Temporal distribution phytoplankton community structure in a shallow lake, Lake Taihu, China, was investigated from 2010 to 2011 on a monthly basis at 9 sampling stations. The results showed that phytoplankton communities primarily consist of cyanobacteria, chlorophyta and bacillariophyta in Lake Taihu. A significant change in phytoplankton community was observed in both years: cyanobacteria hold an overwhelming dominance in summer and autumn, chloraphyta and bacillariophyta occupied the certain proportion only when the cyanobacterial bloom was declined in winter and early spring. The maximum abundance value of cyanobacteria, chlorophyta and bacillariophyta appeared at June, 2010, July, 2011 and Feb, 2011, respectively. The present study is a continuation and complement in long-term research of Lake Taihu, which provides scientific foundation for further research of the lake.

Recent exploration has identified a series of Cu-Mo skarn deposits within the Xuancheng-Magushan orefield. The orefield forms part of the Nanling-Xuancheng mining district, which is located within the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt (MLYRMB) of central-eastern China. However, this area contains thick and widespread unprospective sedimentary cover sequences that have impeded traditional approaches to mineral exploration. This study presents the results of 3D numerical simulation modeling that identifies possible mineral exploration targets within the entire Xuancheng-Magushan orefield. This modeling enables the identification of unexplored areas with significant exploration potential that are covered by thick sedimentary sequences that cannot be easily explored using traditional exploration approaches. This study outlines the practical value of 3D numerical simulation-based targeting in areas with thick sedimentary cover sequences and uses the Flac3D software package to couple processes involved in ore formation such as stress, pressure, and heat transfer. Here, we use volumetric strain increments calculated during numerical modeling as the thermodynamic representation of the generation of space during prograde skarn formation, with this space filed by sulfides either penecontemporaneously or soon after magmatism. This process occurred during retrograde hydrothermal ore formation and the genesis of the skarn-type mineralization in this area. The results of the volumetric strain increment calculated during this numerical modeling study matches the distribution of known mineralization as well as delineating eight potential targets that have not yet been explored but represent areas of significant exploration potential within the Xuancheng-Magushan orefield, indicating these targets should be considered prospective for future mineral exploration. One of these targets was also identified during our previous Comsol-based numerical modeling of the formation of the Magushan Cu-Mo skarn deposit. The fact that this area has been identified as prospective using two different numerical modeling methods indicates that this area should be prioritized for future exploration and also validates the numerical modeling approaches used here and in our previous research that more specifically focused on the Magushan skarn deposit. Overall, our study indicates that prospectivity modeling using 3D numerical simulation-based approaches can be both effective and economical and should be considered an additional tool for future mineral exploration to reduce exploration risks when targeting mineralization in areas with thick and unprospective sedimentary cover sequences.

Treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants has become an important source of excess nutrients causing eutrophication in water. In this study, an ecological purification method was used to further treat eutrophic water. A three-season ecological purification scheme which comprised an emergent plant (Eme.), a submerged plant (Sub.) and a novel biological rope (Bio.), was designed for the treated effluent canal of a wastewater treatment plant. The removal parameters determined from the experiment were input into a QUAL2K model to simulate downstream water quality of the treated effluent canal. Respective removal rates of total nitrogen and total phosphorus of the Eme., Sub. and Bio. were 32.48-37.33% and 31.63-39.86% in summer, 14.12-33.61% and 17.74-23.80% in autumn, and 14.13-18.03% and 10.05-12.75% in winter, with 1-day reaction time. Optimal combinations for summer, autumn/spring, and winter are Eme. + Bio., Eme. + Bio. + Sub., and Sub. + Bio., respectively. Simulated load reduction rates of total nitrogen and total phosphorus for the treated effluent canal were 42.64-78.40% and 30.98-78.29%, respectively, year round with 2.5-day reaction time. This study provides an efficient evaluation and design method for ecological purification engineering.