, as confirmed by ion concentration analysis and isotope verification. (3) The size of the depression area is proportional to the contribution of agricultural activities to DIC, while also being influenced by dilution effects. A comparison was made regarding the contribution of other land use types to DIC. The impact of land use on DIC in karst processes should not be overlooked, and zoning and classification assessments of carbon sink flux under different influencing factors contribute to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.
To investigate the chemical characteristics of groundwater and material sources in a typical karst hill (valley) depression, 41 groundwater samples were systematically collected in the Shiqi River basin. The statistical analysis of the conventional ion content in the groundwater shows that pH of the groundwater in the study area is between 6.06-8.07, the total solid solubility is between 18.21 mg ·L-1 and 336.28 mg ·L-1, and the charges of anions and cations in the water body are balanced. Ca2+, Mg2+, and HCO3- are the main ions in groundwater, with concentrations of 2.61-108.7 mg ·L-1, 0.54-27.61 mg ·L-1, and 8.1-370.74 mg ·L-1, respectively. The groundwater characteristics in the study area are consistent with the high calcium and weak alkalinity characteristics of karst water. By using the Gibbs diagram, piper diagram, end-member analysis, and ion proportional coefficient, hydrochemical characteristics and material sources of groundwater were further analyzed. The results show that Ca2+ and Mg2+ are mainly controlled by the weathering of limestone and dolomite in which carbonic acid is involved. Na+ mainly comes from the dissolution of silicate rocks. At the same time, Ca2+ and Na+ undergo cationic exchange adsorption in the groundwater flow process. K+, Cl-, and NO3- are mainly affected by agricultural fertilizer application and domestic wastewater discharge. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope analysis of groundwater shows that atmospheric precipitation is the main recharge source of groundwater in this region, which impacts the chemical characteristics and material sources of local groundwater. The results of this study show that the geological background of groundwater is the main factor that affects its hydrochemical characteristics and material sources in areas with relatively little anthropogenic activity.
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) with high hardness are promising materials for advanced industrial manufacturing. In this study, the AlCrFeNiV HEA was designed and successfully prepared using a plasma instantaneous process. The hardness test showed that AlCrFeNiV had a high hardness of 1076 ± 15 HV, which was much higher than those reported in the literature. The microstructure of AlCrFeNiV was composed of two different types of body-centered cubic (BCC) structures, BCC1 (Al, Cr, Fe, and Ni) and BCC2 (enriched V and Cr). A mixture of different BCC systems produced solution strengthening, which was responsible for the superior hardness. Moreover, the reciprocating sliding wear behavior of HEA against Al2O3 balls under dry and lubricated conditions at ambient temperature was investigated. The wear rates of AlCrFeNiV against Al2O3 under dry wear and lubrication were 17.2 × 10-5 mm3 N-1·m-1 and 12.4 × 10-5 mm3N-1·m-1, respectively, which were of the same order of magnitude as the wear rates of BCC HEAs. Regardless of the dry wear or wear with lubrication, the wear mechanism of the HEA was abrasive and delamination wear.