River-groundwater connectivity and nutrient dynamics in a mesoscale catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleckenstein, Jan H.; Musolff, Andreas; Gilfedder, Benjamin; Frei, Sven; Wankmüller, Fabian; Trauth, Nico

2017-04-01

Diffuse solute exports from catchments are governed by many interrelated factors such as land use, climate, geological-/ hydrogeological setup and morphology. Those factors create spatial variations in solute concentrations and turnover rates in the subsurface as well as in the stream network. River-groundwater connectivity is a crucial control in this context: On the one hand groundwater is a main pathway for nitrate inputs to the stream. On the other hand, groundwater connectivity with the stream affects the magnitude of hyporheic exchange of stream water with the stream bed. We present results of a longitudinal sampling campaign along the Selke river, a 67 km long third-order stream in the Harz mountains in central Germany. Water quality at the catchment outlet is strongly impacted by agriculture with high concentrations of nitrate and a chemostatic nitrate export regime. However, the specific nitrate pathways to the stream are not fully understood as there is arable land distributed throughout the catchment. While the sparsely distributed arable land in the mountainous upper catchment receives much higher amounts of precipitation, the downstream alluvial plains are drier, but more intensively used. The three-day campaign was conducted in June 2016 under constant low flow conditions. Stream water samples were taken every 2 km along the main stem of the river and at its major tributaries. Samples were analyzed for field parameters, major cations and anions, N-O isotopes, nutrients and Radon-222 (Rn) concentrations. Additionally, at each sampling location, river discharge was manually measured using current meters. Groundwater influxes to each sampled river section were quantified from the Rn measurements using the code FINIFLUX, (Frei and Gilfedder 2015). Rn and ion concentrations showed an increase from the spring to the mouth, indicating a growing impact of groundwater flux to the river. However, increases in groundwater gains were not gradual. The strongest

Environmental and socioeconomic assessment of impacts by mining activities-a case study in the Certej River catchment, Western Carpathians, Romania.

PubMed

Zobrist, Jürg; Sima, Mihaela; Dogaru, Diana; Senila, Marin; Yang, Hong; Popescu, Claudia; Roman, Cecilia; Bela, Abraham; Frei, Linda; Dold, Bernhard; Balteanu, Dan

2009-08-01

In the region of the Apuseni Mountains, part of the Western Carpathians in Romania, metal mining activities have a long-standing tradition. These mining industries created a clearly beneficial economic development in the region. But their activities also caused impairments to the environment, such as acid mine drainage (AMD) resulting in long-lasting heavy metal pollution of waters and sediments. The study, established in the context of the ESTROM programme, investigated the impact of metal mining activities both from environmental and socioeconomic perspectives and tried to incorporate the results of the two approaches into an integrated proposition for mitigation of mining-related issues. The small Certej catchment, situated in the Southern Apuseni Mountains, covers an area of 78 km(2). About 4,500 inhabitants are living in the basin, in which metal mining was the main economic sector. An open pit and several abandoned underground mines are producing heavy metal-loaded acidic water that is discharged untreated into the main river. The solid wastes of mineral processing plants were deposited in several dumps and tailings impoundment embodying the acidic water-producing mineral pyrite. The natural science team collected samples from surface waters, drinking water from dug wells and from groundwater. Filtered and total heavy metals, both after enrichment, and major cations were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Major anions in waters, measured by ion chromatography, alkalinity and acidity were determined by titration. Solid samples were taken from river sediments and from the largest tailings dam. The latter were characterised by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction. Heavy metals in sediments were analysed after digestion. Simultaneously, the socioeconomic team performed a household survey to evaluate the perception of people related to the river and drinking water pollution by way of a logistic regression analysis

River catchment responses to anthropogenic acidification in relationship with sewage effluent: An ecotoxicology screening application.

PubMed

Oberholster, P J; Botha, A-M; Hill, L; Strydom, W F

2017-12-01

Rising environmental pressures on water resources and resource quality associated with urbanisation, industrialisation, mining and agriculture are a global concern. In the current study the upper Olifants River catchment as case study was used, to show that acid mine drainage (AMD) and acid precipitation were the two most important drivers of possible acidification during a four-year study period. Over the study period 59% of the precipitation sampled was classified as acidic with a pH value below 5.6. Traces of acidification in the river system using aquatic organisms at different trophic levels were only evident in areas of AMD point sources. Data gathered from the ecotoxicology screening tools, revealed that discharge of untreated and partially treated domestic sewage from municipal sewage treatment works and informal housing partially mitigate any traces of acidification by AMD and acid precipitation in the main stem of the upper Olifants River. The outcome of the study using phytoplankton and macroinvertebrates as indicator organisms revealed that the high loads of sewage effluent might have played a major role in the neutralization of acidic surface water conditions caused by AMD and acid precipitation. Although previous multi-stage and microcosm studies confirmed the decrease in acidity and metals concentrations by municipal wastewater, the current study is the first to provide supportive evidence of this co-attenuation on catchment scale. These findings are important for integrated water resource management on catchment level, especially in river systems with a complex mixture of pollutants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Establishing the Ecological Status of Mining-Impacted Freshwaters from Abrud River Catchment Area Using Benthic Diatom Communities (Ros, ia MontanÄă, Romania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olenici, Adriana; Baciu, Calin; Momeu, Laura; Cozma, Alexandra; Brahaita, Dorian; Pop, Cristian; Lazar, Laura; Popita, Gabriela; Teodosiu, Gabriela

2015-04-01

Keywords: diatom communities, indicator species, mine waters, water quality, Romania. Diatoms are a very distinct group of algae, identifiable under the light microscope by their yellow - brown coloration and by the presence of a thick silica cell wall. The potential for freshwater organisms to reflect changes in environmental conditions was first noted by Kolenati (1848) and Cohn (1853), who observed that biota in polluted waters were different from those in non-polluted situations. Diatoms are widely used to monitor river pollution because they are sensitive to water chemistry, especially to ionic content, pH, dissolved organic matter and nutrients. Wide geographic distribution and well-studied ecology of most diatom species are mentioned as major advantages of using diatoms as indicator organisms. At the same time water quality has begun to deteriorate increasingly, mainly as a result of the physical, chemical and bacteriological alterations, and the aquatic ecosystems are evermore affected by various types of pollution, the anthropic one being almost always included. A good example is Abrud River and its main tributaries (Roșia Montană and surrounding areas, Romania), which has suffered along the years because of the mining waters discharge. In this context, this study presents data on benthic diatom communities from the Abrud River catchment area. Sixteen sites have been sampled seasonal and the best represented diatom genera were Navicula, Nitzschia, Cymbella, Gomphonema, Achnantes, Surirella and Fragilaria. Qualitatively, the number of diatom species exhibited significant variation among sampling sites, also suggesting seasonal dynamics. For instance, in some sampling sites, algal assemblages were absent, as diatom communities were strongly affected by acid mine waters, released from old mining works and waste rocks depots. Some dominant taxa have been observed as well, suggesting critical saprobic levels of the Abrud River and some of its tributaries. The

Catchment-scale environmental controls of sediment-associated contaminant dispersal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macklin, Mark

2010-05-01

Globally river sediment associated contaminants, most notably heavy metals, radionuclides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and phosphorous, constitute one the most significant long-term risks to ecosystems and human health. These can impact both urban and rural areas and, because of their prolonged environmental residence times, are major sources of secondary pollution if contaminated soil and sediment are disturbed by human activity or by natural processes such as water or wind erosion. River catchments are also the primary source of sediment-associated contaminants to the coastal zone, and to the ocean, and an understanding of the factors that control contaminated sediment fluxes and delivery in river systems is essential for effective environmental management and protection. In this paper the catchment-scale controls of sediment-associated contaminant dispersal are reviewed, including climate-related variations in flooding regime, land-use change, channel engineering, restoration and flood defence. Drawing on case studies from metal mining impacted catchments in Bolivia (Río Pilcomayo), Spain (Río Guadiamar), Romania (River Tisa) and the UK (River Swale) some improved methodologies for identifying, tracing, modelling and managing contaminated river sediments are proposed that could have more general application in similarly affected river systems worldwide.

Water resources in Central Asia - status quo and future conflicts in transboundary river catchments - the example of the Zarafshan River (Tajikistan-Uzbekistan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groll, Michael; Opp, Christian; Kulmatov, Rashid; Normatov, Inom; Stulina, Galina; Shermatov, Nurmakhmad

2014-05-01

the catchment and by sizeable anthropogenic water extractions in the lower parts of the catchment, where on average 60.6% of the available water is diverted for irrigation purposes in the Samarkand and Navoi provinces. The water quality is heavily affected by the unsustainable land use and inadequate/missing water purification techniques. The reduced discharge and the return flow of untreated agricultural drainage water lead to a critical pollution of the river in the lower parts of the catchment. Additional sources of pollutants where identified in the upstream (the Anzob ore mining and processing complex) and downstream (the Navoi special economic area) parts of the catchment. The impact of the different water uses on the availability and the quality of the water resources are discussed in detail and outlook for the expected development during the next decades is given. These results form the basis for future investigations and for the conception of an IWRM plan for the Zarafshan River catchment.

The Forgotten Legacy: Sediment From Historical Gold Mining Greatly Exceeds all Other Anthropogenic Sources in SE Australian Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutherfurd, I.; Davies, P.; Macklin, M. G.; Grove, J. R.

2016-12-01

Coarse and fine sediment has been a major pollutant of Australian rivers and receiving waters since European settlement in 1788. Anthropogenic sediment budget models demonstrate that catchment and channel erosion has increased background sediment delivery by 10 to 20 times across SE Australia, but these estimates ignore the contribution of historical gold mining. Detailed historical records allow us to reconstruct the delivery of coarse and fine sediment (including contaminated sediment) to the fluvial system. Between 1851 and 1900 alluvial gold mining in the state of Victoria liberated between 1.2 billion and 1.4 billion m3 of coarse and fine sediment into streams. Catchment scale modelling demonstrates that this volume is at least twice the volume of all anthropogenic (post-European) erosion from hillslopes, river banks, and gullies. We map the deposition and remobilization of these contaminated legacy mining sediments down selected valleys, and find that many contemporary floodplains are blanketed with mining sediments (although mercury contamination is present but low), and discrete sediment-slugs can be recognized migrating down river beds. Overall, the impact of gold mining is one of the strongest indicators of the Anthropocene in the Australian landscape, and the level of impact on rivers is substantially greater than recognized in the past. Perhaps of most interest is the rapid recovery of many river systems from the substantial impacts of gold mining. The result is that these major changes to the landscape are largely forgotten.

Can spatial statistical river temperature models be transferred between catchments?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Faye L.; Fryer, Robert J.; Hannah, David M.; Malcolm, Iain A.

2017-09-01

There has been increasing use of spatial statistical models to understand and predict river temperature (Tw) from landscape covariates. However, it is not financially or logistically feasible to monitor all rivers and the transferability of such models has not been explored. This paper uses Tw data from four river catchments collected in August 2015 to assess how well spatial regression models predict the maximum 7-day rolling mean of daily maximum Tw (Twmax) within and between catchments. Models were fitted for each catchment separately using (1) landscape covariates only (LS models) and (2) landscape covariates and an air temperature (Ta) metric (LS_Ta models). All the LS models included upstream catchment area and three included a river network smoother (RNS) that accounted for unexplained spatial structure. The LS models transferred reasonably to other catchments, at least when predicting relative levels of Twmax. However, the predictions were biased when mean Twmax differed between catchments. The RNS was needed to characterise and predict finer-scale spatially correlated variation. Because the RNS was unique to each catchment and thus non-transferable, predictions were better within catchments than between catchments. A single model fitted to all catchments found no interactions between the landscape covariates and catchment, suggesting that the landscape relationships were transferable. The LS_Ta models transferred less well, with particularly poor performance when the relationship with the Ta metric was physically implausible or required extrapolation outside the range of the data. A single model fitted to all catchments found catchment-specific relationships between Twmax and the Ta metric, indicating that the Ta metric was not transferable. These findings improve our understanding of the transferability of spatial statistical river temperature models and provide a foundation for developing new approaches for predicting Tw at unmonitored locations across

Reservoir-flooded river mouth areas as sediment traps revealing erosion from peat mining areas - Jukajoki case study in eastern Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahvanainen, Teemu; Meriläinen, Henna-Kaisa; Haraguchi, Akira; Simola, Heikki

2016-04-01

Many types of soil-disturbing land use have caused excess sedimentation in Finnish lakes. Identification and quantification of catchment sources of sediment material is crucial in cases where demands for remediation measures are considered. We studied recent (50 yr) sediments of four small rivers, all draining to a reservoir impounded in 1971. Catchments of two of the rivers had had peat mining activities from early 1980s until recently, exposing large areas of peat surfaces to erosion. The water level of the reservoir had risen to the river mouth areas of all rivers, while in each case, the river mouth areas still form riverine narrows separable from the main reservoir, hence collecting sedimentation from their own catchments. The original soils under the reservoir water level could readily be observed in core samples, providing a dated horizon under recent sediments. In addition, we used 137Cs-stratigraphies for dating of samples from original river bed locations. As expected, recent sediments of rivers with peat mining influence differed from others e.g. by high organic content and C:N ratios. Stable isotopes 13C and 15N both correlated with C:N (r = 0.799 and r = -0.717, respectively) and they also differentiated the peat-mining influenced samples from other river sediments. Principal components of the physical-chemical variables revealed clearer distinction than any variables separately. Light-microscopy revealed abundance of leafs of Sphagnum mosses in peat-mining influenced river sediments that were nearly absent from other rivers. Spores of Sphagnum were, however, abundant in all river sediments indicating their predominantly airborne origin. We find that combination of several physical-chemical characters rather than any single variable and microscopy of plant remains can result in reliable recognition of peatland-origin of sediment material when non-impacted sites are available for comparison. Dating of disturbed recent sediments is challenging. River

Hydrochemical characterization of a river affected by acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

PubMed

Grande, J A; Santisteban, M; Valente, T; de la Torre, M L; Gomes, P

2017-06-01

This paper addresses the modelling of the processes associated with acid mine drainage affecting the Trimpancho River basin, chosen for this purpose because of its location and paradigmatic hydrological, geological, mining and environmental contexts. By using physical-chemical indicators it is possible to define the contamination degree of the system from the perspective of an entire river basin, due to its reduced dimension. This allows an exhaustive monitoring of the study area, considering the particularity that the stream flows directly into a water dam used for human supply. With such a perspective, and in order to find global solutions, the present study seeks to develop methodologies and tools for expeditious and accurate diagnosis of the pollution level of the affected stream that feeds the water reservoir. The implemented methodology can be applied to other water systems affected by similar problems, while the results will contribute to the development of the state of the art in a representative basin of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, whose pollutants' contributions are incorporated into the reservoir.

Modeling relationships between catchment attributes and river water quality in southern catchments of the Caspian Sea.

PubMed

Hasani Sangani, Mohammad; Jabbarian Amiri, Bahman; Alizadeh Shabani, Afshin; Sakieh, Yousef; Ashrafi, Sohrab

2015-04-01

Increasing land utilization through diverse forms of human activities, such as agriculture, forestry, urban growth, and industrial development, has led to negative impacts on the water quality of rivers. To find out how catchment attributes, such as land use, hydrologic soil groups, and lithology, can affect water quality variables (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+), Cl(-), HCO 3 (-) , pH, TDS, EC, SAR), a spatio-statistical approach was applied to 23 catchments in southern basins of the Caspian Sea. All input data layers (digital maps of land use, soil, and lithology) were prepared using geographic information system (GIS) and spatial analysis. Relationships between water quality variables and catchment attributes were then examined by Spearman rank correlation tests and multiple linear regression. Stepwise approach-based multiple linear regressions were developed to examine the relationship between catchment attributes and water quality variables. The areas (%) of marl, tuff, or diorite, as well as those of good-quality rangeland and bare land had negative effects on all water quality variables, while those of basalt, forest land cover were found to contribute to improved river water quality. Moreover, lithological variables showed the greatest most potential for predicting the mean concentration values of water quality variables, and noting that measure of EC and TDS have inversely associated with area (%) of urban land use.

Antimony isotopic composition in river waters affected by ancient mining activity.

PubMed

Resongles, Eléonore; Freydier, Rémi; Casiot, Corinne; Viers, Jérôme; Chmeleff, Jérôme; Elbaz-Poulichet, Françoise

2015-11-01

In this study, antimony (Sb) isotopic composition was determined in natural water samples collected along two hydrosystems impacted by historical mining activities: the upper Orb River and the Gardon River watershed (SE, France). Antimony isotope ratio was measured by HG-MC-ICP-MS (Hydride Generation Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer) after a preconcentration and purification step using a new thiol-cellulose powder (TCP) procedure. The external reproducibility obtained for δ(123)Sb measurements of our in-house Sb isotopic standard solution and a certified reference freshwater was 0.06‰ (2σ). Significant isotopic variations were evident in surface waters from the upper Orb River (-0.06‰≤δ(123)Sb≤+0.11‰) and from the Gardon River watershed (+0.27‰≤δ(123)Sb≤+0.83‰). In particular, streams that drained different former mining sites exploited for Sb or Pb-Zn exhibited contrasted Sb isotopic signature, that may be related to various biogeochemical processes occurring during Sb transfer from rocks, mine wastes and sediments to the water compartment. Nevertheless, Sb isotopic composition appeared to be stable along the Gardon River, which might be attributed to the conservative transport of Sb at distance from mine-impacted streams, due to the relative mobile behavior of Sb(V) in natural oxic waters. This study suggests that Sb isotopic composition could be a useful tool to track pollution sources and/or biogeochemical processes in hydrologic systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelling remediation scenarios in historical mining catchments.

PubMed

Gamarra, Javier G P; Brewer, Paul A; Macklin, Mark G; Martin, Katherine

2014-01-01

Local remediation measures, particularly those undertaken in historical mining areas, can often be ineffective or even deleterious because erosion and sedimentation processes operate at spatial scales beyond those typically used in point-source remediation. Based on realistic simulations of a hybrid landscape evolution model combined with stochastic rainfall generation, we demonstrate that similar remediation strategies may result in differing effects across three contrasting European catchments depending on their topographic and hydrologic regimes. Based on these results, we propose a conceptual model of catchment-scale remediation effectiveness based on three basic catchment characteristics: the degree of contaminant source coupling, the ratio of contaminated to non-contaminated sediment delivery, and the frequency of sediment transport events.

Advancing Land-Sea Conservation Planning: Integrating Modelling of Catchments, Land-Use Change, and River Plumes to Prioritise Catchment Management and Protection.

PubMed

Álvarez-Romero, Jorge G; Pressey, Robert L; Ban, Natalie C; Brodie, Jon

2015-01-01

Human-induced changes to river loads of nutrients and sediments pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems. Ongoing land-use change can further increase these loads, and amplify the impacts of land-based threats on vulnerable marine ecosystems. Consequently, there is a need to assess these threats and prioritise actions to mitigate their impacts. A key question regarding prioritisation is whether actions in catchments to maintain coastal-marine water quality can be spatially congruent with actions for other management objectives, such as conserving terrestrial biodiversity. In selected catchments draining into the Gulf of California, Mexico, we employed Land Change Modeller to assess the vulnerability of areas with native vegetation to conversion into crops, pasture, and urban areas. We then used SedNet, a catchment modelling tool, to map the sources and estimate pollutant loads delivered to the Gulf by these catchments. Following these analyses, we used modelled river plumes to identify marine areas likely influenced by land-based pollutants. Finally, we prioritised areas for catchment management based on objectives for conservation of terrestrial biodiversity and objectives for water quality that recognised links between pollutant sources and affected marine areas. Our objectives for coastal-marine water quality were to reduce sediment and nutrient discharges from anthropic areas, and minimise future increases in coastal sedimentation and eutrophication. Our objectives for protection of terrestrial biodiversity covered species of vertebrates. We used Marxan, a conservation planning tool, to prioritise interventions and explore spatial differences in priorities for both objectives. Notable differences in the distributions of land values for terrestrial biodiversity and coastal-marine water quality indicated the likely need for trade-offs between catchment management objectives. However, there were priority areas that contributed to both sets of objectives. Our

Arsenic geochemistry of alluvial sediments and pore waters affected by mine tailings along the Belle Fourche and Cheyenne River floodplains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pfeifle, Bryce D.; Stamm, John F.; Stone, James J.

2018-01-01

Gold mining operations in the northern Black Hills of South Dakota resulted in the discharge of arsenopyrite-bearing mine tailings into Whitewood Creek from 1876 to 1977. Those tailings were transported further downstream along the Belle Fourche River, the Cheyenne River, and the Missouri River. An estimated 110 million metric tons of tailings remain stored in alluvial deposits of the Belle Fourche and Cheyenne Rivers. Pore-water dialysis samplers were deployed in the channel and backwaters of the Belle Fourche and Cheyenne Rivers to determine temporal and seasonal changes in the geochemistry of groundwater in alluvial sediments. Alluvial sediment adjacent to the dialysis samplers were cored for geochemical analysis. In comparison to US Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards and reference concentrations of alluvial sediment not containing mine tailings, the Belle Fourche River sites had elevated concentrations of arsenic in pore water (2570 μg/L compared to 10 μg/L) and sediment (1010 ppm compared to < 34 ppm), respectively. Pore water arsenic concentration was affected by dissolution of iron oxyhydroxides under reducing conditions. Sequential extraction of iron and arsenic from sediment cores indicates that substantial quantities of soluble metals were present. Dissolution of arsenic sorbed to alluvial sediment particles appears to be affected by changing groundwater levels that cause shifts in redox conditions. Bioreductive processes did not appear to be a substantial transport pathway but could affect speciation of arsenic, especially at the Cheyenne River sampling sites where microbial activity was determined to be greater than at Belle Fourche sampling sites.

Modelling metaldehyde in catchments: a River Thames case-study.

PubMed

Lu, Q; Whitehead, P G; Bussi, G; Futter, M N; Nizzetto, L

2017-04-19

The application of metaldehyde to agricultural catchment areas to control slugs and snails has caused severe problems for drinking water supply in recent years. In the River Thames catchment, metaldehyde has been detected at levels well above the EU and UK drinking water standards of 0.1 μg l -1 at many sites across the catchment between 2008 and 2015. Metaldehyde is applied in autumn and winter, leading to its increased concentrations in surface waters. It is shown that a process-based hydro-biogeochemical transport model (INCA-contaminants) can be used to simulate metaldehyde transport in catchments from areas of application to the aquatic environment. Simulations indicate that high concentrations in the river system are a direct consequence of excessive application rates. A simple application control strategy for metaldehyde in the Thames catchment based on model results is presented.

Sulfate migration in a river affected by acid mine drainage from the Dabaoshan mining area, South China.

PubMed

Chen, Meiqin; Lu, Guining; Guo, Chuling; Yang, Chengfang; Wu, Jingxiong; Huang, Weilin; Yee, Nathan; Dang, Zhi

2015-01-01

Sulfate, a major component of acid mine drainage (AMD), its migration in an AMD-affected river which located at the Dabaoshan mine area of South China was investigated to pursue the remediation strategy. The existing factors of relatively low pH values of 2.8-3.9, high concentrations of SO4(2-) (∼1940 mg L(-1)) and Fe(3+) (∼112 mg L(-1)) facilitated the precipitation of schwertmannite (Fe8O8(OH)6SO4·nH2O) in the upstream river. Geochemical model calculations implied the river waters were supersaturated, creating the potential for precipitation of iron oxyhydroxides. These minerals evolved from schwertmannite to goethite with the increasing pH from 2.8 to 5.8 along the river. The concentration of heavy metals in river waters was great reduced as a result of precipitation effects. The large size of the exchangeable sulfate pool suggested that the sediments had a strong capacity to bind SO4(2-). The XRD results indicated that schwertmannite was the predominant form of sulfate-bearing mineral phases, which was likely to act as a major sulfate sink by incorporating water-borne sulfate into its internal structure and adsorbing it onto its surface. The small size of reduced sulfur pools and strong oxidative status in the surface sediments further showed that SO4(2-) shifting from water to sediment in form of sulfate reduction was not activated. In short, precipitation of sulfate-rich iron oxyhydroxides and subsequent SO4(2-) adsorption on these minerals as well as water dilution contributed to the attenuation of SO4(2-) along the river waters. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Which catchment characteristics control the temporal dependence structure of daily river flows?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiverton, Andrew; Hannaford, Jamie; Holman, Ian; Corstanje, Ron; Prudhomme, Christel; Bloomfield, John; Hess, Tim

2014-05-01

A hydrological classification system would provide information about the dominant processes in the catchment enabling information to be transferred between catchments. Currently there is no widely-agreed upon system for classifying river catchments. This paper developed a novel approach to assess the influence that catchment characteristics have on the precipitation-to-flow relationship, using a catchment classification based on the average temporal dependence structure in daily river flow data over the period 1980 to 2010. Temporal dependence in river flow data is driven by the flow pathways, connectivity and storage within the catchment. Temporal dependence was analysed by creating temporally averaged semi-variograms for a set of 116 near-natural catchments (in order to prevent direct anthropogenic disturbances influencing the results) distributed throughout the UK. Cluster analysis, using the variogram, classified the catchments into four well defined clusters driven by the interaction of catchment characteristics, predominantly characteristics which influence the precipitation-to-flow relationship. Geology, depth to gleyed layer in soils, slope of the catchment and the percentage of arable land were significantly different between the clusters. These characteristics drive the temporal dependence structure by influencing the rate at which water moves through the catchment and / or the storage in the catchment. Arable land is correlated with several other variables, hence is a proxy indicating the residence time of the water in the catchment. Finally, quadratic discriminant analysis was used to show that a model with five catchment characteristics is able to predict the temporal dependence structure for un-gauged catchments. This work demonstrates that a variogram-based approach is a powerful and flexible methodology for grouping catchments based on the precipitation-to-flow relationship which could be applied to any set of catchments with a relatively complete

An INCA model for pathogens in rivers and catchments: Model structure, sensitivity analysis and application to the River Thames catchment, UK.

PubMed

Whitehead, P G; Leckie, H; Rankinen, K; Butterfield, D; Futter, M N; Bussi, G

2016-12-01

Pathogens are an ongoing issue for catchment water management and quantifying their transport, loss and potential impacts at key locations, such as water abstractions for public supply and bathing sites, is an important aspect of catchment and coastal management. The Integrated Catchment Model (INCA) has been adapted to model the sources and sinks of pathogens and to capture the dominant dynamics and processes controlling pathogens in catchments. The model simulates the stores of pathogens in soils, sediments, rivers and groundwaters and can account for diffuse inputs of pathogens from agriculture, urban areas or atmospheric deposition. The model also allows for point source discharges from intensive livestock units or from sewage treatment works or any industrial input to river systems. Model equations are presented and the new pathogens model has been applied to the River Thames in order to assess total coliform (TC) responses under current and projected future land use. A Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis indicates that the input coliform estimates from agricultural sources and decay rates are the crucial parameters controlling pathogen behaviour. Whilst there are a number of uncertainties associated with the model that should be accounted for, INCA-Pathogens potentially provides a useful tool to inform policy decisions and manage pathogen loading in river systems. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Restoring Landform Geodiversity in Modified Rivers and Catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Ben; Clifford, Nicholas

2014-05-01

Extensive human modification and exploitation has created degraded and simplified systems lacking many of the landforms which would characterise healthy, geodiverse rivers. As awareness of geodiversity grows we must look to ways not only to conserve geodiversity but to also restore or create landforms which contribute to geodiverse environments. River restoration, with lessons learned over the last 30 years and across multiple continents, has much to offer as an exemplar of how to understand, restore or create geodiversity. Although not mentioned explicitly, there is an implicit emphasis in the Water Framework Directive on the importance of landforms and geodiversity, with landform units and assemblages at the reach scale assumed to provide the physical template for a healthy aquatic ecosystem. The focus on hydromorphology has increased the importance of geomorphology within river restoration programmes. The dominant paradigm is to restore landforms in order to increase habitat heterogeneity and improve biodiversity within rivers. However, the process of landform restoration is also a goal in its own right in the context of geodiversity, and extensive compilations of restoration experiences allow an inventory and pattern of landform (re-) creation to be assembled, and an assessment of landform function as well as landform presence/absence to be made. Accordingly, this paper outlines three principal research questions: Which landforms are commonly reinstated in river restoration activities? How do these landforms function compared to natural equivalents and thus contribute to 'functional' geodiversity as compared to the 'aesthetic' geodiversity? How does landform diversity scale from reach to catchment and contribute to larger-scale geodiversity? Data from the UK National River Restoration Inventory and the RHS are combined to assess the frequency and spatial distribution of commonly created landforms in relation to catchment type and more local context. Analysis is

Channel dynamics and geomorphic resilience in an ephemeral Mediterranean river affected by gravel mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calle, Mikel; Alho, Petteri; Benito, Gerardo

2017-05-01

Gravel mining has been a widespread activity in ephemeral rivers worldwide whose long-lasting hydrogeomorphological impacts preclude effective implementation of water and environmental policies. This paper presents a GIS-based method for temporal assessment of morphosedimentary changes in relation to in-channel gravel mining in a typical ephemeral Mediterranean stream, namely the Rambla de la Viuda (eastern Spain). The aims of this work were to identify morphosedimentary changes and responses to human activities and floods, quantify river degradations and analyze factors favoring fluvial recovery for further applications in other rivers. Aerial photographs and LiDAR topography data were studied to analyze geomorphic evolution over the past 70 years along a 7.5-km reach of an ephemeral gravel stream that has been mined intensively since the 1970s. To evaluate changes in the riverbed, we mapped comparable units applying morphological, hydraulic, and stability (based on vegetation density and elevation) criteria to 13 sets of aerial photographs taken from 1946 to 2012. A detailed spatiotemporal analysis of comparable units revealed a 50% reduction in the active section and a 20% increase in stable areas, compared to the conditions observed prior to gravel mining. Instream mining was first observed in 1976 aerial photograph covering already up to 50% of the 1956 riverbed area. River degradation since then was quantified by means of a LiDAR DTM and RTK-GPS measurements, which revealed a 3.5-m incision that had started simultaneously with gravel mining. Climate and land use changes were present but the effects were completely masked by changes produced by instream gravel mining. Therefore, river incision/degradation was triggered by scarcity of sediment and lack of longitudinal sedimentary connection, creating an unbalanced river system that is still adjusting to the present hydrosedimentary conditions.

Land use/land cover change and implications for ecosystems services in the Likangala River Catchment, Malawi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pullanikkatil, Deepa; Palamuleni, Lobina G.; Ruhiiga, Tabukeli M.

2016-06-01

Likangala River catchment in Zomba District of Southern Malawi is important for water resources, agriculture and provides many ecosystem services. Provisioning ecosystem services accrued by the populations within the catchment include water, fish, medicinal plants and timber among others. In spite of its importance, the River catchment is under threat from anthropogenic activities and land use change. This paper studies land uses and land cover change in the catchment and how the changes have impacted on the ecosystem services. Landsat 5 and 8 images (1984, 1994, 2005 and 2013) were used to map land cover change and subsequent inventorying of provisioning ecosystem services. Participatory Geographic Information Systems and Focus group discussions were conducted to identify provisioning ecosystems services that communities benefit from the catchment and indicate these on the map. Post classification comparisons indicate that since 1984, there has been a decline in woodlands from 135.3 km2 in 1984 to 15.5 km2 in 2013 while urban areas increased from 9.8 km2 to 23.8 km2 in 2013. Communities indicated that provisioning ecosystems services such as forest products, wild animals and fruits and medicinal plants have been declining over the years. In addition, evidence of catchment degradation through waste disposal, illegal sand mining, deforestation and farming on marginal lands were observed. Population growth, urbanization and demand for agricultural lands have contributed to this land use and land cover change. The study suggests addressing catchment degradation through integrated method where an ecosystems approach is used. Thus, both the proximate and underlying driving factors of land-use and land cover change need to be addressed in order to sustainably reduce ecosystem degradation.

Advancing Land-Sea Conservation Planning: Integrating Modelling of Catchments, Land-Use Change, and River Plumes to Prioritise Catchment Management and Protection

PubMed Central

Álvarez-Romero, Jorge G.; Pressey, Robert L.; Ban, Natalie C.; Brodie, Jon

2015-01-01

Human-induced changes to river loads of nutrients and sediments pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems. Ongoing land-use change can further increase these loads, and amplify the impacts of land-based threats on vulnerable marine ecosystems. Consequently, there is a need to assess these threats and prioritise actions to mitigate their impacts. A key question regarding prioritisation is whether actions in catchments to maintain coastal-marine water quality can be spatially congruent with actions for other management objectives, such as conserving terrestrial biodiversity. In selected catchments draining into the Gulf of California, Mexico, we employed Land Change Modeller to assess the vulnerability of areas with native vegetation to conversion into crops, pasture, and urban areas. We then used SedNet, a catchment modelling tool, to map the sources and estimate pollutant loads delivered to the Gulf by these catchments. Following these analyses, we used modelled river plumes to identify marine areas likely influenced by land-based pollutants. Finally, we prioritised areas for catchment management based on objectives for conservation of terrestrial biodiversity and objectives for water quality that recognised links between pollutant sources and affected marine areas. Our objectives for coastal-marine water quality were to reduce sediment and nutrient discharges from anthropic areas, and minimise future increases in coastal sedimentation and eutrophication. Our objectives for protection of terrestrial biodiversity covered species of vertebrates. We used Marxan, a conservation planning tool, to prioritise interventions and explore spatial differences in priorities for both objectives. Notable differences in the distributions of land values for terrestrial biodiversity and coastal-marine water quality indicated the likely need for trade-offs between catchment management objectives. However, there were priority areas that contributed to both sets of objectives. Our

Simulation of irrigation effect on water cycle in Yellow River catchment, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakayama, T.; Watanabe, M.

2006-12-01

The Yellow River is 5,464 km long with a catchment area of 794,712 km2 if the Erdos inner flow area is included. This river catchment is divided between the upper region (length: 3472 km, area: 428,235 km2) from the headwater to Lanzhou in Gansu province, the middle region (length: 1,206 km, area: 343,751 km2) from Lanzhou to Huayuankou in Henan province, and the lower region (length: 786 km, area: 22,726 km2) from Huayuankou to the estuary. This river is well known for high sand content, frequent floods, unique channel characteristics in the lower reach (the river bed is higher than the land outside the banks), and the limited water resources. Since the competition of a large-scale irrigation project in 1969, noticeable river drying has been observed in the Yellow River. This flow dry-up phenomena, i.e., zero-flow in sections of the river channel, resulting from the intense competition between water supply and water demand, has occurred more and more often during the last 30 years. It is very important for decision making to ensure sustainable water resource utilization whether human activities were the only cause of the water shortage, the climate has changed during the last several decades in this catchment, and the water shortage has anything to do with climatic warming. The present research focuses on simulating the groundwater/river irrigation-effects on the water/heat dynamics in the Yellow River catchment. We combined the NIES Integrated Catchment-based Eco-hydrology (NICE) model (Nakayama and Watanabe, 2004, 2006; Nakayama et al., 2006) with the agricultural model in order to evaluate river drying in the Yellow River (NICE-DRY). We simulated the water/heat dynamics in the entire catchment with a resolution of 10 km mesh by using the NICE-DRY. The model reproduced excellently the river discharge, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, groundwater level, crop water use, crop productivity, et al. Furthermore, we evaluated the role of irrigation on the water

Temporal-spatial variation and partitioning of dissolved and particulate heavy metal(loid)s in a river affected by mining activities in Southern China.

PubMed

Wang, Juan; Liu, Guannan; Wu, Hao; Zhang, Tao; Liu, Xinhui; Li, Wuqing

2018-04-01

The physicochemical properties and heavy metal(loid) concentrations of the river water both fluctuate greatly along the river affected by mining activities, and the transportation of heavy metal(loid)s is therefore more complicated than unpolluted river. Dissolved and particulate heavy metal(loid)s in a river polluted by mining activities were measured to study their temporal-spatial variation and partitioning. The concentrations of dissolved arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were considerably high at the sites near the mine area. Notably, dissolved As at most sites were higher than the Chinese quality criterion of class II for surface water indicating high environmental risk. Mn and Pb at most sites and Ni at a part of the sites mainly existed in the particulate phase. For other heavy metal(loid)s, i.e., As, Cd, chromium (Cr), and Zn, the particulate phase was extremely high at the sites near the mine area and responsible for heavy metal(loid) transport. Significant correlations between particulate heavy metal(loid)s and temperature and electrical conductivity (EC) were found. However, the partitioning of heavy metal(loid)s did not significantly relate to the river water properties, due to most heavy metal(loid)s in suspended particulate matter (SPM) are stable and affected less by water properties. Except for Cr and Ni, other heavy metal(loid)s showed high concentrations in sediments, and considerable Cd, Mn, and Zn existed in exchangeable and carbonate fraction indicating high environmental risk. The environmental assessment of SPM showed that Cd, Zn, and As, as the main pollutants in SPM, all reached extremely polluted level at the sites near the mine area, and the environmental risk of heavy metal(loid)s in SPM was higher during dry season than that during wet season. The results can contribute to understanding the partitioning and transportation of heavy metal(loid)s in the river affected by mining activities.

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 23. Quantification of mass loading from mined and unmined areas along the Red River, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kimball, Briant A.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Runkel, Robert L.; Vincent, Kirk R.; Verplanck, Phillip L.

2006-01-01

Along the course of the Red River, between the town of Red River, New Mexico, and the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station near Questa, New Mexico, there are several catchments that contain hydrothermally altered bedrock. Some of these alteration zones have been mined and others have not, presenting an opportunity to evaluate differences that may exist in the mass loading of metals from mined and unmined sections. Such differences may help to define pre-mining conditions. Spatially detailed chemical sampling at stream and inflow sites occurred during low-flow conditions in 2001 and 2002, and during the synoptic sampling, stream discharge was calculated by tracer dilution. Discharge from most catchments, particularly those with alteration scars, occurred as ground water in large debris fans, which generally traveled downstream in an alluvial aquifer until geomorphic constraints caused it to discharge at several locations along the study reach. Locations of discharge zones were indicated by the occurrence of numerous inflows as seeps and springs. Inflows were classified into four groups, based on differences in chemical character, which ranged from near-neutral water showing no influence of mining or alteration weathering to acidic water with high concentrations of metals and sulfate. Acidic, metal-rich inflows occurred from mined and unmined areas, but the most-acidic inflow water that had the highest concentrations of metals and sulfate only occurred downstream from the mine. Locations of ground-water inflow also corresponded to substantial changes in stream chemistry and mass loading of metals and sulfate. The greatest loading occurred in the Cabin Springs, Thunder Bridge, and Capulin Canyon sections, which all occur downstream from the mine. A distinct chemical character and substantially greater loading in water downstream from the mine suggest that there could be impacts from mining that can be distinguished from the water draining from unmined

Cadmium partition in river sediments from an area affected by mining activities.

PubMed

Vasile, Georgiana D; Vlădescu, Luminiţa

2010-08-01

In this paper, the cadmium distribution in Certej River sediments in an area seriously affected by intense mining activities has been studied. The main objective of this study was the evaluation of partition of this metal into different operational defined fractions by sequential extractions. Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction was used to isolate different fractions. The sediment quality was assessed both upstream and downstream the pollution input points, along the Certej River, in order to reveal a possible accumulation of cadmium in sediments and the seasonal changes in cadmium concentrations in BCR sediment phases. Our results reveal that most of the cadmium content is divided between both the soluble and iron and manganese hydrated oxide fractions. Based on total cadmium concentrations in sediments, the enrichment factors were estimated using aluminum as normalizing element and the regression curve Cd/Al corresponding to the geochemical background of the studied area.

Don't fight the site: three geomorphic considerations in catchment-scale river rehabilitation planning.

PubMed

Brierley, Gary; Fryirs, Kirstie

2009-06-01

Three geomorphic considerations that underpin the design and implementation of realistic and strategic river conservation and rehabilitation programs that work with the nature are outlined. First, the importance of appreciating the inherent diversity of river forms and processes is discussed. Second, river dynamics are appraised, framing the contemporary behavioral regime of a reach in relation to system evolution to explain changes to river character and behavior over time. Third, the trajectory of a reach is framed in relation to downstream patterns of river types, analyzing landscape connectivity at the catchment scale to interpret geomorphic river recovery potential. The application of these principles is demonstrated using extensive catchment-scale analyses of geomorphic river responses to human disturbance in the Bega and Upper Hunter catchments in southeastern Australia. Differing implications for reach- and catchment-scale rehabilitation planning prompt the imperative that management practices work with nature rather than strive to 'fight the site.'

Reconnaissance study of water quality in the mining-affected Aries River Basin, Romania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedel, Michael J.; Tindall, James A.; Sardan, Daniel; Fey, David L.; Poputa, G.L.

2008-01-01

The Aries River basin of western Romania has been subject to mining activities as far back as Roman times. Present mining activities are associated with the extraction and processing of various metals including Au, Cu, Pb, and Zn. To understand the effects of these mining activities on the environment, this study focused on three objectives: (1) establish a baseline set of physical parameters, and water- and sediment-associated concentrations of metals in river-valley floors and floodplains; (2) establish a baseline set of physical and chemical measurements of pore water and sediment in tailings; and (3) provide training in sediment and water sampling to personnel in the National Agency for Mineral Resources and the Rosia Poieni Mine. This report summarizes basin findings of physical parameters and chemistry (sediment and water), and ancillary data collected during the low-flow synoptic sampling of May 2006.

Mobility and natural attenuation of metals and arsenic in acidic waters of the drainage system of Timok River from Bor copper mines (Serbia) to Danube River.

PubMed

Đorđievski, Stefan; Ishiyama, Daizo; Ogawa, Yasumasa; Stevanović, Zoran

2018-06-22

Bor, Krivelj, and Bela Rivers belong to the watershed of Timok River, which is a tributary of transboundary Danube River. These rivers receive metal-rich acidic wastewater from metallurgical facilities and acid mine drainage (AMD) from mine wastes around Bor copper mines. The aim of this study was to determine the mobility and natural attenuation of metals and arsenic in rivers from Bor copper mines to Danube River during the year 2015. The results showed that metallurgical facilities had the largest impact on Bor River by discharging about 400 t of Cu per year through highly acidic wastewater (pH = 2.6). The highest measured concentrations of Cu in river water and sediments were 40 mg L -1 and 1.6%, respectively. Dissolution of calcite from limestone bedrock and a high concentration of bicarbonate ions in natural river water (about 250 mg L -1 ) enhanced the neutralization of acidic river water and subsequent chemical precipitation of metals and arsenic. Decreases in the concentrations of Al, Fe, Cu, As, and Pb in river water were mainly due to precipitation on the river bed. On the other hand, dilution played an important role in the decreases in concentrations of Mn, Ni, Zn, and Cd. Chemically precipitated materials and flotation tailings containing Fe-rich minerals (fayalite, magnetite, and pyrite) were transported toward Danube River during the periods of high discharge. This study showed that processes of natural attenuation in catchments with limestone bedrock play an important role in reducing concentrations of metals and arsenic in AMD-bearing river water.

Metal-fluxes characterization at a catchment scale: Study of mixing processes and end-member analysis in the Meca River watershed (SW Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cánovas, C. R.; Macías, F.; Olías, M.; López, R. Pérez; Nieto, J. M.

2017-07-01

Fluxes of acidity and contaminants from acid mine drainage (AMD) sources to the receiving surface water bodies were studied in a mining-impacted watershed (Meca River, SW Spain) using a novel methodology based on the joint application of EMMA and MIX codes. The application of EMMA and elemental ratios allowed delimiting the end-members responsible for water quality variations at a catchment scale. The further application of MIX quantified the significant impact of AMD on the river quality; less than 10% of AMD relative contribution is enough to maintain acidic conditions during most of the year. The mixing model also provided information about the element mobility, distinguishing those elements with a quasi-conservative behavior (e.g., Cu, Zn, Al, Co or Ni) from those affected by mineral precipitation/dissolution (e.g., K, Si, Na, Sr, Ca, Fe, Pb, or As). Floods are the main driver of dissolved and, mainly particulate, contaminants in the catchment. Thus, the first rainfall events in November only accounted for 19% of the annual Meca flow but yielded between 26 and 43% of the net acidity and dissolved metal loads (mainly, Fe, As and Pb). Concerning particulate transport, around 332 tons of particulate Fe, 49 tons of Al, 0.79 tons of As and 0.37 tons of Pb were recorded during these first floods. The particulate As concentration can be up to 34 times higher than the dissolved one during floods and between 2 and 4 times higher for Fe, Pb and Cr. This integrated modeling approach could be a promising and useful tool to face future restoration plans in derelict mines worldwide. This approach would allow prioritizing remedial measures, achieving an environmental and cost-effective restoration of degraded areas.

Influence of land use on hyporheos in catchment of the Jarama River (central Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iepure, S.; Martínez-Hernández, V.; Herrera, S.; de Bustamante, I.; Rasines, R.

2012-04-01

The Water Framework Directive (2000) requires integrated assessment of water bodies based on water resources but also the evaluation of land-use catchment effect on chemical and ecological conditions of aquatic ecosystems. The hyporheic zone (HZ) supporting obligate subterranean species are particularly vulnerable in river ecosystems when environmental stress occurs at surface and require management strategies to protect both the stream catchment and the aquifer that feed the stream channel. The influence of catchment land-use in the Jarama basin (central Spain) on river geomorphology and hyporheic zone granulometry, chemical and biological variables inferred from crustacean community biodiversity (species richness, taxonomic distinctness) and ecology was assessed. The study was conducted in four streams from the Madrid metropolitan area under distinct local land-use and water resource protection: i) a preserved forested natural sites where critical river ecosystem processes were unaltered or less altered by human activities, and ii) different degree of anthropogenic impact sites from agriculture, urban industrial and mining activities. The river bed permeability reduction and the increase of low sediment size input associated with changes in geomorphology of the stream channels are greatly affected by land-use changes in the Jarama watershed. Water chemical parameters linked to land-use increase from the natural stream to the urban industrial and agricultural dominated catchment. Principal coordinate analysis (PCO) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) clearly discriminate the pristine sites from forested areas by those under anthropogenic stressors. In streams draining forested areas, groundwater discharge and regular exchange between groundwater and surface water occur due to relatively high permeability of the sediments. Consequently, forested land-use produce sites of high water quality and crustacean richness (both groundwater dwellers and surface

Ecosystem based river basin management planning in critical water catchment in Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tugjamba, Navchaa; Sereeter, Erdenetuul; Gonchigjav, Sarantuya

2014-05-01

Developing the ecosystem based adaptation strategies to maintain water security in critical water catchments in Mongolia would be very significant. It will be base by reducing the vulnerability. "Ecosystem Based adaptation" is quite a new term in Mongolia and the ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. To strengthen equitable economic development, food security, climate resilience and protection of the environment, the implementation of sustainable river basin management in critical water catchments is challenging in Mongolia. The Ulz river basin is considered one of the critical water catchments due to the temperature has increased by in average 1.30Ñ over the period 1976 to 2011. It is more intense than the global warming rate (0.740C/100 years) and a bit higher than the warming rate over whole Mongolia as well. From long-term observations and measurements it is clear that Ulz River has low water in a period of 1970-1980 and since the end of 1980s and middle of 1990s there were dominated years of the flood. However, under the influence of the global warming, climate changes of Mongolia and continuation of drought years with low water since the end of 1990s until today river water was sharply fallen and dried up. For the last ten years rivers are dried up and annual mean run-off is less by 3-5 times from long term mean value. The Ulz is the transboundary river basin and taking its origin from Ikh and Baga Burd springs on territory of Norovlin soum of Khentii province that flows through Khentii and Dornod provinces to the northeast, crossing the state border it flows in Baruun Tari located in Tari Lake concavity in Russia. Based on the integrative baseline study on the 'The Ulz River Basin Environmental and Socioeconomic condition', ecosystem based river basin management was planned. 'Water demand Calculator 3' (WDC) software was used to

Initial sediment transport model of the mining-affected Aries River Basin, Romania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedel, Michael J.; Linard, Joshua I.

2008-01-01

The Romanian government is interested in understanding the effects of existing and future mining activities on long-term dispersal, storage, and remobilization of sediment-associated metals. An initial Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was prepared using available data to evaluate hypothetical failure of the Valea Sesei tailings dam at the Rosia Poieni mine in the Aries River basin. Using the available data, the initial Aries River Basin SWAT model could not be manually calibrated to accurately reproduce monthly streamflow values observed at the Turda gage station. The poor simulation of the monthly streamflow is attributed to spatially limited soil and precipitation data, limited constraint information due to spatially and temporally limited streamflow measurements, and in ability to obtain optimal parameter values when using a manual calibration process. Suggestions to improve the Aries River basin sediment transport model include accounting for heterogeneity in model input, a two-tier nonlinear calibration strategy, and analysis of uncertainty in predictions.

Geomorphic responses of lower Bega River to catchment disturbance, 1851?1926

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Andrew P.; Brierley, Gary J.

1997-03-01

Prior to significant European settlement of the area in the 1850s, lower Bega River on the South Coast of NSW had a narrow, relatively deep channel lined by river oaks. The river had a suspended or mixed load, with platypus habitat available in pools. Banks were fine-grained and relatively cohesive (silts and clays), as was the floodplain, which graded to a series of valley-marginal swamps and lakes. Extensive evidence from maps and portion plans, archival photographs, bridge surveys, and anecdotal sources, complemented by field analysis of floodplain sedimentology (including radiocarbon-dated samples) and vegetation remnants are used to document the dramatic metamorphosis in the character and behaviour of lower Bega River in the latter half of the nineteenth century. By 1926 the channel had widened extensively (up to 340%) and shallowed in association with bed aggradation by coarse sandy bedload. Floodplain accretion was dominated by fine to medium sands, with some coarse sand splays. In contrast with most other studies of channel metamorphosis in Australia, which have emphasised river responses to climatically-induced flood histories, relegating human impacts to a secondary role, the profound changes to the geomorphic condition and behaviour of Bega River reflect indirect human disturbance of Bega catchment, and direct but non point source disturbance to the channel. Extensive clearance of catchment, floodplain, and channel-marginal vegetation occurred within a few decades of European settlement, altering the hydrologic and sediment regime of the river, and transforming the geomorphic effectiveness of floods. Although this study is situated in a relatively sensitive, granitic catchment, catchment clearance is likely to have induced equally significant responses in many other river systems in eastern Australia. In some instances the diffuse aspects of human disturbance on landscapes induce impacts on river character that are just as profound as major direct

Microplastic contamination of river beds significantly reduced by catchment-wide flooding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurley, Rachel; Woodward, Jamie; Rothwell, James J.

2018-04-01

Microplastic contamination of the oceans is one of the world's most pressing environmental concerns. The terrestrial component of the global microplastic budget is not well understood because sources, stores and fluxes are poorly quantified. We report catchment-wide patterns of microplastic contamination, classified by type, size and density, in channel bed sediments at 40 sites across urban, suburban and rural river catchments in northwest England. Microplastic contamination was pervasive on all river channel beds. We found multiple urban contamination hotspots with a maximum microplastic concentration of approximately 517,000 particles m-2. After a period of severe flooding in winter 2015/16, all sites were resampled. Microplastic concentrations had fallen at 28 sites and 18 saw a decrease of one order of magnitude. The flooding exported approximately 70% of the microplastic load stored on these river beds (equivalent to 0.85 ± 0.27 tonnes or 43 ± 14 billion particles) and eradicated microbead contamination at 7 sites. We conclude that microplastic contamination is efficiently flushed from river catchments during flooding.

The contribution of sea-level rise to flooding in large river catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiele-Eich, I.; Hopson, T. M.; Gilleland, E.; Lamarque, J.; Hu, A.; Simmer, C.

2012-12-01

Climate change is expected to both impact sea level rise as well as flooding. Our study focuses on the combined effect of climate change on upper catchment precipitation as well as on sea-level rise at the river mouths and the impact this will have on river flooding both at the coast and further upstream. We concentrate on the eight catchments of the Amazonas, Congo, Orinoco, Ganges/Brahmaputra/Meghna, Mississippi, St. Lawrence, Danube and Niger rivers. To assess the impact of climate change, upper catchment precipitation as well as monthly mean thermosteric sea-level rise at the river mouth outflow are taken from the four CCSM4 1° 20th Century ensemble members as well as from six CCSM4 1° ensemble members for the RCP scenarios RCP8.5, 6.0, 4.5 and 2.6. Continuous daily time series for average catchment precipitation and discharge are available for each of the catchments. To arrive at a future discharge time series, we used these observations to develop a simple statistical hydrological model which can be applied to the modelled future upper catchment precipitation values. The analysis of this surrogate discharge time series alone already yields significant changes in flood return levels as well as flood duration. Using the geometry of the river channel, the backwater effect of sea-level rise is incorporated in our analysis of both flood frequencies and magnitudes by calculating the effective additional discharge due to the increase in water level at the river mouth outflow, as well as its tapering impact upstream. By combining these effects, our results focus on the merged impact of changes in extreme precipitation with increases in river height due to sea-level rise at the river mouths. Judging from our preliminary results, the increase in effective discharge due to sea-level rise cannot be neglected when discussing late 21st century flooding in the respective river basins. In particular, we find that especially in countries with low elevation gradient, flood

Human impacts on river water quality- comparative research in the catchment areas of the Tone River and the Mur River-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogure, K.

2013-12-01

Human activities in river basin affect river water quality as water discharges into river with pollutant after we use it. By detecting pollutants source, pathway, and influential factor of human activities, it will be possible to consider proper river basin management. In this study, material flow analysis was done first and then nutrient emission modeling by MONERIS was conducted. So as to clarify land use contribution and climate condition, comparison of Japanese and European river basin area has been made. The model MONERIS (MOdelling Nutrient Emissions in RIver Systems; Behrendt et al., 2000) was applied to estimate the nutrient emissions in the Danube river basin by point sources and various diffuse pathways. Work for the Mur River Basin in Austria was already carried out by the Institute of Water Quality, Resources and Waste Management at the Vienna University of Technology. This study treats data collection, modelling for the Tone River in Japan, and comparative analysis for these two river basins. The estimation of the nutrient emissions was carried out for 11 different sub catchment areas covering the Tone River Basin for the time period 2000 to 2006. TN emissions into the Tone river basin were 51 kt/y. 67% was via ground water and dominant for all sub catchments. Urban area was also important emission pathway. Human effect is observed in urban structure and agricultural activity. Water supply and sewer system make urban water cycle with pipeline structure. Excess evapotranspiration in arable land is also influential in water cycle. As share of arable land is 37% and there provides agricultural products, it is thought that N emission from agricultural activity is main pollution source. Assumption case of 10% N surplus was simulated and the result was 99% identical to the actual. Even though N surplus reduction does not show drastic impact on N emission, it is of importance to reduce excess of fertilization and to encourage effective agricultural activity

The environmental and geomorphological impacts of historical gold mining in the Ohinemuri and Waihou river catchments, Coromandel, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clement, Alastair J. H.; Nováková, Tereza; Hudson-Edwards, Karen A.; Fuller, Ian C.; Macklin, Mark G.; Fox, Elizabeth G.; Zapico, Ignacio

2017-10-01

Between 1875 and 1955 approximately 250,000 Mg yr- 1 of mercury-, arsenic-, and cyanide-contaminated mine tailings were discharged directly into the Ohinemuri River and its tributaries, in the Coromandel Region, North Island, New Zealand. A devastating flood on 14 January 1907 deposited large amounts of mine waste across the floodplain of the Ohinemuri and Waihou rivers in the vicinity of the township of Paeroa. The 1907 mine-waste flood deposit was located as a dirty yellow silt in cores and floodplain profiles, with a thickness ranging from 0.15-0.50 m. Geochemical analysis of the mine waste shows elevated concentrations of Pb ( 200-570 mg kg- 1) and As ( 30-80 mg kg- 1), compared to early Holocene background concentrations (Pb < 30 mg kg- 1; As < 17 mg kg- 1). Bulk sediment samples recovered from the river channel and overbank deposits also show elevated concentrations of Pb ( 110 mg kg- 1), Zn ( 140-320 mg kg- 1), Ag ( 3 mg kg- 1), and Hg ( 0.4 mg kg- 1). Using the mine-waste deposit as a chronological marker shows that sedimentation rates increased from 0.2 mm yr- 1 in the early Holocene, to 5.5-26.8 mm yr- 1 following the 1907 flood. Downstream trends in the thickness of the flood deposit show that local-scale geomorphic factors are a significant influence on the deposition of mine waste in such events. Storage of mine waste is greatest in the upstream reaches of the floodplain. The volume of mine waste estimated to be stored in the Ohinemuri floodplain is 1.13 M m3, an order of magnitude larger than recent well-publicised tailings-dam failures, such as the 1996 South America Porco, 2000 Romanian Baia Mare and Baia Borsa accidents, and constituted, and was recognised at the time, a significant geomorphological and environmental event. The mine-waste material remains in the floodplain today, representing a sizable legacy store of contaminant metals and metalloids that pose a long-term risk to the Ohinemuri and Waihou ecosystems.

Application of MIKE SHE to study the impact of coal mining on river runoff in Gujiao mining area, Shanxi, China

PubMed Central

Ping, Jianhua; Yan, Shiyan; Gu, Pan; Wu, Zening; Hu, Caihong

2017-01-01

Coal mining is one of the core industries that contribute to the economic development of a country but deteriorate the environment. Being the primary source of energy, coal has become essential to meet the energy demand of a country. It is excavated by both opencast and underground mining methods and affects the environment, especially hydrological cycle, by discharging huge amounts of mine water. Natural hydrological processes have been well known to be vulnerable to human activities, especially large scale mining activities, which inevitably generate surface cracks and subsidence. It is therefore valuable to assess the impact of mining on river runoff for the sustainable development of regional economy. In this paper, the impact of coal mining on river runoff is assessed in one of the national key coal mining sites, Gujiao mining area, Shanxi Province, China. The characteristics of water cycle are described, the similarities and differences of runoff formation are analyzed in both coal mining and pre-mining periods. The integrated distributed hydrological model named MIKE SHE is employed to simulate and evaluate the influence of coal mining on river runoff. The study shows that mining one ton of raw coal leads to the reduction of river runoff by 2.87 m3 between 1981 and 2008, of which the surface runoff decreases by 0.24 m3 and the baseflow by 2.63 m3. The reduction degree of river runoff for mining one ton of raw coal shows an increasing trend over years. The current study also reveals that large scale coal mining initiates the formation of surface cracks and subsidence, which intercepts overland flow and enhances precipitation infiltration. Together with mine drainage, the natural hydrological processes and the stream flows have been altered and the river run off has been greatly reduced. PMID:29267313

Application of MIKE SHE to study the impact of coal mining on river runoff in Gujiao mining area, Shanxi, China.

PubMed

Ping, Jianhua; Yan, Shiyan; Gu, Pan; Wu, Zening; Hu, Caihong

2017-01-01

Coal mining is one of the core industries that contribute to the economic development of a country but deteriorate the environment. Being the primary source of energy, coal has become essential to meet the energy demand of a country. It is excavated by both opencast and underground mining methods and affects the environment, especially hydrological cycle, by discharging huge amounts of mine water. Natural hydrological processes have been well known to be vulnerable to human activities, especially large scale mining activities, which inevitably generate surface cracks and subsidence. It is therefore valuable to assess the impact of mining on river runoff for the sustainable development of regional economy. In this paper, the impact of coal mining on river runoff is assessed in one of the national key coal mining sites, Gujiao mining area, Shanxi Province, China. The characteristics of water cycle are described, the similarities and differences of runoff formation are analyzed in both coal mining and pre-mining periods. The integrated distributed hydrological model named MIKE SHE is employed to simulate and evaluate the influence of coal mining on river runoff. The study shows that mining one ton of raw coal leads to the reduction of river runoff by 2.87 m3 between 1981 and 2008, of which the surface runoff decreases by 0.24 m3 and the baseflow by 2.63 m3. The reduction degree of river runoff for mining one ton of raw coal shows an increasing trend over years. The current study also reveals that large scale coal mining initiates the formation of surface cracks and subsidence, which intercepts overland flow and enhances precipitation infiltration. Together with mine drainage, the natural hydrological processes and the stream flows have been altered and the river run off has been greatly reduced.

Going With the Flow: Participatory Action Research and River Catchment Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitman, G.; Pain, R.

2012-04-01

Public participation, now mainstreamed as a desirable goal in research and policy has a wide variety of different models, classifications, approaches, tools, mechanisms and processes that are utilized across science and social science utilise. Demands for public participation in environmental issues have found particular resonance within recent European water legislation, specifically the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). In the UK River Basin Plans are under the jurisdiction of the Environment Agency (EA) and the practice of their management is currently being trialed through the EA's management of 10 trial catchments. In these trials, the Environment Agency has outlined its wish to explore improved ways of engaging with people so as to develop shared understandings of problems within catchments. In this work, we report on project outcomes funded under the Rural Economy and Land Use Program (Relu) in which we worked with the Lune Rivers Trust. The project was the first in the UK to use a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to understanding and creating tools to address problems in river catchments. PAR is a distinct approach to participation because it is driven by participants (people who have a stake in the issue being researched) rather than an outside sponsor, funder or academic (although they may be invited to help); it offers a democratic model of who can produce, own and use knowledge; it is collaborative at every stage, involving discussion, pooling skills and working together; and it is intended to result in some action, change or improvement on the issue being researched, towards more socially and environmentally just outcomes. Both the project and the tools we coproduced resonate very strongly with current policy objects for river catchments as outlined above. We argue that PAR has particular resonance with the above focus of catchment management particularly in light of future uncertainties with climate change. As such, it offers a

Describing the environmental fate of diuron in a tropical river catchment.

PubMed

Camenzuli, Louise; Scheringer, Martin; Gaus, Caroline; Ng, Carla A; Hungerbühler, Konrad

2012-12-01

The use of the herbicide diuron on sugarcane fields along the river catchments of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in Australia is an issue of concern due to high levels of diuron reported in the GBR lagoon, and has recently led to a restriction on the use of diuron during the 2011/12 wet season. An important question in this context is how much diuron is mobilised from the agricultural area by strong rainfall and floods in the wet season and transferred to the GBR lagoon. We have set up a multimedia chemical fate model for a tropical catchment to describe the fate of diuron within the Tully River catchment, Queensland, Australia. The model includes highly variable rainfall based on meteorological data from the Tully River catchment and a flood water compartment on top of the agricultural soil that is present during times for which floods were reported. The model is driven by diuron application data estimated for the Tully River catchment and is solved for time-dependent diuron concentrations in agricultural soil and seawater. Model results show that on average 25% of the diuron applied every year is transferred to the GBR lagoon with rainwater and flood water runoff. Diuron concentrations estimated for the seawater range from 0.1 ng/L to 12 ng/L and are in good agreement with concentrations measured in the GBR lagoon. The uncertainty of the diuron concentrations estimated for seawater is approximately a factor of two and mainly derives from uncertainty in the diuron degradation half-life in soil, properties of the soil compartment such as organic matter content, and the speed of the seawater current removing diuron dissolved in seawater from the seawater compartment of the model. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

River recharge sources and the partitioning of catchment evapotranspiration fluxes as revealed by stable isotope signals in a typical high-elevation arid catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xiaoyu; Tian, Lide; Wang, Lei; Yu, Wusheng; Qu, Dongmei

2017-06-01

Catchment-scale hydrological cycles are expected to suffer more extremes under a background of climate change. Quantifying hydrological changes in high and remote areas is practically challenging. However, stable isotopes in river water can be seen to vary, dependent upon the combined influence exerted by recharge sources and local climatic conditions; the study of river water stable isotopes can therefore provide a meaningful method for delineating catchment-scale hydrological studies. In this study, we present high-resolution time series of river δ18O and d-excess values; additionally, we identify the seasonal dynamics of river recharge sources and major components of the catchment-scale water balance, together with precipitation and groundwater isotopes, and concurrent meteorological data recorded in Magazangbu catchment on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau (TP). Using isotopic analysis, and within a proportional framework, we partitioned the isotopic fractionation (E1) or non-fractionation (E2) from soil evaporation fluxes (Esoil) apparent in different processes, using NDVI (Normal Differential Vegetation Index) data collected by MODIS satellites to calculate the vegetation fractional coverage (VFC), and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) records to determine evapotranspiration data (ET). Finally, the contributions made by each ET component (Esoil and plant transpiration) to total catchment ET were computed for the high and remote northwestern TP. Our results show that: (1) river δ18O values were high in summer and low in winter, while d-excess values displayed a contrary seasonal cycle; (2) for the monsoon period, precipitation contributed 60.6% to Magazangbu catchment runoff. Deeper groundwater was the main water source for the winter low base flow, and shallow groundwater or high elevation snowmelt was the principal component of the spring thaw and autumn freezing periods; and (3) a substantial proportion of Esoil (96.4% annually; 92.2% during

Fluoroquinolones in the Wenyu River catchment, China: Occurrence simulation and risk assessment.

PubMed

Hao, Xuewen; Cao, Yan; Zhang, Lai; Zhang, Yongyong; Liu, Jianguo

2015-12-01

Concern is increasing regarding the environmental impact of the high usage rate and intensive release of antibiotics used for human and animal therapy in major urban areas of China. In the present study, regional environmental distribution simulations and risk assessments for 3 commonly used fluoroquinolones in the Wenyu River catchment were conducted using a typical catchment model widely used in Europe. The fluoroquinolone antibiotics investigated (ofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin) are consumed at high levels for personal health care in China. These antibiotics were simulated in the aquatic environment of the Wenyu River catchment across the Beijing City area for annual average concentrations, with regional predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of approximately 711 ng/L, 55.3 ng/L, and 22.2 ng/L and local PECs up to 1.8 µg/L, 116 ng/L, and 43 ng/L, respectively. Apart from hydrological conditions, the concentrations of fluoroquinolones were associated closely with the sewage treatment plants (STPs) and their serving population, as well as hospital distributions. The presence of these fluoroquinolones in the catchment area of the present study showed significant characteristics of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment in an urban river, with typical "down-the-drain" chemicals. Significantly high concentrations of specific antibiotics indicated non-negligible risks caused by the intensive use in the local aquatic environment in a metropolitan area, particularly ofloxacin in upstream Shahe Reservoir, middle stream and downstream Qing River, and Liangma River to the Ba River segment. Specific treatment measures for these pharmaceuticals and personal care products in STPs are required for such metropolitan areas. © 2015 SETAC.

Identifying sources of acidity and spatial distribution of acid sulfate soils in the Anglesea River catchment, southern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Vanessa; Yau, Chin; Kennedy, David

2015-04-01

Globally, coastal and estuarine floodplains are frequently underlain by sulfidic sediments. When exposed to oxygen, sulfidic sediments oxidise to form acid sulfate soils, adversely impacting on floodplain health and adjacent aquatic ecoystems. In eastern Australia, our understanding of the formation of these coastal and estuarine floodplains, and hence, spatial distribution of acid sulfate soils, is relatively well established. These soils have largely formed as a result of sedimentation of coastal river valleys approximately 6000 years BP when sea levels were one to two metres higher. However, our understanding of the evolution of estuarine systems and acid sulfate soil formation, and hence, distribution, in southern Australia remains limited. The Anglesea River, in southern Australia, is subjected to frequent episodes of poor water quality and low pH resulting in closure of the river and, in extreme cases, large fish kill events. This region is heavily reliant on tourism and host to a number of iconic features, including the Great Ocean Road and Twelve Apostles. Poor water quality has been linked to acid leakage from mining activities and Tertiary-aged coal seams, peat swamps and acid sulfate soils in the region. However, our understanding of the sources of acidity and distribution of acid sulfate soils in this region remains poor. In this study, four sites on the Anglesea River floodplain were sampled, representative of the main vegetation communities. Peat swamps and intertidal marshes were both significant sources of acidity on the floodplain in the lower catchment. However, acid neutralising capacity provided by carbonate sands suggests that there are additional sources of acidity higher in the catchment. This pilot study has highlighted the complexity in the links between the floodplain, upper catchment and waterways with further research required to understand these links for targeted acid management strategies.

Stormflow hydrochemistry of a river draining an abandoned metal mine: the Afon Twymyn, central Wales.

PubMed

Byrne, Patrick; Reid, Ian; Wood, Paul J

2013-03-01

Contaminated drainage from metal mines is a serious water-quality problem facing nations that exploit metal mineral resources. Measurements of river hydrochemistry during baseflow are common at mine sites, whilst detailed hydrochemical information regarding stormflow is limited and often confined to a single event. This study investigates the seasonal evolution of stormflow hydrochemistry at an abandoned metal mine in central Wales, UK, and the possible sources and mechanisms of metal release. Significant flushing of metals was observed during stormflow events, resulting in concentrations that severely exceeded water-quality guidelines. The relationship between metal concentrations and river discharge suggests dissolution of efflorescent metal sulphates on the surface of the mine spoil as the principal source of the contamination. High fluxes of Pb during stormflows are linked to extended periods of dry weather prior to storm events that produced water table drawdown and encouraged oxidation of Pb sulphide in the mine spoil. However, some Pb flushing also occurred following wet antecedent conditions. It is suggested that Fe oxide reduction in mine spoil and translatory flows involving metal-rich pore waters results in flushing during wetter periods. Detailed measurements of stormflow hydrochemistry at mine sites are essential for accurate forecasting of long-term trends in metals flux to understand metal sources and mechanisms of release, to assess potential risks to water quality and instream ecology, and to gauge the potential effectiveness of remediation. In order to protect riverine and riparian ecosystems, it is suggested that routine monitoring of stormflows becomes part of catchment management in mining-impacted regions.

Role of river bank erosion in sediment budgets of catchments within the Loire river basin (France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gay, Aurore; Cerdan, Olivier; Poisvert, Cecile; Landemaine, Valentin

2014-05-01

Quantifying volumes of sediments produced on hillslopes or in channels and transported or stored within river systems is necessary to establish sediment budgets. If research efforts on hillslope erosion processes have led to a relatively good understanding and quantification of local sources, in-channel processes remain poorly understood and quasi inexistent in global budgets. However, profound landuse changes and agricultural practices have altered river functioning, caused river bank instability and stream incision. During the past decades in France, river channelization has been perfomed extensively to allow for new agricultural practices to take place. Starting from a recent study on the quantification of sediment fluxes for catchments within the Loire river basin (Gay et al. 2013), our aim is to complete sediment budgets by taking into account various sources and sinks both on hillslope and within channel. The emphasis of this study is on river bank erosion and how bank erosion contributes to global budgets. A model of bank retreat is developed for the entire Loire river basin. In general, our results show that bank retreat is on average quite low with approximately 1 cm.yr-1. However, a strong variability exists within the study area with channels displaying values of bank retreat up to ~10 cm.yr-1. Our results corroborate those found by Landemaine et al. in 2013 on a small agricultural catchment. From this first step, quantification of volumes of sediment eroded from banks and available for transport should be calculated and integrated in sediment budgets to allow for a better understanding of basin functioning. Gay A., Cerdan O., Delmas M., Desmet M., Variability of sediment yields in the Loire river basin (France): the role of small scale catchments (under review). Landemaine V., Gay A., Cerdan O., Salvador-Blanes S., Rodriguez S. Recent morphological evolution of a headwater stream in agricultural context after channelization in the Ligoire river (France

Overview of mine drainage geochemistry at historical mines, Humboldt River basin and adjacent mining areas, Nevada. Chapter E.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nash, J. Thomas; Stillings, Lisa L.

2004-01-01

Reconnaissance hydrogeochemical studies of the Humboldt River basin and adjacent areas of northern Nevada have identified local sources of acidic waters generated by historical mine workings and mine waste. The mine-related acidic waters are rare and generally flow less than a kilometer before being neutralized by natural processes. Where waters have a pH of less than about 3, particularly in the presence of sulfide minerals, the waters take on high to extremely high concentrations of many potentially toxic metals. The processes that create these acidic, metal-rich waters in Nevada are the same as for other parts of the world, but the scale of transport and the fate of metals are much more localized because of the ubiquitous presence of caliche soils. Acid mine drainage is rare in historical mining districts of northern Nevada, and the volume of drainage rarely exceeds about 20 gpm. My findings are in close agreement with those of Price and others (1995) who estimated that less than 0.05 percent of inactive and abandoned mines in Nevada are likely to be a concern for acid mine drainage. Most historical mining districts have no draining mines. Only in two districts (Hilltop and National) does water affected by mining flow into streams of significant size and length (more than 8 km). Water quality in even the worst cases is naturally attenuated to meet water-quality standards within about 1 km of the source. Only a few historical mines release acidic water with elevated metal concentrations to small streams that reach the Humboldt River, and these contaminants and are not detectable in the Humboldt. These reconnaissance studies offer encouraging evidence that abandoned mines in Nevada create only minimal and local water-quality problems. Natural attenuation processes are sufficient to compensate for these relatively small sources of contamination. These results may provide useful analogs for future mining in the Humboldt River basin, but attention must be given to

Estimation of Catchment Transit Time in Fuji River Basin by using an improved Tank model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenchao, M.; Yamanaka, T.; Wakiyama, Y.; Wang, P.

2013-12-01

As an important parameter that reflects the characteristics of catchments, the catchment transit time (CTT) has been given much more widely attentions especially in recent years. The CTT is defined as the time water spends travelling through a catchment to the stream network [1], and it describes how catchments retain and release water and solutes and thus control geochemical and biogeochemical cycling and contamination persistence [2]. The objectives of the present study are to develop a new approach for estimating CTT without prior information on such TTD functions and to apply it to the Fuji River basin in the Central Japan Alps Region. In this study, an improved Tank model was used to compute mean CTT and TTD functions simultaneously. It involved water fluxes and isotope mass balance. Water storage capacity in the catchment, which strongly affects CTT, is reflected in isotope mass balance more sensitively than in water fluxes. A model calibrated with observed discharge and isotope data is used for virtual age tracer computation to estimate CTT. This model does not only consider the hydrological data and physical process of the research area but also reflects the actual TTD with considering the geological condition, land use and the other catchment-hydrological conditions. For the calibration of the model, we used river discharge record obtained by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, and are collecting isotope data of precipitation and river waters monthly or semi-weekly. Three sub-catchments (SC1~SC3) in the Fuji River basin was selected to test the model with five layers: the surface layer, upper-soil layer, lower-soil layer, groundwater aquifer layer and bedrock layer (Layer 1- Layer 5). The evaluation of the model output was assessed using Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), root mean square error-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR), and percent bias (PBIAS). Using long time-series of discharge records for calibration, the simulated

Cumulative impacts of mountaintop mining on an Appalachian watershed

PubMed Central

Lindberg, T. Ty; Bernhardt, Emily S.; Bier, Raven; Helton, A. M.; Merola, R. Brittany; Vengosh, Avner; Di Giulio, Richard T.

2011-01-01

Mountaintop mining is the dominant form of coal mining and the largest driver of land cover change in the central Appalachians. The waste rock from these surface mines is disposed of in the adjacent river valleys, leading to a burial of headwater streams and dramatic increases in salinity and trace metal concentrations immediately downstream. In this synoptic study we document the cumulative impact of more than 100 mining discharge outlets and approximately 28 km2 of active and reclaimed surface coal mines on the Upper Mud River of West Virginia. We measured the concentrations of major and trace elements within the tributaries and the mainstem and found that upstream of the mines water quality was equivalent to state reference sites. However, as eight separate mining-impacted tributaries contributed their flow, conductivity and the concentrations of selenium, sulfate, magnesium, and other inorganic solutes increased at a rate directly proportional to the upstream areal extent of mining. We found strong linear correlations between the concentrations of these contaminants in the river and the proportion of the contributing watershed in surface mines. All tributaries draining mountaintop-mining-impacted catchments were characterized by high conductivity and increased sulfate concentration, while concentrations of some solutes such as Se, Sr, and N were lower in the two tributaries draining reclaimed mines. Our results demonstrate the cumulative impact of multiple mines within a single catchment and provide evidence that mines reclaimed nearly two decades ago continue to contribute significantly to water quality degradation within this watershed. PMID:22160676

The River EdenDTC Project: A National Demonstration Test Catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benskin, C.; Surridge, B.; Deasy, C.; Woods, C.; Rimmer, D.; Lees, E.; Owens, G.; Jonczyk, J.; Quinton, J.; Wilkinson, M.; Perks, M.; Quinn, P.; Barker, P.; Haygarth, P.; Burke, S.; Reaney, S.; Watson, N.

2012-04-01

Our environment is a complex system of interactions between natural process and anthropogenic activities that disrupt them. It is crucial to manage the balance for continued food production whilst maintaining the quality of the environment. The challenges we face include managing the impact of agricultural land use on aquatic quality and biodiversity as an integral system, rather than as separate issues. In order to do this, it is critical to understand how the different components are linked - how does land use affect our water courses and ground water, and their associated ecosystems, and how can the impact of agricultural land use on these systems be minimised? Regulating farm nutrient management through measures that minimise sources, their exposure to mobilisation, and reduce drainage pathways to water courses are all fundamental to the UK's approach to meeting the Water Framework Directive objective of achieving 'good ecological status' in all surface and groundwater bodies by 2015. The EdenDTC project is part of a 5-year national Demonstration Test Catchments (DTC) environmental scheme, aiming to understand the above issues through combining scientific research with local knowledge and experience from multiple stakeholders. The DTC project is a 5-year initiative by Defra, Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment Agency, which encompasses a research platform covering three distinct river catchments: the Eden in Cumbria; the Wensum in Norfolk; and the Avon in Hampshire. Within the EdenDTC, the impact and effects of multiple diffuse pollutants on ecosystems and sustainable food production are being studied on a river catchment scale. Three 10 km2 focus catchments, selected to represent the different farming practices and geologies observed across the Eden, have been instrumented to record the dynamics of agricultural diffuse pollution at multiple scales. Within each focus catchment, two sub-catchments were selected: one control and one mitigation, in which

Transport of dissolved carbon and CO2 degassing from a river system in a mixed silicate and carbonate catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khadka, Mitra B.; Martin, Jonathan B.; Jin, Jin

2014-05-01

Assessing the origin, transformation and transport of terrestrially derived carbon in river systems is critical to regional and global carbon cycles, particularly in carbonate terrains, which represent the largest carbon reservoir on the earth’s surface. For this reason, we evaluated sources, cycling, and fluxes of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC) and riverine CO2 degassing to the atmosphere in the Santa Fe River in north-central Florida, a sub-tropical river that flows across two distinct hydrogeological settings of a region dominated by carbonate karst. One setting occurs in the upper river catchment, where the carbonate Floridan aquifer is confined by the siliciclastic Hawthorn Group, while the other setting occurs in the lower catchment where the river flows across the unconfined Floridan aquifer. The upper catchment is characterized by DOC-rich and DIC-poor water and the DIC has more variable and lower δ13C values compared to the lower catchment. The river in the upper catchment degasses more CO2 to the atmosphere (1156 g C m-2 yr-1) than in the lower catchment (402 g C m-2 yr-1) because soil respired carbon and organic matter decomposition increase dissolved CO2 concentration, much of which is consumed during carbonate dissolution reactions in the lower catchment. The CO2 flux from the water surface to the atmosphere during a flood event is three times greater than during base flow, suggesting that excess precipitation flushes soil organic carbon to the river through interflow and enhances the loss of terrestrial carbon via river water to the atmosphere. Our values of CO2 fluxes to the atmosphere lie within the range of fluxes from the world’s rivers, but fluxes from the carbonate dominated region are at the low end, while fluxes from the siliciclastic region are at the high end. These results indicate that catchment lithologies, particularly whether carbonate or siliciclastic, as well as flow, are critical to carbon budgets in rivers

Variation in flow and suspended sediment transport in a montane river affected by hydropeaking and instream mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Béjar, M.; Vericat, D.; Batalla, R. J.; Gibbins, C. N.

2018-06-01

The temporal and spatial variability of water and sediment loads of rivers is controlled by a suite of factors whose individual effects are often difficult to disentangle. While land use changes and localised human activities such as instream mining and hydropeaking alter water and sediment transfer, tributaries naturally contribute to discharge and sediment load of mainstem rivers, and so may help compensate upstream anthropogenic factors. The work presented here aimed to assess water and the sediment transfer in a river reach affected by gravel extraction and hydropeaking, set against a backdrop of changes to the supply of water and sediment from tributaries. Discharge and suspended sediment transport were monitored during two average hydrological years at three cross-sections along a 10-km reach of the upper River Cinca, in the Southern Pyrenees. Water and sediment loads differed substantially between the reaches. The upper reach showed a largely torrential discharge regime, controlled mainly by floods, and had high but variable water and sediment loads. The middle reach was influenced markedly by hydropeaking and tributary inflows, which increased its annual water yield four-fold. Suspended sediment load in this reach increased by only 25% compared to upstream, indicating that dilution predominated. In the lowermost section, while discharge remained largely unaltered, sediment load increased appreciably as a result of changes to sediment availability from instream mining and inputs from tributaries. At the reach scale, snowmelt and summer and autumn thunderstorms were responsible for most of the water yield, while flood flows determined the magnitude and transport of the sediment load. The study highlights that a combination of natural and human factors control the spatial and temporal transfer of water and sediment in river channels and that, depending on their geographic location and effect-size, can result in marked variability even over short downstream

Estimation of River Discharge at Ungauged Catchment using GIS Map Correlation Method as Applied in Sta. Lucia River in Mauban, Quezon, Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monjardin, Cris Edward F.; Uy, Francis Aldrine A.; Tan, Fibor J.

2017-06-01

This paper presents use of GIS Map Correlation Method, a novel method of Prediction of Ungauged Basin, which is used to estimate the river flow at an ungauged catchment. The PUB Method used here intends to reduce the time and costs of data gathering procedure since it will just rely on a reference calibrated watershed that has almost the same characteristics in terms of slope, curve number, land cover, climatic condition, and average basin elevation. Furthermore, this utilized a set of modelling software which used digital elevation models (DEM), rainfall and discharge data. The researchers estimated the river flow of Sta. Lucia River in Quezon province, which is the ungauged catchment. The researchers assessed 11 gauged catchments and determined which basin could be correlated to Sta. Lucia. After finding the most correlated basin, the researchers used the data considering adjusted parameters of the gauged catchment. In evaluating the accuracy of the method, the researchers simulated a rainfall event in the said catchment and compared the actual discharge and the generated discharge from HEC-HMS. The researchers found out that method showed a good fit in the compared results, proving GMC Method is effective for use in the calibration of ungauged catchments.

Impacts of climate and land use changes on regional nutrient export in the South Saskatchewan River catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales-Marin, L. A.; Wheater, H. S.; Lindenschmidt, K. E.

2016-12-01

Climate and land use changes modify the physical functioning of river catchments and, in particular, influence the transport of nutrients from land to water. In large-scale catchments, where a variety of climates, topographies, soil types and land uses co-exist to form a highly heterogeneous environment, a more complex nutrient dynamic is imposed by climate and land use changes. This is the case of the South Saskatchewan River (SSR) that, along with the North Saskatchewan River, forms the largest river system in western Canada. In the past years changes in the land use and new industrial developments in the SSR area have heightened serious concerns about the future of water quality in the catchment and downstream waters. Agricultural activities have increased the supply of manure and fertilizer for cropping. Oil and gas exploitation has also increased the risk of surface water and groundwater contamination. The rapid population growth not only leads to increments in water consumption and wastewater, but in the construction of roads, railways and the expansion of new urban developments that impose hydraulic controls on the catchment hydrology and therefore the sediment and nutrient transport. Consequences of the actual anthropogenic changes have been notorious in reservoirs where algal blooms and signs of eutrophication have become common during certain times of the year. Although environmental agencies are constantly improving the mechanisms to reduce nutrient export into the river and ensure safe water quality standards, further research is needed in order to identify major nutrient sources and quantify nutrient export and also, to assess how nutrients are going to vary as a result of future climate and land use change scenarios. The SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed (SPARROW) model is therefore implemented to assess water quality regionally, in order to describe spatial and temporal patterns to identify those factors and processes that affect water

Impacts of climate and land use changes on regional nutrient export in the South Saskatchewan River catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales-Marin, L. A.; Wheater, H. S.; Lindenschmidt, K. E.

2015-12-01

Climate and land use changes modify the physical functioning of river catchments and, in particular, influence the transport of nutrients from land to water. In large-scale catchments, where a variety of climates, topographies, soil types and land uses co-exist to form a highly heterogeneous environment, a more complex nutrient dynamic is imposed by climate and land use changes. This is the case of the South Saskatchewan River (SSR) that, along with the North Saskatchewan River, forms the largest river system in western Canada. In the past years changes in the land use and new industrial developments in the SSR area have heightened serious concerns about the future of water quality in the catchment and downstream waters. Agricultural activities have increased the supply of manure and fertilizer for cropping. Oil and gas exploitation has also increased the risk of surface water and groundwater contamination. The rapid population growth not only leads to increments in water consumption and wastewater, but in the construction of roads, railways and the expansion of new urban developments that impose hydraulic controls on the catchment hydrology and therefore the sediment and nutrient transport. Consequences of the actual anthropogenic changes have been notorious in reservoirs where algal blooms and signs of eutrophication have become common during certain times of the year. Although environmental agencies are constantly improving the mechanisms to reduce nutrient export into the river and ensure safe water quality standards, further research is needed in order to identify major nutrient sources and quantify nutrient export and also, to assess how nutrients are going to vary as a result of future climate and land use change scenarios. The SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed (SPARROW) model is therefore implemented to assess water quality regionally, in order to describe spatial and temporal patterns to identify those factors and processes that affect water

Water quality and dissolved inorganic fluxes of N, P, SO₄, and K of a small catchment river in the Southwestern Coast of India.

PubMed

Padmalal, D; Remya, S I; Jyothi, S Jissy; Baijulal, B; Babu, K N; Baiju, R S

2012-03-01

The southwestern coast of India is drained by many small rivers with lengths less than 250 km and catchment areas less than 6,500 km(2). These rivers are perennial and are also the major drinking water sources in the region. But, the fast pace of urbanization, industrialization, fertilizer intensive agricultural activities and rise in pilgrim tourism in the past four to five decades have imposed marked changes in water quality and solute fluxes of many of these rivers. The problems have aggravated further due to leaching of ionic constituents from the organic-rich (peaty) impervious sub-surface layers that are exposed due to channel incision resulting from indiscriminate instream mining for construction-grade sand and gravel. In this context, an attempt has been made here to evaluate the water quality and the net nutrient flux of one of the important rivers in the southwestern coast of India, the Manimala river which has a length of about 90 km and catchment area of 847 km(2). The river exhibits seasonal variation in most of the water quality parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, HCO(3), NO(2)-N, NO(3)-N, P[Formula: see text], P[Formula: see text], chloride, SO(4), and SiO(2)). Except for NO(3)-N and SiO(2), all the other parameters are generally enriched in non-monsoon (December-May) samples than that of monsoon (June-November). The flux estimation reveals that the Manimala river transports an amount of 2,308 t y(-1) of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, 87 t y(-1) dissolved inorganic phosphorus, and 9246 t y(-1) of SO(4), and 1984 t y(-1) K into the receiving coastal waters. These together constitute about 23% of the total dissolved fluxes transported by the Manimala river. Based on the study, a set of mitigation measures are also suggested to improve the overall water quality of small catchment rivers of the densely populated tropics in general and the south western coast in particular.

The development and evolution of landform based on neotectonic movement: The Sancha river catchment in the southwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Lingmin; Xu, Mo; Yang, Yanna; Wang, Xingbing

2018-02-01

Neotectonics has changed the coupled process of endogenic and exogenic geological dynamics, which mold the modern landform. Geomorphologic analysis is essential for identifying and understanding the tectonic activity and indicates the responsive mechanism of the landform to tectonic activity. At first, this research reconstructed the twisted Shanpen period planation surface, computed the valley floor width-to-height ratio of Sancha river and extracted the cross sections marking the river terraces to analyze the characteristics of the neotectonics. And then, the relation between neotectonic movement and landform development was analyzed by dividing the landform types. At last, the spatial variation of landform evolution was analyzed by extracting the Hypsometric Integral of sub-catchments. The Sancha river catchment's neotectonic movement presents the tilt-lift of earth's crust from NW to SE, which is characterized by the posthumous activity of Yanshan tectonic deformation. The spatial distribution of river terraces indicates that Sancha river catchment has experienced at least four intermittent uplifts and the fault blocks at both the sides of Liuzhi-Zhijin basement fault have differentially uplifted since the late Pleistocene. As the resurgence of Liuzhi-Zhijin basement fault, the Sancha river catchment was broken into two relative independent landform units. The spatial variations of the landform types near the Sancha river and the sub-catchments' landform evolution are characterized by periodic replacement. The styles of geological structure have controlled the development of landform far away from the Sancha River and influenced the landform evolution. The posthumous activities of the secondary structure have resulted in the spatial variation of sub-catchments' landform evolution, which presents periodic replacement with local exceptions. The present study suggests that spatial variations of the development and evolution of modern landform of Sancha River

Groundwater as an emergency source for drought mitigation in the Crocodile River catchment, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mussá, F. E. F.; Zhou, Y.; Maskey, S.; Masih, I.; Uhlenbrook, S.

2015-02-01

Global climate change has received much attention worldwide in the scientific as well as in the political community, indicating that changes in precipitation, extreme droughts and floods may increasingly threaten many regions. Drought is a natural phenomenon that causes social, economical and environmental damage to society. In this study, we assess the drought intensity and severity and the groundwater potential to be used as a supplementary source of water to mitigate drought impacts in the Crocodile River catchment, a water-stressed sub-catchment of the Incomati River catchment in South Africa. The research methodology consists of three parts. First, the spatial and temporal variation of the meteorological and hydrological drought severity and intensity over the catchment were evaluated. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to analyse the meteorological drought and the Standardized Runoff Index (SRI) was used for the hydrological drought. Second, the water deficit in the catchment during the drought period was computed using a simple water balance method. Finally, a groundwater model was constructed in order to assess the feasibility of using groundwater as an emergency source for drought impact mitigation. Results show that the low-rainfall areas are more vulnerable to severe meteorological droughts (lower and upper crocodile). Moreover, the most water stressed sub-catchments with high level of water uses but limited storage, such as the Kaap located in the middle catchment and the Lower Crocodile sub-catchments, are more vulnerable to severe hydrological droughts. The analysis of the potential groundwater use during droughts showed that a deficit of 97 Mm3 yr-1 could be supplied from groundwater without considerable adverse impacts on the river base flow and groundwater storage. Abstraction simulations for different scenarios of extremely severe droughts reveal that it is possible to use groundwater to cope with the droughts in the catchment

Groundwater as an emergency source for drought mitigation in the Crocodile River catchment, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mussá, F. E. F.; Zhou, Y.; Maskey, S.; Masih, I.; Uhlenbrook, S.

2014-03-01

Global climate change has received much attention worldwide in the scientific as well as in the political community, indicating that changes in precipitation, extreme droughts and floods may threaten increasingly many regions. Drought is a natural phenomenon that may cause social, economical and environmental damages to the society. In this study, we assess the drought intensity and severity and the groundwater potential to be used as a supplement source of water to mitigate drought impacts in the Crocodile River catchment, a water-stressed sub-catchment of the Incomati River catchment in South Africa. The research methodology consists mainly of three parts. First, the spatial and temporal variation of the meteorological and hydrological drought severity and intensity over the catchment were evaluated. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to analyse the meteorological drought and the Standardized Runoff Index (SRI) was used for the hydrological drought. Second, the water deficit in the catchment during the drought period was computed using a simple water balance method. Finally, a groundwater model was constructed in order to assess the feasibility of using groundwater as an emergency source for drought impact mitigation. Results show that the meteorological drought severity varies accordingly with the precipitation; the low rainfall areas are more vulnerable to severe meteorological droughts (lower and upper crocodile). Moreover, the most water stressed sub-catchments with high level of water uses but limited storage, such as the Kaap located in the middle catchment and the Lower Crocodile sub-catchments are those which are more vulnerable to severe hydrological droughts. The analysis of the potential groundwater use during droughts showed that a deficit of 97 Mm3 yr-1 could be supplied from groundwater without considerable adverse impacts on the river base flow and groundwater storage. Abstraction simulations for different scenarios of extremely

Morphological evolution of the Maipo River in central Chile: Influence of instream gravel mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arróspide, Felipe; Mao, Luca; Escauriaza, Cristián

2018-04-01

Instream gravel mining is one of the most important causes of channel degradation in South America, specifically in rivers located near large metropolitan areas with rapidly growing cities, where no river management strategies exist. In the western region of the continent, many of these rivers belong to Andean systems, in which significant parts of the watersheds are located in mountain areas at high altitude, with considerable seasonal rainfall variability and steep channel slopes. In these rivers, gravel mining has produced significant incision of the channels with serious physical and ecological consequences, affecting habitats, modifying the supply and transport of sediments, and amplifying the risk to infrastructure in and around the channel during floods. In spite of the degraded conditions of many channels, no quantitative studies of the geomorphic impacts of gravel mining have been carried out in the region, mostly because of the insufficient and sparse data available. In this investigation we perform an analysis of the morphodynamic evolution in a section of the Maipo River in the metropolitan region of Santiago, Chile. This river is economically the most important in the country, as it provides drinking and irrigation water to urban and rural areas, is utilized by the energy generation industry, and runs along and below critical infrastructure. We have collected and analyzed data from 1954 to 2015, during which the city population increased by more than 5 million inhabitants whose presence accelerated land use changes. The analysis shows a rapid morphological evolution of the channel where in 31 years effects such as: river sections showing incision of up to 20 m, an increase of the area affected by gravel mining from 86.62 to 368.13 ha, and a net erosion volume of 39.4 million m3 can be observed. This work yields quantitative information on the consequences of gravel mining in the Maipo River, providing the necessary data to develop an integrated

Integrated assessment of land use and cover changes in the Malagarasi river catchment in Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashaigili, J. J.; Majaliwa, A. M.

Malagarasi river catchment represents one of the largest and most significant transboundary natural ecosystems in Africa. The catchment constitutes about one third of the catchment area of Lake Tanganyika and contains ecosystems of both national and international importance (i.e. Muyovozi Wetland Ramsar site). It has been increasingly said that increased anthropogenic activities have had negative impacts on the Muyovozi wetland in particular and other catchment resources. Nevertheless, these beliefs are little supported by quantitative data. A study on the dynamics of land use and cover in the Malagarasi river catchment therefore investigated long-term and seasonal changes that have occurred as a result of human activities in the area for the periods between 1984 and 2001. Landsat TM and ETM+ images were used to locate and quantify the changes. Perceptions of local people on historical changes and drivers for the changes were also collected and integrated in the assessment. The study revealed a significant change in land use and cover within a period of 18 year. Between 1984 and 2001, the woodland and wetland vegetation covers declined by 0.09% and 2.51% per year. Areas with settlements and cultivation increased by 1.05% annually while bushed grassland increased at 1.93% annually. The perceived principal drivers for the changes were found to include fire, cultivation along rivers and lake shores, overgrazing, poor law enforcement, insufficient knowledge on environmental issues, increasing poverty, deforestation and population growth. The human population growth rate stands at 4.8% against a national figure of 2.9%. The most perceived environmental problems include drying of streams and rivers, change in rainfall, loss of soil fertility, soil erosion and reduced crop yield. The study concludes that, there has been significant changes in land use and cover in the catchment and these require concerted actions to reverse the changes. The study highlights the importance

Basin-scale characterization of river hydromorphology by map derived information: A case study on the Red River (Sông Hông), Vietnam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, R. J.; Bizzi, S.; Castelletti, A.

2012-12-01

The understanding of river hydromorphological processes has been recognized in the last decades as a priority of modern catchment management, since fluvial geomorphic processes shape physical habitat, affect river infrastructures and influence freshwater ecological processes. Characterization of river hydromorphological features is commonly location specific and highly demanding in terms of field-works, resource and expertise required. Therefore, its routine application at regional or national scales, although an urgent need of catchment management, is infeasible at present. Recently available high-resolution data, such as DEM or LIDAR, opens up novel potential for basin-wide analysis of fluvial processes at limited effort and cost. Specifically, in this study we assess the feasibility of characterizing river hydromorphology from specific map derived geomorphic controls namely: channel gradient, bankfull flow, specific stream power, and degree of channel confinement. The river network, extracted from a digital elevation model and validated with available network shape-files and optical satellite imagery, available flow gauging stations and GIS processing allow producing continuous values of geomorphic drivers defined over given length segments at catchment or regional scales. This generic framework was applied to the Red River (Sông Hông) basin, the second largest basin (87,800 km2) in Vietnam. Besides its economic importance, the river since few years is experiencing severe river bed incisions due to the building of new dams in the upstream part of the catchment and sand mining in the surrounding of the capital city Hanoi. In this context, characterized by an high developing rate, current efforts to increase water productivity by infrastructure and management measures require a thorough understanding of fluvial system and, in particular, of the basin-wide river hydromorphology. The framework proposed has allowed producing high-dimensional samples of spatially

Water quality assessment of the Asata River catchment area in Enugu Metropolis, Southeast Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osinowo, Olawale Olakunle

2016-09-01

Hydrogeochemical mapping of the Asata River Catchment area in the Enugu metropolis, southeast Nigeria was carried out in order to assess the quality of the surface and groundwater and based on the analyses of the hydrogeochemical data, establish the level of chemical contaminations which inhibit the availability of potable water in the area. Forty (40) water samples comprising five (5) springs, nineteen (19) surface (streams/rivers) and sixteen (16) groundwater (well/borehole) samples were collected and analysed for the presence and degree of contamination of nine (9) major chemical contaminants. Hydrochemical analyses indicate that Electrical Conductivity (EC) which has a linear relationship with Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) ranges between 015 and 887 μS/cm, pH between 4.4 and 8.3, nitrate (NO3-) ranges between 40 and 130 mg/l and chloride (Cl-) between 7 and 130 mg/l. The concentrations of the dissolved chemical constituents defined the pollution trend and the rate of dispersion of contaminants. The degree of contaminants followed a simple trend, where the level of contamination of the dissolved chemical constituents is least in sampled spring water, with measured chemical constituents of EC, pH, NO3- and Cl- range from 15 to 354 μS/cm; 6.4-6.5; 4.0-70 mg/l and 8-36 mg/l, respectively. However, the value of the measured chemical constituent of EC, pH, NO3- and Cl- gradually increases down the stream in both the surface (63-354 μS/cm; 4.5-7.7; 7.1-110 mg/l; 8-41 mg/l) and groundwater (56-531 μS/cm; 4.5-7.5; 40-130 mg/l; 7-130 mg/l), respectively. Noticeable peaks in contamination levels characterised sections of the study area where human population or their activities is highest. The result of the hydrogeochemical mapping indicate that Enugu coal mine operation, the industrial activities, fertilizer applied to plants cultivated on river banks and domestic human wastes which are indiscriminately dumped along river channels are the major sources of chemical

Comparison of balance of tritium activity in waste water from nuclear power plants and at selected monitoring sites in the Vltava River, Elbe River and Jihlava (Dyje) River catchments in the Czech Republic.

PubMed

Hanslík, Eduard; Marešová, Diana; Juranová, Eva; Sedlářová, Barbora

2017-12-01

During the routine operation, nuclear power plants discharge waste water containing a certain amount of radioactivity, whose main component is the artificial radionuclide tritium. The amounts of tritium released into the environment are kept within the legal requirements, which minimize the noxious effects of radioactivity, but the activity concentration is well measurable in surface water of the recipient. This study compares amount of tritium activity in waste water from nuclear power plants and the tritium activity detected at selected relevant sites of surface water quality monitoring. The situation is assessed in the catchment of the Vltava and Elbe Rivers, affected by the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant as well as in the Jihlava River catchment (the Danube River catchment respectively), where the waste water of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant is discharged. The results show a good agreement of the amount of released tritium stated by the power plant operator and the tritium amount detected in the surface water and highlighted the importance of a robust independent monitoring of tritium discharged from a nuclear power plant which could be carried out by water management authorities. The outputs of independent monitoring allow validating the values reported by a polluter and expand opportunities of using tritium as e.g. tracer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flood Hazard Mapping Assessment for El-Awali River Catchment-Lebanon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hdeib, Rouya; Abdallah, Chadi; Moussa, Roger; Hijazi, Samar

2016-04-01

River flooding prediction and flood forecasting has become an essential stage in the major flood mitigation plans worldwide. Delineation of floodplains resulting from a river flooding event requires coupling between a Hydrological rainfall-runoff model to calculate the resulting outflows of the catchment and a hydraulic model to calculate the corresponding water surface profiles along the river main course. In this study several methods were applied to predict the flood discharge of El-Awali River using the available historical data and gauging records and by conducting several site visits. The HEC-HMS Rainfall-Runoff model was built and applied to calculate the flood hydrographs along several outlets on El-Awali River and calibrated using the storm that took place on January 2013 and caused flooding of the major Lebanese rivers and by conducting additional site visits to calculate proper river sections and record witnesses of the locals. The Hydraulic HEC-RAS model was then applied to calculate the corresponding water surface profiles along El-Awali River main reach. Floodplain delineation and Hazard mapping for 10,50 and 100 years return periods was performed using the Watershed Modeling System WMS. The results first show an underestimation of the flood discharge recorded by the operating gauge stations on El-Awali River, whereas, the discharge of the 100 years flood may reach up to 506 m3/s compared by lower values calculated using the traditional discharge estimation methods. Second any flooding of El-Awali River may be catastrophic especially to the coastal part of the catchment and can cause tragic losses in agricultural lands and properties. Last a major floodplain was noticed in Marj Bisri village this floodplain can reach more than 200 meters in width. Overall, performance was good and the Rainfall-Runoff model can provide valuable information about flows especially on ungauged points and can perform a great aid for the floodplain delineation and flood

Linking catchment characteristics and water chemistry with the ecological status of Irish rivers.

PubMed

Donohue, Ian; McGarrigle, Martin L; Mills, Paul

2006-01-01

Requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive for the introduction of ecological quality objectives for surface waters and the stipulation that all surface waters in the EU must be of 'good' ecological status by 2015 necessitate a quantitative understanding of the linkages among catchment attributes, water chemistry and the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. Analysis of lotic ecological status, as indicated by an established biotic index based primarily on benthic macroinvertebrate community structure, of 797 hydrologically independent river sites located throughout Ireland showed highly significant inverse associations between the ecological status of rivers and measures of catchment urbanisation and agricultural intensity, densities of humans and cattle and chemical indicators of water quality. Stepwise logistic regression suggested that urbanisation, arable farming and extent of pasturelands are the principal factors impacting on the ecological status of streams and rivers in Ireland and that the likelihood of a river site complying with the demands of the EU Water Framework Directive, and be of 'good' ecological status, can be predicted with reasonable accuracy using simple models that utilise either widely available landcover data or chemical monitoring data. Non-linear landcover and chemical 'thresholds' derived from these models provide a useful tool in the management of risk in catchments, and suggest strongly that more careful planning of land use in Ireland is essential in order to restore and maintain water quality as required by the Directive.

Geo-referenced modelling of metal concentrations in river basins at the catchment scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hüffmeyer, N.; Berlekamp, J.; Klasmeier, J.

2009-04-01

1. Introduction The European Water Framework Directive demands the good ecological and chemical state of surface waters [1]. This implies the reduction of unwanted metal concentrations in surface waters. To define reasonable environmental target values and to develop promising mitigation strategies a detailed exposure assessment is required. This includes the identification of emission sources and the evaluation of their effect on local and regional surface water concentrations. Point source emissions via municipal or industrial wastewater that collect metal loads from a wide variety of applications and products are important anthropogenic pathways into receiving waters. Natural background and historical influences from ore-mining activities may be another important factor. Non-point emissions occur via surface runoff and erosion from drained land area. Besides deposition metals can be deposited by fertilizer application or the use of metal products such as wires or metal fences. Surface water concentrations vary according to the emission strength of sources located nearby and upstream of the considered location. A direct link between specific emission sources and pathways on the one hand and observed concentrations can hardly be established by monitoring alone. Geo-referenced models such as GREAT-ER (Geo-referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers) deliver spatially resolved concentrations in a whole river basin and allow for evaluating the causal relationship between specific emissions and resulting concentrations. This study summarizes the results of investigations for the metals zinc and copper in three German catchments. 2. The model GREAT-ER The geo-referenced model GREAT-ER has originally been developed to simulate and assess chemical burden of European river systems from multiple emission sources [2]. Emission loads from private households and rainwater runoff are individually estimated based on average consumption figures, runoff rates

Questa Baseline and Pre-Mining Ground-Water Quality Investigation. 25. Summary of Results and Baseline and Pre-Mining Ground-Water Geochemistry, Red River Valley, Taos County, New Mexico, 2001-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nordstrom, D. Kirk

2008-01-01

-sediment chemistry; geomorphology and its effect on ground-water flow; geophysical studies on depth to ground-water table and depth to bedrock; bedrock fractures and their potential influence on ground-water flow; leaching studies of scars and waste-rock piles; mineralogy and mineral chemistry and their effect on ground-water quality; debris-flow hazards; hydrology and water balance for the Red River Valley; ground-water geochemistry of selected wells undisturbed by mining in the Red River Valley; and quality assurance and quality control of water analyses. Studies aimed specifically at the Straight Creek natural-analog site include electrical surveys; high-resolution seismic survey; age-dating with tritium/helium; water budget; ground-water hydrology and geochemistry; and comparison of mineralogy and lithology to that of the mine site. The highly mineralized and hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks of the Red River Valley contain several percent pyrite in the quartz-sericite-pyrite (QSP) alteration zone, which weather naturally to acid-sulfate surface and ground waters that discharge to the Red River. Weathering of waste-rock piles containing pyrite also contributes acid water that eventually discharges into the Red River. These acid discharges are neutralized by circumneutral-pH, carbonate-buffered surface and ground waters of the Red River. The buffering capacity of the Red River, however, decreases from the town of Red River to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gaging station near Questa. During short, but intense, storm events, the buffering capacity is exceeded and the river becomes acid from the rapid flushing of acidic materials from natural scar areas. The lithology, mineralogy, elevation, and hydrology of the Straight Creek proximal analog site were found to closely approximate those of the mine site with the exception of the mine site?s Sulphur Gulch catchment. Sulphur Gulch contains three subcatchments?upper Sulphur Gulch, Blind Gulch, and Spring Gulc

Bulk metal concentrations versus total suspended solids in rivers: Time-invariant & catchment-specific relationships.

PubMed

Nasrabadi, Touraj; Ruegner, Hermann; Schwientek, Marc; Bennett, Jeremy; Fazel Valipour, Shahin; Grathwohl, Peter

2018-01-01

Suspended particles in rivers can act as carriers of potentially bioavailable metal species and are thus an emerging area of interest in river system monitoring. The delineation of bulk metals concentrations in river water into dissolved and particulate components is also important for risk assessment. Linear relationships between bulk metal concentrations in water (CW,tot) and total suspended solids (TSS) in water can be used to easily evaluate dissolved (CW, intercept) and particle-bound metal fluxes (CSUS, slope) in streams (CW,tot = CW + CSUS TSS). In this study, we apply this principle to catchments in Iran (Haraz) and Germany (Ammer, Goldersbach, and Steinlach) that show differences in geology, geochemistry, land use and hydrological characteristics. For each catchment, particle-bound and dissolved concentrations for a suite of metals in water were calculated based on linear regressions of total suspended solids and total metal concentrations. Results were replicable across sampling campaigns in different years and seasons (between 2013 and 2016) and could be reproduced in a laboratory sedimentation experiment. CSUS values generally showed little variability in different catchments and agree well with soil background values for some metals (e.g. lead and nickel) while other metals (e.g. copper) indicate anthropogenic influences. CW was elevated in the Haraz (Iran) catchment, indicating higher bioavailability and potential human and ecological health concerns (where higher values of CSUS/CW are considered as a risk indicator).

Aged Riverine Particulate Organic Carbon in Four UK Catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Jessica; Tipping, Edward; Bryant, Charlotte; Helliwell, Rachel; Toberman, Hannah; Quinton, John

2016-04-01

The riverine transport of particulate organic matter (POM) is a significant flux in the carbon cycle, and affects macronutrients and contaminants. We used radiocarbon to characterise POM at 9 riverine sites of four UK catchments (Avon, Conwy, Dee, Ribble) over a one-year period. High-discharge samples were collected on three or four occasions at each site. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) was obtained by centrifugation, and the samples were analysed for carbon isotopes. Concentrations of SPM and SPM organic carbon (OC) contents were also determined, and were found to have a significant negative correlation. For the 7 rivers draining predominantly rural catchments, PO14C values, expressed as percent modern carbon absolute (pMC), varied little among samplings at each site, and there was no significant difference in the average values among the sites. The overall average PO14C value for the 7 sites of 91.2 pMC corresponded to an average age of 680 14C years, but this value arises from the mixing of differently-aged components, and therefore significant amounts of organic matter older than the average value are present in the samples. Although topsoil erosion is probably the major source of the riverine POM, the average PO14C value is appreciably lower than topsoil values (which are typically 100 pMC). This is most likely explained by inputs of older subsoil OC from bank erosion, or the preferential loss of high-14C topsoil organic matter by mineralisation during riverine transport. The significantly lower average PO14C of samples from the River Calder (76.6 pMC), can be ascribed to components containing little or no radiocarbon, derived either from industrial sources or historical coal mining, and this effect is also seen in the River Ribble, downstream of its confluence with the Calder. At the global scale, the results significantly expand available information for PO14C in rivers draining catchments with low erosion rates.

Channel response to increased and decreased bedload supply from land use change: contrasts between two catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondolf, G. M.; Piégay, H.; Landon, N.

2002-06-01

The catchments of Pine Creek, Idaho, USA (200 km 2), and the Drôme River in the Drôme Department, France (1640 km 2), illustrate contrasting changes in land use, bedload sediment production, and channel response. Hard-rock mining began in the catchment of Pine Creek near the end of the 19th century and, together with road construction, timber harvest, and historically heavy grazing of uplands, resulted in increased tributary bedload yield. Increased bedload migrating to the channel, combined with removal of large cedar trees on the floodplain, resulted in channel instability, which propagated downstream over a period of decades. On many reaches of Pine Creek, active channel width has increased by over 50% since 1933. Over roughly the same time period, the Drôme River catchment was extensively reforested (after at least one century of denudation and heavy grazing) and numerous check dams were constructed on torrents to reduce erosion. As a result, the Drôme River has experienced a reduction in bedload sediment supply since the late 19th century. In addition, gravel has been extracted from some reaches. Consequently, the channel has degraded and gravel bars have been colonized with woody riparian vegetation. Channel widths in wide, braided reaches decreased from 1947 to 1970 by 60%. On Pine Creek, channel instability has resulted in bank erosion (exposing contaminated mine tailings) and increased flood hazard. On the Drôme River, degradation has undermined bridges and embankments, and lowered the water table in areas dependent on groundwater for irrigation, resulting in loss of 6 million m 3 of groundwater storage since 1960. Though they differ in drainage area by nearly an order of magnitude, Pine Creek and the Drôme River provide an excellent contrast in that they represent two sides of an epicycle of alluvial sedimentation set off in each case by land disturbance. In both cases, the most recent channel changes, though in opposite directions, were viewed as

Bulk metal concentrations versus total suspended solids in rivers: Time-invariant & catchment-specific relationships

PubMed Central

Ruegner, Hermann; Schwientek, Marc; Bennett, Jeremy; Fazel Valipour, Shahin; Grathwohl, Peter

2018-01-01

Suspended particles in rivers can act as carriers of potentially bioavailable metal species and are thus an emerging area of interest in river system monitoring. The delineation of bulk metals concentrations in river water into dissolved and particulate components is also important for risk assessment. Linear relationships between bulk metal concentrations in water (CW,tot) and total suspended solids (TSS) in water can be used to easily evaluate dissolved (CW, intercept) and particle-bound metal fluxes (CSUS, slope) in streams (CW,tot = CW + CSUS TSS). In this study, we apply this principle to catchments in Iran (Haraz) and Germany (Ammer, Goldersbach, and Steinlach) that show differences in geology, geochemistry, land use and hydrological characteristics. For each catchment, particle-bound and dissolved concentrations for a suite of metals in water were calculated based on linear regressions of total suspended solids and total metal concentrations. Results were replicable across sampling campaigns in different years and seasons (between 2013 and 2016) and could be reproduced in a laboratory sedimentation experiment. CSUS values generally showed little variability in different catchments and agree well with soil background values for some metals (e.g. lead and nickel) while other metals (e.g. copper) indicate anthropogenic influences. CW was elevated in the Haraz (Iran) catchment, indicating higher bioavailability and potential human and ecological health concerns (where higher values of CSUS/CW are considered as a risk indicator). PMID:29342204

Considerations on the influence of extreme events on the phosphorus transport from river catchments to the sea.

PubMed

Zessner, M; Postolache, C; Clement, A; Kovacs, A; Strauss, P

2005-01-01

In this paper, results from rivers of different sizes in Romania, Hungary and Austria are presented. The paper shows the dynamics of extreme events and their contribution to the total P and suspended solids transported in these rivers. Special attention is paid to the influence of the size of the catchment and the event probability on the relative contribution of a single event to the total loads transported in the river. Further, the development of phosphorus loads along the Danube River at a flood event is shown. From the results it can be concluded that there is no immediate influence of high flow and flood events in upstream parts of the Basin on the transport of phosphorus from the catchment to the receiving Sea. Particle-bound phosphorus is mobilised from the catchment (through erosion) and the river bottom to a high extent at high flow events and transported at peak discharges to downstream, where retention by sedimentation of particles takes place. On the one hand this retention is a transport to flooded areas. In this case it can be considered as more or less long term retention. On the other hand sedimentation takes place in the riverbed, in case the tractive effort of the river is reduced. In this second case the P-pool in the sediments of the sedimentation area will be increased. If anaerobic conditions in the sediment appear, part of the phosphorus will be transformed to soluble ortho-phosphate and will continuously contribute to the phosphorus transport to the receiving sea. Part of the P-retained in the river sediment will be mobilised by resuspension at the next biggest high flow event. Altogether, these alternating processes of suspension, transport, export to flooded areas or sedimentation in the river bed with partly solution and partly resuspension at the next event decrease the share of the phosphorus transport during high flow events on the total loads transported in the more downstream parts of a catchments as compared to the more upstream

Modelling fate and transport of pesticides in river catchments with drinking water abstractions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desmet, Nele; Seuntjens, Piet; Touchant, Kaatje

2010-05-01

When drinking water is abstracted from surface water, the presence of pesticides may have a large impact on the purification costs. In order to respect imposed thresholds at points of drinking water abstraction in a river catchment, sustainable pesticide management strategies might be required in certain areas. To improve management strategies, a sound understanding of the emission routes, the transport, the environmental fate and the sources of pesticides is needed. However, pesticide monitoring data on which measures are founded, are generally scarce. Data scarcity hampers the interpretation and the decision making. In such a case, a modelling approach can be very useful as a tool to obtain complementary information. Modelling allows to take into account temporal and spatial variability in both discharges and concentrations. In the Netherlands, the Meuse river is used for drinking water abstraction and the government imposes the European drinking water standard for individual pesticides (0.1 ?g.L-1) for surface waters at points of drinking water abstraction. The reported glyphosate concentrations in the Meuse river frequently exceed the standard and this enhances the request for targeted measures. In this study, a model for the Meuse river was developed to estimate the contribution of influxes at the Dutch-Belgian border on the concentration levels detected at the drinking water intake 250 km downstream and to assess the contribution of the tributaries to the glyphosate loads. The effects of glyphosate decay on environmental fate were considered as well. Our results show that the application of a river model allows to asses fate and transport of pesticides in a catchment in spite of monitoring data scarcity. Furthermore, the model provides insight in the contribution of different sub basins to the pollution level. The modelling results indicate that the effect of local measures to reduce pesticides concentrations in the river at points of drinking water

Future Proofing Water Policy and Catchment Management for a Changing Climate: A Case Study of Competing Demands and Water Scarcity in the River Thames and Catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitehead, P. G.; Crossman, J.; Jin, L.

2011-12-01

The River Thames Catchment is the major water supply system in Southern England and supplies all of London's water supply from either the River Lee (a tributary of the Thames) or the main river abstraction site at Teddington (see Figure 1) or from groundwater sources in London. There has been a measurable change in rainfall patterns over the past 250 years with reducing summer rainfall and, hence flows, over the past 40 years. In 1976, following 3 dry winters, the London Reservoirs were more or less empty and the river flow direction was reversed to ensure a supply of water for London. Recent climate change studies in the Thames catchments suggest an increasing threat to water supply and also damage to river water quality and ecology. In addition to a changing climate, population levels in London have risen in recent years and the catchment is increasingly vulnerable to land use change. Since the 1920s changes in land use have increased the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the catchment and this trend is predicted to be exacerbated as climate change reduces freshwater dilution. Also land use is predicted to change as agriculture becomes more intensive as farmers react to higher grain and food prices. At the same time rising water temperatures has exposed the river to the potential for toxic algal blooms, such as cyanobacteria. This doom and gloom story is being managed however using a range of policy instruments, led by central government and public and private organisations such as Thames Water and the Environment Agency. Measures such as new reservoirs, a water transfer scheme from Wales and water metering to reduce demand are all being actively pursued, as are land management measures to control diffuse pollution. In order to assess the effects of climate change on the Thames catchment a major modelling study has been undertaken. The Integrated Catchment Model (INCA) has been set up for the Thames to model flow, nitrogen, phosphorus and ecology. Climate

Thallium release from acid mine drainages: Speciation in river and tap water from Valdicastello mining district (northwest Tuscany).

PubMed

Campanella, Beatrice; Casiot, Corinne; Onor, Massimo; Perotti, Martina; Petrini, Riccardo; Bramanti, Emilia

2017-08-15

In this work we present an advantageous method for the simultaneous separation and detection of Tl(I) and Tl(III) species through ion chromatography coupled with on-line inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry. Chromatographic separation between Tl(III) and Tl(I) was achieved in less than two minutes. The method was validated by recovery experiments on real samples, and by comparing the sum of the concentrations of individual Tl species with total thallium values obtained from continuous flow ICP-MS. The experimental procedure offers an accurate, sensitive and interference-free method for Tl speciation at trace levels in environmental samples. This allowed us to investigate the Tl speciation in acid mine drainages (AMD), surface waters and springs in a mining catchment in Valdicastello Carducci (Tuscany, Italy), where severe Tl contamination ad been evidenced previously. This study shows for the first time that Tl(III), in addition to Tl(I), is present in considerable amounts in water samples affected by acid mining outflow, raising the question of the origin of this thermodynamically unstable species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Managing the impact of gold panning activities within the context of integrated water resources management planning in the Lower Manyame Sub-Catchment, Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwane, Nonhlanhla; Love, David; Hoko, Zvikomborero; Shoko, Dennis

Riverbed alluvial gold panning activities are a cause for degradation of river channels and banks as well as water resources, particularly through accelerated erosion and siltation, in many areas of Zimbabwe. The lower Manyame sub-catchment located in the Northern part of the country is one such area. This study analysed the implications of cross-sectoral coordination of the management of panning and its impacts. This is within the context of conflicts of interests and responsibilities. A situational analysis of different stakeholders from sectors that included mining, environment, water, local government and water users who were located next to identified panning sites, as well as panners was carried out. Selected sites along the Dande River were observed to assess the environmental effects. The study determined that all stakeholder groups perceived siltation and river bank degradation as the most severe effect of panning on water resources, yet there were divergent views with regards to coordination of panning management. The Water Act of 1998 does not give enough power to management institutions including the Lower Manyame Sub-catchment Council to protect water resources from the impacts of panning, despite the fact that the activities affect the water resource base. The Mines and Minerals Act of 1996 remains the most powerful legislation, while mining sector activities adversely affect environmental resources. Furthermore, complexities were caused by differences in the definition of water resources management boundaries as compared to the overall environmental resources management boundaries according to the Environmental Management Act (EMA) of 2000, and by separate yet parallel water and environmental planning processes. Environmental sector institutions according to the EMA are well linked to local government functions and resource management is administrative, enhancing efficient coordination.

Integrated investigations of environmental effects of historical mining in the Basin and Boulder Mining Districts, Boulder River watershed, Jefferson County, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nimick, David A.; Church, Stan E.; Finger, Susan E.

2004-01-01

The Boulder River watershed is one of many watersheds in the western United States where historical mining has left a legacy of acid mine drainage and elevated concentrations of potentially toxic trace elements. Abandoned mine lands commonly are located on or affect Federal land. Cleaning up these Federal lands will require substantial investment of resources. As part of a cooperative effort with Federal land-management agencies, the U.S. Geological Survey implemented an Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative in 1997. The goal of the initiative was to use the watershed approach to develop a strategy for gathering and communicating the scientific information needed to formulate effective and cost-efficient remediation of affected lands in a watershed. The watershed approach is based on the premise that contaminated sites that have the most profound effect on water and ecosystem quality within an entire watershed should be identified, characterized, and ranked for remediation.The watershed approach provides an effective means to evaluate the overall status of affected resources and helps to focus remediation at sites where the most benefit will be gained in the watershed. Such a large-scale approach can result in the collection of extensive information on the geology and geochemistry of rocks and sediment, the hydrology and water chemistry of streams and ground water, and the diversity and health of aquatic and terrestrial organisms. During the assessment of the Boulder River watershed, we inventoried historical mines, defined geological conditions, assessed fish habitat, collected and chemically analyzed hundreds of water and sediment samples, conducted toxicity tests, analyzed fish tissue and indicators of physiological malfunction, examined invertebrates and biofilm, and defined hydrological regimes. Land- and resource-management agencies are faced with evaluating risks associated with thousands of potentially harmful mine sites, and this level of effort is not always

Human norovirus occurrence and diversity in the Llobregat river catchment, Spain.

PubMed

Pérez-Sautu, Unai; Sano, Daisuke; Guix, Susana; Kasimir, Georg; Pintó, Rosa M; Bosch, Albert

2012-02-01

Human noroviruses (NoV) were quantified and characterized in an 18 month survey conducted along the Llobregat river catchment in Spain. Sample types included freshwater, untreated and treated wastewater and drinking water. High NoV genome copy numbers were reported, reaching up to 10(6)  l(-1) and 10(9)  l(-1) in freshwater and raw sewage respectively. In both types of samples, GII NoV genome copies outnumbered those of GI, although without significance. All samples of semi-treated and treated drinking water were negative for NoV. A clear seasonality of NoV occurrence was observed both in river water and sewage samples, with significantly higher genome copy numbers in the cold than in the warm months period. Mean NoV log reduction rates after biological treatment of sewage were 2.2 and 3.1 for GI and GII respectively. A total of 77 NoV strains isolated in the Llobregat river catchment could be phylogenetically characterized, 44 belonging to GI and 33 to GII. The most prevalent genotype was GI.4, followed by GII.4 and GII.21. Several variants of the pandemic GII.4 strain were detected in the environment, corroborating their circulation among the population. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Investigating the impact of land cover change on peak river flow in UK upland peat catchments, based on modelled scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jihui; Holden, Joseph; Kirkby, Mike

2014-05-01

Changes to land cover can influence the velocity of overland flow. In headwater peatlands, saturation means that overland flow is a dominant source of runoff, particularly during heavy rainfall events. Human modifications in headwater peatlands may include removal of vegetation (e.g. by erosion processes, fire, pollution, overgrazing) or pro-active revegetation of peat with sedges such as Eriophorum or mosses such as Sphagnum. How these modifications affect the river flow, and in particular the flood peak, in headwater peatlands is a key problem for land management. In particular, the impact of the spatial distribution of land cover change (e.g. different locations and sizes of land cover change area) on river flow is not clear. In this presentation a new fully distributed version of TOPMODEL, which represents the effects of distributed land cover change on river discharge, was employed to investigate land cover change impacts in three UK upland peat catchments (Trout Beck in the North Pennines, the Wye in mid-Wales and the East Dart in southwest England). Land cover scenarios with three typical land covers (i.e. Eriophorum, Sphagnum and bare peat) having different surface roughness in upland peatlands were designed for these catchments to investigate land cover impacts on river flow through simulation runs of the distributed model. As a result of hypothesis testing three land cover principles emerged from the work as follows: Principle (1): Well vegetated buffer strips are important for reducing flow peaks. A wider bare peat strip nearer to the river channel gives a higher flow peak and reduces the delay to peak; conversely, a wider buffer strip with higher density vegetation (e.g. Sphagnum) leads to a lower peak and postpones the peak. In both cases, a narrower buffer strip surrounding upstream and downstream channels has a greater effect than a thicker buffer strip just based around the downstream river network. Principle (2): When the area of change is equal

A multitrophic approach to monitoring the effects of metal mining in otherwise pristine and ecologically sensitive rivers in northern Canada.

PubMed

Spencer, Paula; Bowman, Michelle F; Dubé, Monique G

2008-07-01

It is not known if current chemical and biological monitoring methods are appropriate for assessing the impacts of growing industrial development on ecologically sensitive northern waters. We used a multitrophic level approach to evaluate current monitoring methods and to determine whether metal-mining activities had affected 2 otherwise pristine rivers that flow into the South Nahanni River, Northwest Territories, a World Heritage Site. We compared upstream reference conditions in the rivers to sites downstream and further downstream of mines. The endpoints we evaluated included concentrations of metals in river water, sediments, and liver and flesh of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus); benthic algal and macroinvertebrate abundance, richness, diversity, and community composition; and various slimy sculpin measures, our sentinel forage fish species. Elevated concentrations of copper and iron in liver tissue of sculpin from the Flat River were associated with high concentrations of mine-derived iron in river water and copper in sediments that were above national guidelines. In addition, sites downstream of the mine on the Flat River had increased algal abundances and altered benthic macroinvertebrate communities, whereas the sites downstream of the mine on Prairie Creek had increased benthic macroinvertebrate taxa richness and improved sculpin condition. Biological differences in both rivers were consistent with mild enrichment of the rivers downstream of current and historical mining activity. We recommend that monitoring in these northern rivers focus on indicators in epilithon and benthic macroinvertebrate communities due to their responsiveness and as alternatives to lethal fish sampling in habitats with low fish abundance. We also recommend monitoring of metal burdens in periphyton and benthic invertebrates for assessment of exposure to mine effluent and causal association. Although the effects of mining activities on riverine biota currently are limited, our

Remote sensing of surface water quality in relation to catchment condition in Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masocha, Mhosisi; Murwira, Amon; Magadza, Christopher H. D.; Hirji, Rafik; Dube, Timothy

2017-08-01

The degradation of river catchments is one of the most important contemporary environmental problems affecting water quality in tropical countries. In this study, we used remotely sensed Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to assess how catchment condition varies within and across river catchments in Zimbabwe. We then used non-linear regression to test whether catchment condition assessed using the NDVI is significantly (α = 0.05) related with levels of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) measured at different sampling points in thirty-two sub-catchments in Zimbabwe. The results showed a consistent negative curvilinear relationship between Landsat 8 derived NDVI and TSS measured across the catchments under study. In the drier catchments of the country, 98% of the variation in TSS is explained by NDVI, while in wetter catchments, 64% of the variation in TSS is explained by NDVI. Our results suggest that NDVI derived from free and readily available multispectral Landsat series data (Landsat 8) is a potential valuable tool for the rapid assessment of physical water quality in data poor catchments. Overall, the finding of this study underscores the usefulness of readily available satellite data for near-real time monitoring of the physical water quality at river catchment scale, especially in resource-constrained areas, such as the sub-Saharan Africa.

Sediment processes modelling below hydraulic mining: towards environmental impact mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalov, Sergey R.

2010-05-01

their nearness determines the water mass increase inside mining site. The predictive models were suggested to assess each of the mane-made processes contribution into the total sediment budget of the rivers below mining sites. The empirical data and theoretical and laboratory-derived correlations were used to obtain the predictive models for each processes of sediment supply. It was challenging to estimate specific erosion rate of washed exposed hillsides, channel incision, water supply conditions. Climatic and anthropogenic changes of water runoff also were simulated to decrease uncertainty of the proposed model. Application of the given approach to the hydraulic platinum-mining located in the Kamchatka peninsula (Koryak plateau, tributaries of the Vivenka River) gave the sediment budget of the placer-mined rivers and the total sediment yield supplied into the ocean from river basin. Polluted placer-mined rivers contribute about 30 % of the whole sediment yield of the Vivenka River. At the same time the catchment area of these rivers is less than 0,03 % from the whole Vivenka catchment area. Based on the sediment transport modeling the decision making system for controlling water pollution and stream community preservation was developed. Due to exposed hillside erosion prevention and settling pond system optimization the total decrease of sediment yield was up to 75 %.

Mercury Methylation at Mercury Mines In The Humboldt River Basin, Nevada, USA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gray, John E.; Crock, James G.; Lasorsa, Brenda K.

2002-12-01

Total Hg and methylmercury concentrations were measured in mine-waste calcines (retorted ore), sediment, and water samples collected in and around abandoned mercury mines in western Nevada to evaluate Hg methylation at the mines and in the Humboldt River basin. Mine-waste calcines contain total Hg concentrations as high as 14 000?g/g. Stream-sediment samples collected within 1 km of the mercury mines contain total Hg concentrations as high as 170?g/g, whereas stream sediments collected>5 km from the mines, and those collected from the Humboldt River and regional baseline sites, contain total Hg concentrations<0.5?g/g. Similarly, methylmercury concentrations in mine-waste calcines are locally asmore » high as 96 ng/g, but methylmercury contents in stream-sediments collected downstream from the mines and from the Humboldt River are lower, ranging from<0.05 to 0.95 ng/g. Stream-water samples collected below two mines studied contain total Hg concentrations ranging from 6 to 2000 ng/L, whereas total Hg in Humboldt River water was generally lower ranging from 2.1 to 9.0 ng/L. Methylmercury concentrations in the Humboldt River water were the lowest in this study (<0.02-0.27 ng/L). Although total Hg and methylmercury concentrations are locally high in mine-waste calcines, there is significant dilution of Hg and lower Hg methylation down gradient from the mines, especially in the sediments and water collected from the Humboldt River, which is> 8 km from any mercury mines. Our data indicate little transference of Hg and methylmercury from the sediment to the water column due to the lack of mine runoff in this desert climate.« less

[Contamination and ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and in Karst underground river catchment].

PubMed

Lan, Jia-Cheng; Sun, Yu-Chuan; Tian, Ping; Lu, Bing-Qing; Shi, Yang; Xu, Xin; Liang Zuo-Bing; Yang, Ping-Heng

2014-10-01

Water samples in Laolongdong underground river catchment were collected to determine the concentration, compositional profiles, and evaluate ecological risk of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs were measured by GC/MS. The total concentrations of 16 PAH ranged from 81.5-8019 ng · L(-1) in underground river, 288.7-15,200 ng · L(-1) in karst springs, and 128.4-2,442 ng · L(-1) in surface water. Affected by waste water from Huangjueya town, concentrations of PAHs in underground river were higher than those in surface water and waste water from sinkhole. The PAHs profiles were dominated by 3 ring PAHs. There were differences of monthly variations of PAHs contents in the water, due to waste water, season and different characteristics of PAH. Surface water and waste water from sinkhole played an important role on contamination in the river. The levels of ecological risk were generally moderately polluted and heavily polluted according to all detected PAH compounds in the water.

Rivers as borders, uniting or dividing? The effect of topography and implications for catchment management.

PubMed

Smedley, D A; Rowntree, K M

2012-01-01

South Africa's water resources are unequally distributed over space and time and an already stressed water resource situation will only be exacerbated by climate change if current predictions are correct. The potential for conflict over increasingly strained water resources in South Africa is thus very real. In order to deal with these complex problems, national legislation is demanding that water resource management be decentralized to the local level where active participation can take place in an integrated manner in accordance with the principles of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). However, administrative and political boundaries rarely match those of catchments as, throughout South Africa, rivers have been employed extensively to delineate administrative and political boundaries at a number of spatial scales. The aim of this research is to determine if rivers act as dividing or uniting features in a socio-political landscape and whether topography will influence their role in this context. The Orange-Senqu River is used as a case study. This paper goes on to consider the implications of this for catchment management in South Africa. No study known to the authors has explored the effect of the river itself, and its topographic setting, on the drivers that foster either conflict or cooperation, and allow for participatory management. This study presents evidence that the topography of a catchment has the ability to aggravate or reduce the impact of the variables considered by water managers and thereby influence the role of a river as a dividing or uniting feature. South Africa's proposed form of decentralized water management will have to contend with the effects of different topographies on the way in which rivers are perceived and utilized.

Bioavailability of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni and Cr in the sediments of the Tessa River: A mining area in the North-West Tunisia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebei, Abdelaziz; Helali, Mohamed Amine; Oueslati, Walid; Abdelmalek-Babbou, Chiraz; Chaabani, Fredj

2018-01-01

Tessa River is seen as one of the important rivers in Tunisia. Its catchment is known for its agricultural and mining activities, especially the Bougrine and Fedj Lahdhoum mines. Eighteen (18) surface sediments and five (5) water samples were collected from the Tessa River, near these two mining sites. Sediments are essentially sandy (>80%), the most important mineral is quartz (20-73%), then calcite (41%) and dolomites (4%). Heavy metal contents are relatively high near the mining sites, 356 μg g-1 for Pb, 3000 μg g-1 for Zn, and 5 μg g-1 for Cd. These values are lower downstream due to watercourse dilution effects. Other heavy metals: Cu, Ni and Cr, are low, and values are relatively constant in all the studied samples, even near the mining sites. The metals originate from natural sources and not from mining activities. This trend is confirmed by the enrichment factor (EF) where EFNi, EFCu and EFCr are lower or equal to 1, unlike EFPb, EFZn or EFCd where values are much higher (>20). Chemical speciation of these metals does not show any spatial variation. Except for cadmium which is bound to the residual fraction and in the carbonates; all other heavy metals are bound to the five sediment chemical fractions: the residual fraction (>52%), followed by the oxyhydroxides fraction (21%) and carbonates (16%), and finally bound to the organic matter and to the exchangeable fraction (<10%). The bioavailable fraction of the studied heavy metals exceeds 45%, which present risk of toxicity.

Land degradation trends in upper catchments and morphological developments of braided rivers in drylands: the case of a marginal graben of the Ethiopian Rift Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demissie, Biadgilgn; Frankl, Amaury; Haile, Mitiku; Nyssen, Jan

2014-05-01

Braided rivers have received relatively little attention in research and development activities in drylands. However, they strongly impact agroecology and agricultural activities and thereby local livelihoods. The Raya Graben (3750 km² including the escarpment) is a marginal graben of the Ethiopian Rift Valley located in North Ethiopia. In order to study the dynamics of braided rivers and the relationship with biophysical controls, 20 representative catchments were selected, ranging between 15 and 311 km². First, the 2005 morphology (length, area) of the braided rivers was related to biophysical controls (vegetation cover, catchment area and slope gradient in the steep upper catchments and gradient in the graben bottom). Second, the changes in length of the braided rivers were related to vegetation cover changes in the upper catchments since 1972. Landsat imagery was used to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and to map vegetation cover and the total length of the braided rivers. Spot CNES imagery available from Google Earth was used to identify the total area of the braided rivers in 2005. A linear regression analysis revealed that the length of braided rivers was positively related to the catchment area (R²=0.32, p<0.01), but insignificantly related to vegetation cover in the upper catchments. However, there is an indication that it is an important factor in the relationship calculated for 2005 (R²=0.2, p=0.064). Similarly, the area occupied by the braided rivers was related to NDVI (R²=0.24, p<0.05) and upper catchment area (R²=0.447, p<0.01). Slope gradient is not an important explanatory factor. This is related to the fact that slope gradients are steep (average of 38.1%) in all upper and gentle (average of 3.4%) in graben bottom catchments. The vegetation cover in the upper catchments shows a statistically insignificant increasing trend (R²=0.73, p=0.067) over the last 40 years, whereas length of rivers in the graben bottom

An approach to predict water quality in data-sparse catchments using hydrological catchment similarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pohle, Ina; Glendell, Miriam; Stutter, Marc I.; Helliwell, Rachel C.

2017-04-01

An understanding of catchment response to climate and land use change at a regional scale is necessary for the assessment of mitigation and adaptation options addressing diffuse nutrient pollution. It is well documented that the physicochemical properties of a river ecosystem respond to change in a non-linear fashion. This is particularly important when threshold water concentrations, relevant to national and EU legislation, are exceeded. Large scale (regional) model assessments required for regulatory purposes must represent the key processes and mechanisms that are more readily understood in catchments with water quantity and water quality data monitored at high spatial and temporal resolution. While daily discharge data are available for most catchments in Scotland, nitrate and phosphorus are mostly available on a monthly basis only, as typified by regulatory monitoring. However, high resolution (hourly to daily) water quantity and water quality data exist for a limited number of research catchments. To successfully implement adaptation measures across Scotland, an upscaling from data-rich to data-sparse catchments is required. In addition, the widespread availability of spatial datasets affecting hydrological and biogeochemical responses (e.g. soils, topography/geomorphology, land use, vegetation etc.) provide an opportunity to transfer predictions between data-rich and data-sparse areas by linking processes and responses to catchment attributes. Here, we develop a framework of catchment typologies as a prerequisite for transferring information from data-rich to data-sparse catchments by focusing on how hydrological catchment similarity can be used as an indicator of grouped behaviours in water quality response. As indicators of hydrological catchment similarity we use flow indices derived from observed discharge data across Scotland as well as hydrological model parameters. For the latter, we calibrated the lumped rainfall-runoff model TUWModel using multiple

Artificial Post mining lakes - a challenge for the integration in natural hydrography and river basin management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleischhammel, Petra; Schoenheinz, Dagmar; Grünewald, Uwe

2010-05-01

In terms of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), post mining lakes are artificial water bodies (AWB). The sustainable integration of post mining lakes in the groundwater and surface water landscape and their consideration in river basin management plans have to be linked with various (geo)hydrological, hydro(geo)chemical, technological and socioeconomic issues. The Lower Lusatian lignite mining district in eastern Germany is part of the major river basins of river Elbe and river Oder. Regionally, the mining area is situated in the sub-basins of river Spree and Schwarze Elster. After the cessation of mining activities and thereby of the artificially created groundwater drawdown in numerous mining pits, a large number of post mining lakes are evolving as consequence of natural groundwater table recovery. The lakes' designated uses vary from water reservoirs to landscape, recreation or fish farming lakes. Groundwater raise is not only substantial for the lake filling, but also for the area rehabilitation and a largely self regulated water balance in post mining landscapes. Since the groundwater flow through soil and dump sites being affected by the former mining activities, groundwater experiences various changes in its hydrochemical properties as e.g. mineralization and acidification. Consequently, downstream located groundwater fed running and standing water bodies will be affected too. Respective the European Water Framework Directive, artificial post mining lakes are not allowed to cause significant adverse impacts on the good ecological status/potential of downstream groundwater and surface water bodies. The high sulphate concentrations of groundwater fed mining lakes which reach partly more than 1,000 mg/l are e.g. damaging concrete constructures in downstream water bodies thereby representing threats for hydraulic facilities and drinking water supply. Due to small amounts of nutrients, the lakes are characterised by oligo¬trophic to slightly

Integrated investigations of environmental effects of historical mining in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, Stan E.; Von Guerard, Paul; Finger, Susan E.

2007-01-01

This publication comprises a Volume Contents of chapters (listed below) and a CD-ROM of data (contents shown in column at right). The Animas River watershed in southwest Colorado is one of many watersheds in the western United States where historical mining has left a legacy of acid mine drainage and elevated concentrations of potentially toxic trace elements in surface streams. U.S. Geological Survey scientists have completed a major assessment of the environmental effects of historical mining in the Animas River watershed focusing on the area upstream of Silverton, Colo.?the Mineral Creek, Cement Creek, and upper Animas River basins. The study demonstrated how the watershed approach can be used to assess and rank mining-affected sites for possible cleanup. The study was conducted in collaboration with State and Federal land-management agencies and regional stakeholders groups. This book is available for purchase at Information Services, U.S. Geological Survey (1-888-ASK-USGS).

Natural and mining-related sources of dissolved minerals during low flow in the Upper Animas River Basin, southwestern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wright, Winfield G.

1997-01-01

As part of the Clean Water Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-500), all States are required to establish water-quality standards for every river basin in the State. During 1994, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment proposed to the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission (CWQCC) an aquatic-life standard of 225 µg/L (micrograms per liter) for the dissolved-zinc concentration in the Animas River downstream from Silverton (fig.1). The CWQCC delayed implementation of this water-quality standard until further information was collected and a plan for the cleanup of abandoned mines was developed. Dissolved-zinc concentrations in this section of the river ranged from about 270 µg/L during high flow, when rainfall and snowmelt runoff dilute the dissolved minerals in the river (U.S. Geological Survey, 1996, p. 431), to 960 µg/L (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, written commun., 1996) during low flow (such as late summer and middle winter when natural springs and drainage from mines are the main sources for the streams). Mining sites in the basin were developed between about 1872 and the 1940's, with only a few mines operated until the early 1990's. For local governments, mining sites represent part of the Nation's heritage, tourists are attracted to the historic mining sites, and governments are obligated to protect the historic mining sites according to the National Historic Preservation Act (Public Law 89-665). In the context of this fact sheet, the term "natural sources of dissolved minerals" refers to springs and streams where no effect from mining were determined. "Mining-related sources of dissolved minerals" are assumed to be: (1 ) Water draining from mines , and (2) water seeping from mine-waste dump pile where the waste piles were saturated by water draining from mines. Although rainfall and snowmelt runoff from mine-waste piles might affect water quality in streams, work described in this fact sheet was done during low

Environmetric data interpretation to assess the water quality of Maritsa River catchment.

PubMed

Papazova, Petia; Simeonova, Pavlina

2013-01-01

Maritsa River is one of the largest rivers flowing on Bulgarian territory. The quality of its waters is of substantial importance for irrigation, industrial, recreation and domestic use. Besides, part of the river is flowing on Turkish territory and the control and management of the Maritsa catchment is of mutual interst for the neighboring countires. Thus, performing interpretation and modeling of the river water quality is a major environmetric problem. Two multivariate statstical methods (Cluster analysis/CA/and Principal components analysis/PCA/) were applied for model assessment of the water quality of Maritsa River on Bulgarian territory. The study used long-term monitoring data from 21 sampling sites characterized by 8 surface water quality indicators. The application of CA to the indicators results in 3 significant clusters showing the impact of biological, anthropogenic and eutrophication sources. For further assessment of the monitoring data, PCA was implemented, which identified, again,three latent factors confirming, in principle, the clustering output. The latent factors were conditionally named "biologic", "anthropogenic" and "eutrophication" source. Their identification coinside correctly to the location of real pollution sources along the Maritsa River catchment. The linkage of the sampling sites along the river flow by CA identified four special patterns separated by specific tracers levels: biological and anthropogenic major impact for pattern 1, euthrophication major impact for pattern 2, background levels for pattern 3 and eutrophication and agricultural major impact for pattern 4. The apportionment models of the pollution determined the contribution of each one of identified pollution factors to the total concentration of each one of the water quality parameters. Thus, a better risk management of the surface water quality is achieved both on local and national level.

Spatial relationships in a dendritic network: the herpetofaunal metacommunity of the Mattole River catchment of northwest California.

Treesearch

Hartwell Welsh; Garth Hodgson

2010-01-01

We investigated the aquatic and riparian herpetofauna in a 789 km² river catchment in northwest California to examine competing theories of biotic community structuring in catchment stream networks. Research in fluvial geomorphology has resulted in multi-scale models of dynamic processes that cyclically create, maintain, and destroy environments in stream...

Climate, runoff and landuse trends in the Owo River Catchment in Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adegun, O.; Odunuga, S.; Ajayi, O. S.

2015-06-01

The Owo River is an important surface water source in Lagos particularly to the western section. It is the source of direct water intake for water supply by Lagos State Water Corporation to Amuwo-Odofin, Ojo and parts of Badagry Local Government Areas. This paper examines the complex interactions and feedbacks between many variables and processes within that catchment and analyses the future ability of this semi-urban watershed in sustaining water supply in the face of cumulative environmental change. Stationarity analysis on rainfall, change detection analysis and morphometry analysis were combined to analyse the non-stationarity of Owo River catchment. On rainfall trend analysis, since the correlation coefficient (0.38) with test statistic of 2.17 did not satisfy the test condition we concluded that there is trend and that rainfall in the watershed is not stationary. The dominant land use impacting on the bio-geochemical fluxes is built up area (including structures and paved surfaces) which grew from about 142.92 km2 (12.20%) in 1984 to 367.22 km2 (31.36%) in 2013 recording gain of 224.3 km2 at average growth rate of 7.73 km2 per annum. Total length of streams within the catchment reduced from 622.24 km in 1964 to 556 km in 2010, while stream density reduced from 0.53 in 1964 to 0.47 in 2010 an indication of shrinking hydrological network. The observed trends in both natural and anthropogenic processes indicated non-stationarity of the hydrological fluxes within the Catchment and if this continues, the urban ecosystem services of water supply will be compromised.

An investigation of enhanced recessions in Poyang Lake: Comparison of Yangtze River and local catchment impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qi; Ye, Xu-chun; Werner, Adrian D.; Li, Yun-liang; Yao, Jing; Li, Xiang-hu; Xu, Chong-yu

2014-09-01

Changes in lake hydrological regimes and the associated impacts on water supplies and ecosystems are internationally recognized issues. During the past decade, the persistent dryness of Poyang Lake (the largest freshwater lake in China) has caused water supply and irrigation crises for the 12.4 million inhabitants of the region. There is conjecture as to whether this dryness is caused by climate variability and/or human activities. This study examines long-term datasets of catchment inflow and Lake outflow, and employs a physically-based hydrodynamic model to explore catchment and Yangtze River controls on the Lake's hydrology. Lake water levels fell to their lowest during 2001-2010 relative to previous decades. The average Lake size and volume reduced by 154 km2 and 11 × 108 m3 during the same period, compared to those for the preceding period (1970-2000). Model simulations demonstrated that the drainage effect of the Yangtze River was the primary causal factor. Modeling also revealed that, compared to climate variability impacts on the Lake catchment, modifications to Yangtze River flows from the Three Gorges Dam have had a much greater impact on the seasonal (September-October) dryness of the Lake. Yangtze River effects are attenuated in the Lake with distance from the River, but nonetheless propagate some 100 km to the Lake's upstream limit. Proposals to build additional dams in the upper Yangtze River and its tributaries are expected to impose significant challenges for the management of Poyang Lake. Hydraulic engineering to modify the flow regime between the Lake and the Yangtze River would somewhat resolve the seasonal dryness of the Lake, but will likely introduce other issues in terms of water quality and aquatic ecosystem health, requiring considerable further research.

PROFILE: Hungry Water: Effects of Dams and Gravel Mining on River Channels

PubMed

Kondolf

1997-07-01

/ Rivers transport sediment from eroding uplands to depositional areas near sea level. If the continuity of sediment transport is interrupted by dams or removal of sediment from the channel by gravel mining, the flow may become sediment-starved (hungry water) and prone to erode the channel bed and banks, producing channel incision (downcutting), coarsening of bed material, and loss of spawning gravels for salmon and trout (as smaller gravels are transported without replacement from upstream). Gravel is artificially added to the River Rhine to prevent further incision and to many other rivers in attempts to restore spawning habitat. It is possible to pass incoming sediment through some small reservoirs, thereby maintaining the continuity of sediment transport through the system. Damming and mining have reduced sediment delivery from rivers to many coastal areas, leading to accelerated beach erosion. Sand and gravel are mined for construction aggregate from river channel and floodplains. In-channel mining commonly causes incision, which may propagate up- and downstream of the mine, undermining bridges, inducing channel instability, and lowering alluvial water tables. Floodplain gravel pits have the potential to become wildlife habitat upon reclamation, but may be captured by the active channel and thereby become instream pits. Management of sand and gravel in rivers must be done on a regional basis, restoring the continuity of sediment transport where possible and encouraging alternatives to river-derived aggregate sources.KEY WORDS: Dams; Aquatic habitat; Sediment transport; Erosion; Sedimentation; Gravel mining

Orthophosphate-P in the nutrient impacted River Taw and its catchment (SW England) between 1990 and 2013.

PubMed

Tappin, Alan D; Comber, Sean; Worsfold, Paul J

2016-06-15

Excess dissolved phosphorus (as orthophosphate-P) contributes to reduced river water quality within Europe and elsewhere. This study reports results from analysis of a 23 year (1990-2013) water quality dataset for orthophosphate-P in the rural Taw catchment (SW England). Orthophosphate-P and river flow relationships and temporal variations in orthophosphate-P concentrations indicate the significant contribution of sewage (across the catchment) and industrial effluent (upper R. Taw) to orthophosphate-P concentrations (up to 96%), particularly during the low flow summer months when maximum algal growth occurs. In contrast, concentrations of orthophosphate-P from diffuse sources within the catchment were more important (>80%) at highest river flows. The results from a 3 end-member mixing model incorporating effluent, groundwater and diffuse orthophosphate-P source terms suggested that sewage and/or industrial effluent contributes ≥50% of the orthophosphate-P load for 27-48% of the time across the catchment. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) Phase 2 standards for reactive phosphorus, introduced in 2015, showed the R. Taw to be generally classified as Poor to Moderate Ecological Status, with a Good Status occurring more frequently in the tributary rivers. Failure to achieve Good Ecological Status occurred even though, since the early-2000s, riverine orthophosphate-P concentrations have decreased (although the mechanism(s) responsible for this could not be identified). For the first time it has been demonstrated that sewage and industrial effluent sources of alkalinity to the river can give erroneous boundary concentrations of orthophosphate-P for WFD Ecological Status classification, the extent of which is dependent on the proportion of effluent alkalinity present. This is likely to be a European - wide issue which should be examined in more detail.

The influence of a semi-arid sub-catchment on suspended sediments in the Mara River, Kenya

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The Mara River Basin in East Africa is a trans-boundary basin of international significance experiencing excessive levels of sediment loads. Sediment levels in this river are extremely high (turbidities as high as 6,000 NTU) and appear to be increasing over time. Large wildlife populations, unregulated livestock grazing, and agricultural land conversion are all potential factors increasing sediment loads in the semi-arid portion of the basin. The basin is well-known for its annual wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) migration of approximately 1.3 million individuals, but it also has a growing population of hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius), which reside within the river and may contribute to the flux of suspended sediments. We used in situ pressure transducers and turbidity sensors to quantify the sediment flux at two sites for the Mara River and investigate the origin of riverine suspended sediment. We found that the combined Middle Mara—Talek catchment, a relatively flat but semi-arid region with large populations of wildlife and domestic cattle, is responsible for 2/3 of the sediment flux. The sediment yield from the combined Middle Mara–Talek catchment is approximately the same as the headwaters, despite receiving less rainfall. There was high monthly variability in suspended sediment fluxes. Although hippopotamus pools are not a major source of suspended sediments under baseflow, they do contribute to short-term variability in suspended sediments. This research identified sources of suspended sediments in the Mara River and important regions of the catchment to target for conservation, and suggests hippopotami may influence riverine sediment dynamics. PMID:29420624

Effects of coal-mine discharges on the quality of the Stonycreek River and its tributaries, Somerset and Cambria counties, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Donald R.; Sams, James I.; Mulkerrin, Mary E.

1996-01-01

deteriorates downstream because of inflows from tributaries affected by acidic mine discharges. From the upstream mainstem site (site 801) to the outflow mainstem site (site 805), pH decreased from 6.8 to 4.2, alkalinity was completely depleted by inflow acidities, and total-iron discharges increased from 30 to 684 pounds per day. Total-manganese and total-sulfate discharges increased because neither constituent precipitates readily. Also, discharges of manganese and sulfate entering the mainstem from tributary streams have a cumulative effect.Oven Run and Pokeytown Run are two small tributary streams significantly affected by acidic mine drainage (AMD) that flow into the Stonycreek River near the town of Hooversville. The Pokeytown Run inflow is about 0.5 mile downstream from the Oven Run inflow. These two streams are the first major source of AMD flowing into the Stonycreek River. Data collected on the Stonycreek River above the Oven Run inflow and below the Pokeytown Run inflow show a decrease in pH from 7.6 to 5.1, a decrease in alkalinity concentration from 42 to 2 milligrams per liter, an increase in total sulfate discharge from 18 to 41 tons per day, and an increase in total iron discharge from 29 to 1,770 pounds per day. Data collected at three mainstem sites on the Stonycreek River below Oven Run and Pokeytown Run show a progressive deterioration in river water quality from AMD.Shade Creek and Paint Creek are other tributary streams to the Stonycreek River that have a significant negative effect on water quality of the Stonycreek River. One third of the abandoned-mine discharges sampled were in the Shade Creek and Paint Creek Basins.

A Method for Applying Fluvial Geomorphology in Support of Catchment-Scale River Restoration Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sear, D.; Newson, M.; Hill, C.; Branson, J.; Old, J.

2005-12-01

Fluvial geomorphology is increasingly used by those responsible for conserving river ecosystems; survey techniques are used to derive conceptual models of the processes and forms that characterise particular systems and locations, with a view to making statements of `condition' or `status' and providing fundamental strategies for rehabilitation/restoration. However, there are important scale-related problems in developing catchments scale restoration plans that inevitably are implemented on a reach- by-reach basis. This paper reports on a watershed scale methodology for setting geomorphological and physical habitat reference conditions based on a science-based conceptual model of cachment:channel function. Using a case study from the River Nar, a gravel-bed groundwater dominated river in the UK with important conservation status, the paper describes the sequences of the methodology; from analysis of available evidence, process of field data capture and development of a conceptual model of catchment-wide fluvial dynamics. Reference conditions were derived from the conceptual model and gathered from the literature for the two main river types found on the river Nar, and compared with the current situation in 76 sub-reaches from source to mouth. Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) was used to score the extent of channel departures from `natural' and to suggest the basis for a progressive restoration strategy for the whole river system. MCA is shown to be a flexible method for setting and communicating decisions that are amenable to stakeholder and public consultation.

Bioaccumulation of mercury in benthic communities of a river ecosystem affected by mercury mining.

PubMed

Zizek, Suzana; Horvat, Milena; Gibicar, Darija; Fajon, Vesna; Toman, Mihael J

2007-05-15

The presence of mercury in the river Idrijca (Slovenia) is mainly due to 500 years of mercury mining in this region. In order to understand the cycling of mercury in the Idrijca ecosystem it is crucial to investigate the role of biota. This study is part of an ongoing investigation of mercury biogeochemistry in the river Idrijca, focusing on the accumulation and speciation of mercury in the lower levels of the food chain, namely filamentous algae, periphyton and macroinvertebrates. Mercury analysis and speciation in the biota and in water were performed during the spring, summer and autumn seasons at four locations on the river, representing different degrees of mercury contamination. Total (THg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) were measured. The results showed that the highest THg concentrations in biota correlate well with THg levels in sediments and water. The level of MeHg is spatially and seasonally variable, showing higher values at the most contaminated sites during the summer and autumn periods. The percentage of Hg as MeHg increases with the trophic level from water (0.1-0.8%), algae (0.5-1.3%), periphyton (1.6-8.8%) to macroinvertebrates (0.1-100%), which indicates active transformation, accumulation and magnification of mercury in the benthic organism of this heavily contaminated torrential river.

River Suspended Sediment and Particulate Organic Carbon Transport in Two Montane Catchments in the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory of Puerto Rico over 25 years: 1989 to 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, K. E.; Plante, A. F.; Willenbring, J. K.; Jerolmack, D. J.; Gonzalez, G.; Stallard, R. F.; Murphy, S. F.; Vann, D. R.; Leon, M.; McDowell, W. H.

2015-12-01

Physical erosion in mountain catchments mobilizes large amounts of sediment, while exporting carbon and nutrients from forest ecosystems. This study expands from previous studies quantifying river suspended sediment and particulate organic carbon loads in the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory, in Puerto Rico. We evaluate the influences on river suspended load due to i) underlying basin geology, ii) hillslope debris and biomass supply, and iii) hurricanes and large storms. In the Mameyes and Icacos catchments of the Luquillo Mountains, we estimate suspended sediment and particulate organic carbon yields over a 25-year period using streamflow discharge determined from stage measurements at 15-intervals, with estimates of discharge replacing gaps in data, and over 3000 suspended sediment samples. We estimate variation in suspended sediment loads over time, and examine variation in particulate organic carbon loads. Mass spectrometry was used to determine organic carbon concentrations. We confirm that higher suspended sediment fluxes occurred i) in the highly weathered quartz diorite catchment rather than the predominantly volcaniclastic catchment, ii) on the rising limb of the hydrograph once a threshold discharge had been reached, and iii) during hurricanes and other storm events, and we explore these influences on particulate organic carbon transport. Transport of suspended sediment and particulate organic carbon in the rivers shows considerable hysteresis, and we evaluate the extent to which hysteresis affects particulate fluxes over time and between catchments. Because particulate organic carbon is derived from the critical zone and transported during high flow, our research highlights the role of major tropical storms in controlling carbon storage in the critical zone and the coastal ocean.

Spatial and Temporal Variation of Water Quality in the Bertam Catchment, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

PubMed

Rasul, M G; Islam, Mir Sujaul; Yunus, Rosli Bin Mohd; Mokhtar, Mazlin Bin; Alam, Lubna; Yahaya, F M

2017-12-01

  The spatio-temporal variability of water quality associated with anthropogenic activities was studied for the Bertam River and its main tributaries within the Bertam Catchment, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. A number of physico-chemical parameters of collected samples were analyzed to evaluate their spatio-temporal variability. Nonparametric statistical analysis showed significant temporal and spatial differences (p < 0.05) in most of the parameters across the catchment. Parameters except dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen demand displayed higher values in rainy season. The higher concentration of total suspended solids was caused by massive soil erosion and sedimentation. Seasonal variations in contaminant concentrations are largely affected by precipitation and anthropogenic influences. Untreated domestic wastewater discharge as well as agricultural runoff significantly influenced the water quality. Poor agricultural practices and development activities at slope areas also affected the water quality within the catchment. The analytical results provided a basis for protection of river environments and ecological restoration in mountainous Bertam Catchment.

Investigating the potential to reduce flood risk through catchment-based land management techniques and interventions in the River Roe catchment, Cumbria,UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Callum; Reaney, Sim; Bracken, Louise; Butler, Lucy

2015-04-01

Throughout the United Kingdom flood risk is a growing problem and a significant proportion of the population are at risk from flooding throughout the country. Across England and Wales over 5 million people are believed to be at risk from fluvial, pluvial or coastal flooding (DEFRA, 2013). Increasingly communities that have not dealt with flooding before have recently experienced significant flood events. The communities of Stockdalewath and Highbridge in the Roe catchment, a tributary of the River Eden in Cumbria, UK, are an excellent example. The River Roe has a normal flow of less than 5m3 sec-1 occurring 97 percent of the time however there have been two flash floods of 98.8m3 sec-1 in January 2005 and 86.9m3 sec-1 in May 2013. These two flash flood events resulted in the inundation of numerous properties within the catchment with the 2013 event prompting the creation of the Roe Catchment Community Water Management Group which aims are to deliver a sustainable approach to managing the flood risk. Due to the distributed rural population the community fails the cost-benefit analysis for a centrally funded flood risk mitigation scheme. Therefore the at-risk community within the Roe catchment have to look for cost-effective, sustainable techniques and interventions to reduce the potential negative impacts of future events; this has resulted in a focus on natural flood risk management. This research investigates the potential to reduce flood risk through natural catchment-based land management techniques and interventions within the Roe catchment; providing a scientific base from with further action can be enacted. These interventions include changes to land management and land use, such as soil aeration and targeted afforestation, the creation of runoff attenuation features and the construction of in channel features, such as debris dams. Natural flood management (NFM) application has been proven to be effective when reducing flood risk in smaller catchments and the

Controls on ecohydrological dynamics of riparian zones in Alpine catchments: A comparison study of two rivers in the Eastern Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, Michael; Penna, Daniele; Frentress, Jay; Andreoli, Andrea; Hecher, Peter; Van Meerveld, Ilja; Comiti, Francesco

2017-04-01

In recent decades, restauration actions have been implemented in mountain rivers to face widespread morphological changes. Such natural and anthropogenic modifications can have relevant impacts on the ecological and ecohydrological functioning of riparian vegetation. Understanding the water sources used by riparian vegetation is important for the implementation of effective river restoration initiatives. Therefore, more ecohydrological research is needed to quantify the complex interactions between hydrology and vegetation in different alpine river systems. In this study we used water stable isotopes and electrical conductivity (EC) as tracers to better understand the hydrological and ecohydrological relationship between the riparian vegetation and the river bed of alpine river systems. We choose two catchments, Ahr/Aurino River and Mareit/Ridanna River catchments (South Tyrol, Italy) as study sites. In both catchments, we selected two sites comprising a younger (< 5 years) and an older (> 10 years) alder (Alnus incana) stand. At each site, soil moisture at different depths and groundwater levels were monitored. Suction lysimeters were installed at the same depths than the soil moisture sensors. Samples for tracer analysis were collected since June 2016 on a bi-weekly or monthly basis from precipitation, soil water, groundwater and stream water. EC was continuously measured in a piezometer at the Mareit River. In addition, we extracted sap water for isotopic analysis from alder trees. First results show that all water types sampled in both catchments fell along the global meteoric water line showing no evaporative enrichments. Sap samples are expected to deviate from the meteoric line but they have not been analysed yet. At both sites in the Ahr catchment, soil water seemed to be more variable and isotopically more enriched at 10 cm depth (δ2H: - 34 to -69 ‰) than at 50 cm (δ2H: -45 to -71 ‰), indicating a decreasing influence of precipitation with increasing

Human impacts on fluvial systems - A small-catchment case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pöppl, Ronald E.; Glade, Thomas; Keiler, Margreth

2010-05-01

Regulations of nearly two-thirds of the rivers worldwide have considerable influences on fluvial systems. In Austria, nearly any river (or) catchment is affected by humans, e.g. due to changing land-use conditions and river engineering structures. Recent studies of human impacts on rivers show that morphologic channel changes play a major role regarding channelization and leveeing, land-use conversions, dams, mining, urbanization and alterations of natural habitats (ecomorphology). Thus 'natural (fluvial) systems' are scarce and humans are almost always inseparably interwoven with them playing a major role in altering them coincidentally. The main objective of this study is to identify human effects (i.e. different land use conditions and river engineering structures) on river bed sediment composition and to delineate its possible implications for limnic habitats. The study area watersheds of the 'Fugnitz' River (~ 140km²) and the 'Kaja' River (~ 20km²) are located in the Eastern part of the Bohemian Massif in Austria (Europe) and drain into the 'Thaya' River which is the border river to the Czech Republic in the north of Lower Austria. Furthermore the 'Thaya' River is eponymous for the local National Park 'Nationalpark Thayatal'. In order to survey river bed sediment composition and river engineering structures facies mapping techniques, i.e. river bed surface mapping and ecomorphological mapping have been applied. Additionally aerial photograph and airborne laserscan interpretation has been used to create land use maps. These maps have been integrated to a numerical DEM-based spatial model in order to get an impression of the variability of sediment input rates to the river system. It is hypothesized that this variability is primarily caused by different land use conditions. Finally river bed sites affected by river engineering structures have been probed and grain size distributions have been analyzed. With these data sedimentological and ecological

Natural attenuation of mining pollutants in the transboundary Save River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meck, M. L.; Masamba, W. R. L.; Atlhopheng, J.; Ringrose, S.

The objective of the study was to investigate the role played by the natural environment in protecting the transboundary Save River from the impacts of metals derived from phosphate mining at Dorowa. The study is a follow up study from a previous one that noted that there is natural attenuation at Dorowa. Water and sediment samples were collected in the Save River and the streams that drain the Dorowa dumps. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to analyze the cations (Na +, K +, Ca 2+, Mg 2+, Cu 2+, Co 2+, Fe 2+, Ni 2+, Zn 2+, Pb 2+, Sn 2+, Mn 2+, Cd 2+) in the samples. Major anions Cl -, SO42- and NO3- were analyzed by standard chromatography whilst CO32- and HCO3- were determined by titration. pH was measured on site. Geochemical modeling of the water composition was conducted with Visual Minteq. The results show that natural attenuation is being achieved through precipitation of solids from the water and subsequent deposition onto the sediments. Six of the metals are almost completely precipitated (Cu 99.99%, Fe 99.39%, Ni 91.24%, Pb 99.87%, Sn 99.99% and Zn 88.66%). However Mn, Co and Cd remain in solution. Thus the natural environment is protecting the Save River which is a transboundary river from the impacts of mining through precipitation of the metals. Users downstream of Dorowa mine are therefore not being affected by mining pollution. This study demonstrates that besides being a legitimate and important user of water, the natural environment can also play a significant role in protecting water quality by attenuating metals naturally. By analyzing costs incurred in several places where alternative methods are employed to remediate metal related pollution the study concludes that natural remediation at Dorowa is saving the nation in environmental costs. Therefore the paper advocates for appreciation of the role that the natural environment plays in protecting ecosystems from the impact of human developments and environmental costs

Using high-resolution phosphorus data to investigate mitigation measures in headwater river catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, J. M.; Jordan, P.; Arnscheidt, J.

2015-01-01

This study reports the use of high-resolution water quality monitoring to assess the influence of changes in land use management on total phosphorus (TP) transfers in two 5 km2 agricultural sub-catchments. Specifically, the work investigates the issue of agricultural soil P management and subsequent diffuse transfers at high river flows over a 5-year timescale. The work also investigates the phenomenon of low flow P pollution from septic tank systems (STSs) and mitigation efforts - a key concern for catchment management. Results showed an inconsistent response to soil P management over 5 years with one catchment showing a convergence to optimum P concentrations and the other an overall increase. Both catchments indicated an overall increase in P concentration in defined high flow ranges. Low flow P concentration showed little change or higher P concentrations in defined low flow ranges despite replacement of defective systems and this is possibly due to a number of confounding reasons including increased housing densities due to new-builds. The work indicates fractured responses to catchment management advice and mitigation and that the short to medium term may be an insufficient time to expect the full implementation of policies (here defined as convergence to optimum soil P concentration and mitigation of STSs) and also to gauge their effectiveness.

A theoretical assessment of microplastic transport in river catchments and their retention by soils and river sediments.

PubMed

Nizzetto, Luca; Bussi, Gianbattista; Futter, Martyn N; Butterfield, Dan; Whitehead, Paul G

2016-08-10

The presence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment is a problem of growing concern. While research has focused on MP occurrence and impacts in the marine environment, very little is known about their release on land, storage in soils and sediments and transport by run-off and rivers. This study describes a first theoretical assessment of these processes. A mathematical model of catchment hydrology, soil erosion and sediment budgets was upgraded to enable description of MP fate. The Thames River in the UK was used as a case study. A general lack of data on MP emissions to soils and rivers and the mass of MPs in agricultural soils, limits the present work to serve as a purely theoretical, nevertheless rigorous, assessment that can be used to guide future monitoring and impact evaluations. The fundamental assumption on which modelling is based is that the same physical controls on soil erosion and natural sediment transport (for which model calibration and validation are possible), also control MP transport and storage. Depending on sub-catchment soil characteristics and precipitation patterns, approximately 16-38% of the heavier-than-water MPs hypothetically added to soils (e.g. through routine applications of sewage sludge) are predicted to be stored locally. In the stream, MPs < 0.2 mm are generally not retained, regardless of their density. Larger MPs with densities marginally higher than water can instead be retained in the sediment. It is, however, anticipated that high flow periods can remobilize this pool. Sediments of river sections experiencing low stream power are likely hotspots for deposition of MPs. Exposure and impact assessments should prioritize these environments.

Isotopic investigation of the discharge driven nitrogen dynamics in a mesoscale river catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Christin; Zink, Matthias; Krieg, Ronald; Rode, Michael; Merz, Ralf; Knöller, Kay

2016-04-01

Nitrate in surface and groundwater has increased in the last decades due to landuse change, the application of different fertilizer for agricultural landuse and industrial dust in the atmospheric deposition. Increasing nitrate concentrations have a major impact on eutrophication, especially for coastal ecosystems. Therefore it is important to quantify potential nitrate sources and determine nitrate process dynamics with its drivers. The Bode River catchment (total size of 3200 m2) in the Harz Mountains in Germany was intensively investigated by a monitoring approach with 133 sampling points representing the same number of sub-catchments for a period of two years. The area is characterized by a strong anthropogenic gradient, with forest conservation areas in the mountain region, grassland, and intensively mixed farming in the lowlands. Consecutive discharge simulations by a mesoscale hydrological model (mhM) allow a quantitative analysis of nitrate fluxes for all observed tributaries. The investigation of nitrate isotopic signatures for characteristic landscape types allows the delineation of dominant NO3- sources: coniferous forests are characterized by recycled nitrified soil nitrogen; grassland is mainly impacted by organic fertilizer (manure) and nitrified soil-N; in agricultural land use areas nitrate predominantly derives from synthetic fertilizer application. Besides source delineation, the relationship between runoff and nitrate dynamics was analyzed for the entire Bode river catchment and, more detailed, for one major tributary with minor artificial reservoirs (Selke River). Thereby, it becomes apparent that nitrate isotopic variations increase with decreasing discharge. This effect might be due to a local, more intense impact of bacterial denitrification under low discharge conditions (higher residence time) in the anoxic soil zone, in the groundwater that discharges into the river and in the hyporheic zone. Generally, δ15N and δ18Oof nitrate decrease

USLE-Based Assessment of Soil Erosion by Water in the Nyabarongo River Catchment, Rwanda

PubMed Central

Karamage, Fidele; Zhang, Chi; Kayiranga, Alphonse; Shao, Hua; Fang, Xia; Ndayisaba, Felix; Nahayo, Lamek; Mupenzi, Christophe; Tian, Guangjin

2016-01-01

Soil erosion has become a serious problem in recent decades due to unhalted trends of unsustainable land use practices. Assessment of soil erosion is a prominent tool in planning and conservation of soil and water resource ecosystems. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was applied to Nyabarongo River Catchment that drains about 8413.75 km2 (33%) of the total Rwanda coverage and a small part of the Southern Uganda (about 64.50 km2) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing technologies. The estimated total annual actual soil loss was approximately estimated at 409 million tons with a mean erosion rate of 490 t·ha−1·y−1 (i.e., 32.67 mm·y−1). The cropland that occupied 74.85% of the total catchment presented a mean erosion rate of 618 t·ha−1·y−1 (i.e., 41.20 mm·y−1) and was responsible for 95.8% of total annual soil loss. Emergency soil erosion control is required with a priority accorded to cropland area of 173,244 ha, which is extremely exposed to actual soil erosion rate of 2222 t·ha−1·y−1 (i.e., 148.13 mm·y−1) and contributed to 96.2% of the total extreme soil loss in the catchment. According to this study, terracing cultivation method could reduce the current erosion rate in cropland areas by about 78%. Therefore, the present study suggests the catchment management by constructing check dams, terracing, agroforestry and reforestation of highly exposed areas as suitable measures for erosion and water pollution control within the Nyabarongo River Catchment and in other regions facing the same problems. PMID:27556474

USLE-Based Assessment of Soil Erosion by Water in the Nyabarongo River Catchment, Rwanda.

PubMed

Karamage, Fidele; Zhang, Chi; Kayiranga, Alphonse; Shao, Hua; Fang, Xia; Ndayisaba, Felix; Nahayo, Lamek; Mupenzi, Christophe; Tian, Guangjin

2016-08-20

Soil erosion has become a serious problem in recent decades due to unhalted trends of unsustainable land use practices. Assessment of soil erosion is a prominent tool in planning and conservation of soil and water resource ecosystems. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was applied to Nyabarongo River Catchment that drains about 8413.75 km² (33%) of the total Rwanda coverage and a small part of the Southern Uganda (about 64.50 km²) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing technologies. The estimated total annual actual soil loss was approximately estimated at 409 million tons with a mean erosion rate of 490 t·ha(-1)·y(-1) (i.e., 32.67 mm·y(-1)). The cropland that occupied 74.85% of the total catchment presented a mean erosion rate of 618 t·ha(-1)·y(-1) (i.e., 41.20 mm·y(-1)) and was responsible for 95.8% of total annual soil loss. Emergency soil erosion control is required with a priority accorded to cropland area of 173,244 ha, which is extremely exposed to actual soil erosion rate of 2222 t·ha(-1)·y(-1) (i.e., 148.13 mm·y(-1)) and contributed to 96.2% of the total extreme soil loss in the catchment. According to this study, terracing cultivation method could reduce the current erosion rate in cropland areas by about 78%. Therefore, the present study suggests the catchment management by constructing check dams, terracing, agroforestry and reforestation of highly exposed areas as suitable measures for erosion and water pollution control within the Nyabarongo River Catchment and in other regions facing the same problems.

Hydrochemical evaluation of the influences of mining activities on river water chemistry in central northern Mongolia.

PubMed

Batsaikhan, Bayartungalag; Kwon, Jang-Soon; Kim, Kyoung-Ho; Lee, Young-Joon; Lee, Jeong-Ho; Badarch, Mendbayar; Yun, Seong-Taek

2017-01-01

Although metallic mineral resources are most important in the economy of Mongolia, mining activities with improper management may result in the pollution of stream waters, posing a threat to aquatic ecosystems and humans. In this study, aiming to evaluate potential impacts of metallic mining activities on the quality of a transboundary river (Selenge) in central northern Mongolia, we performed hydrochemical investigations of rivers (Tuul, Khangal, Orkhon, Haraa, and Selenge). Hydrochemical analysis of river waters indicates that, while major dissolved ions originate from natural weathering (especially, dissolution of carbonate minerals) within watersheds, they are also influenced by mining activities. The water quality problem arising from very high turbidity is one of the major environmental concerns and is caused by suspended particles (mainly, sediment and soil particles) from diverse erosion processes, including erosion of river banks along the meandering river system, erosion of soils owing to overgrazing by livestock, and erosion by human activities, such as mining and agriculture. In particular, after passing through the Zaamar gold mining area, due to the disturbance of sediments and soils by placer gold mining, the Tuul River water becomes very turbid (up to 742 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU)). The Zaamar area is also the contamination source of the Tuul and Orkhon rivers by Al, Fe, and Mn, especially during the mining season. The hydrochemistry of the Khangal River is influenced by heavy metal (especially, Mn, Al, Cd, and As)-loaded mine drainage that originates from a huge tailing dam of the Erdenet porphyry Cu-Mo mine, as evidenced by δ 34 S values of dissolved sulfate (0.2 to 3.8 ‰). These two contaminated rivers (Tuul and Khangal) merge into the Orkhon River that flows to the Selenge River near the boundary between Mongolia and Russia and then eventually flows into Lake Baikal. Because water quality problems due to mining can be critical

Effects of mining activities on heavy metal concentrations in water, sediment, and macroinvertebrates in different reaches of the Pilcomayo River, South America.

PubMed

Smolders, A J P; Lock, R A C; Van der Velde, G; Medina Hoyos, R I; Roelofs, J G M

2003-04-01

From 1997 until 1999 the extent and the ecological effects of zinc, copper, lead, and cadmium pollution were studied in different reaches of the South American Pilcomayo River. A comparison of metal concentrations in water, sediment, and chironomid larvae, as well as the diversity of macroinvertebrate species, was made between sites near the origin of the Pilcomayo River, with hardly any mining activities, sites in the Potosí region, with intensive mining, and sites located 500 km or further downstream of Potosí, in the Chaco plain. Samples were also collected in an unpolluted river (Cachi Mayu River) and in the Tarapaya River, which is strongly contaminated by mine tailings (1000 tons a day). The upper parts of the Pilcomayo River are strongly affected by the release of mine tailings from the Potosí mines where mean concentrations of lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc in water, filtered water, sediment, and chironomid larvae were up to a thousand times higher than the local background levels. The diversity of the benthic macroinvertebrate community was strongly reduced in the contaminated parts; 97% of the benthic macroinvertebrates consisted of chironomid larvae. The degree of contamination in the lower reaches of the river, however, was fairly low because of sedimentation processes and the strong dilution of mine tailings with enormous amounts of clean sediment from erosion processes. Analysis of sediment cores from the Ibibobo floodplain, however, reveal an increase of the heavy metal concentrations in the lower reaches since the introduction of the contaminating flotation process in the mine industry in 1985.

Water and salt balance modelling to predict the effects of land-use changes in forested catchments. 1. Small catchment water balance model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivapalan, Murugesu; Ruprecht, John K.; Viney, Neil R.

1996-03-01

A long-term water balance model has been developed to predict the hydrological effects of land-use change (especially forest clearing) in small experimental catchments in the south-west of Western Australia. This small catchment model has been used as the building block for the development of a large catchment-scale model, and has also formed the basis for a coupled water and salt balance model, developed to predict the changes in stream salinity resulting from land-use and climate change. The application of the coupled salt and water balance model to predict stream salinities in two small experimental catchments, and the application of the large catchment-scale model to predict changes in water yield in a medium-sized catchment that is being mined for bauxite, are presented in Parts 2 and 3, respectively, of this series of papers.The small catchment model has been designed as a simple, robust, conceptually based model of the basic daily water balance fluxes in forested catchments. The responses of the catchment to rainfall and pan evaporation are conceptualized in terms of three interdependent subsurface stores A, B and F. Store A depicts a near-stream perched aquifer system; B represents a deeper, permanent groundwater system; and F is an intermediate, unsaturated infiltration store. The responses of these stores are characterized by a set of constitutive relations which involves a number of conceptual parameters. These parameters are estimated by calibration by comparing observed and predicted runoff. The model has performed very well in simulations carried out on Salmon and Wights, two small experimental catchments in the Collie River basin in south-west Western Australia. The results from the application of the model to these small catchments are presented in this paper.

Seeing the landscape for the trees: Metrics to guide riparian shade management in river catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Matthew F.; Wilby, Robert L.

2015-05-01

Rising water temperature (Tw) due to anthropogenic climate change may have serious consequences for river ecosystems. Conservation and/or expansion of riparian shade could counter warming and buy time for ecosystems to adapt. However, sensitivity of river reaches to direct solar radiation is highly heterogeneous in space and time, so benefits of shading are also expected to be site specific. We use a network of high-resolution temperature measurements from two upland rivers in the UK, in conjunction with topographic shade modeling, to assess the relative significance of landscape and riparian shade to the thermal behavior of river reaches. Trees occupy 7% of the study catchments (comparable with the UK national average) yet shade covers 52% of the area and is concentrated along river corridors. Riparian shade is most beneficial for managing Tw at distances 5-20 km downstream from the source of the rivers where discharge is modest, flow is dominated by near-surface hydrological pathways, there is a wide floodplain with little landscape shade, and where cumulative solar exposure times are sufficient to affect Tw. For the rivers studied, we find that approximately 0.5 km of complete shade is necessary to off-set Tw by 1°C during July (the month with peak Tw) at a headwater site; whereas 1.1 km of shade is required 25 km downstream. Further research is needed to assess the integrated effect of future changes in air temperature, sunshine duration, direct solar radiation, and downward diffuse radiation on Tw to help tree planting schemes achieve intended outcomes.

A Flash Flood Study on the Small Montaneous River Catchments in Western Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Győri, Maria-Mihaela; Haidu, Ionel; Humbert, Joël

2013-04-01

interpolated in order to obtain the hydrograph of the historical flash floods. The two methodologies employed offer the hydrologist the opportunity of computing the historical hydrographs be it on a section of the river at choice, or for every affluent within the small river basins studied, the graphical data being easily accessed both in GIS and HEC-HMS. The peak discharge values of the main rivers as well as those of their tributaries are of great importance in establishing the hydrologic hazard under the form of floodplain maps that are inexistent for the studied watersheds. Key words: flash flood modeling, ungauged catchments, GIS, HEC-HMS rainfall-runoff model. Aknowledgements This work was possible with the financial support of the Sectoral Operational Programme for Human Resources Development 2007-2013, co-financed by the European Social Fund, under the project number POSDRU/107/1.5/S/76841 with the title "Modern Doctoral Studies: Internationalization and Interdisciplinarity".

Decreasing reference evapotranspiration in a warming climate - A case of Changjiang (Yangtze) River catchment during 1970-2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, C. Y.; Gong, L. B.; Tong, J.; Chen, D. L.

2006-07-01

This study deals with temporal trends in the Penman-Monteith reference evapotranspiration estimated from standard meteorological observations, observed pan evaporation, and four related meteorological variables during 1970-2000 in the Yangtze River catchment. Relative contributions of the four meteorological variables to changes in the reference evapotranspiration are quantified. The results show that both the reference evapotranspiration and the pan evaporation have significant. decreasing trends in the upper, the middle as well as in the whole Changjiang (Yangtze) River catchment at the 5% significance level, while the air temperature shows a significant increasing trend. The decreasing trend detected in the reference evapotranspiration can be attributed to the significant decreasing trends in the net radiation and the wind speed.

Odiel River, acid mine drainage and current characterisation by means of univariate analysis.

PubMed

Sainz, A; Grande, J A; de la Torre, M L

2003-04-01

Water pollution caused by sulfide oxidation responds to two geochemical processes: a natural one of temporal patterns, and the 'acid mine drainage', an accelerated process derived from the extractive activity. The Odiel River is located in Southwestern Spain; it flows to the south and into the Atlantic Ocean after joining the Tinto River near its mouth, forming a common estuary. There are three kinds of metallic mining in the Odiel River Basin: manganese, gold and silver, and pyrite mining, the latter being the most important in this basin, which is the object of this study. The main objective of the present study is centred in the characterisation of the sources responsible for the 'acid mine drainage' processes in the Odiel River Basin, through the sampling and subsequent chemical and statistical analyses of water samples collected in three types of sources: mine dumps, active mines and abandoned mines. The main conclusion is that mean pH values in the target area are remarkably lower than those in other active and abandoned mines outside of the study zone. On the contrary, mean values for heavy metal sulfates are much higher. Regarding mine dumps, mean values for pH, sulfates and heavy metals are within a similar range to those data known for areas outside the study zone. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Changes in the substrate of rivers in historic mining districts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Milhous, R.T.

2004-01-01

The restoration of rivers in watersheds with historic mining districts has become a topic of interest during the last decade. Rivers restoration in these areas is difficult because the mines and mills can be scattered over a wide area and often small. Many have also been abandoned. This paper presents two substrate related factors that are important in the evaluation of river restoration alternatives in watersheds with significance impacts from mines and mills most of which are old and abandoned. The two factors are 1) changes in the size distribution and specific weights of the substrate, and 2) the changes in quality of the interstecial waters caused by metals associated with the tailings in the substrate. The most important impacts of tailings from mills may be on the physical characteristics of the substrate (porosity) and on the quality of the pore waters. The measurements presented in this paper do show significant variation in the porosity in gravel bed rivers and in the quality of the pore waters. Copyright ASCE 2004.

Mercury methylation at mercury mines in the Humboldt River Basin, Nevada, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, J.E.; Crock, J.G.; Lasorsa, B.K.

2002-01-01

Total Hg and methylmercury concentrations were measured in mine-waste calcines (retorted ore), sediment, and water samples collected in and around abandoned mercury mines in western Nevada to evaluate Hg methylation at the mines and in the Humboldt River Basin. Mine-waste calcines contain total Hg concentrations as high as 14 000 ??g g-1. Stream-sediment samples collected within 1 km of the mercury mines contain total Hg concentrations as high as 170 ??g g-1, whereas stream sediments collected at a distance >5 km from the mines, and those collected from the Humboldt River and regional baseline sites, contain total Hg concentrations 8 km from the nearest mercury mines. Our data indicate little transference of Hg and methylmercury from the sediment to the water column due to the lack of mine runoff in this desert climate.

Using high-resolution phosphorus data to investigate mitigation measures in headwater river catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, J. M.; Jordan, P.; Arnscheidt, J.

2014-09-01

This study reports the use of high resolution water quality monitoring to assess the influence of changes in landuse management on total phosphorus (TP) transfers in two 5 km2 agricultural sub-catchments. Specifically, the work investigates the "wicked problem" of agricultural soil P management and subsequent diffuse transfers at high river flows over a five year timescale. The work also investigates the phenomenon of low flow P pollution from septic tank systems (STS) and mitigation efforts - here termed the "filthy issue" of rural catchment management. Results showed an inconsistent response to soil P management over five years with one catchment showing a convergence to optimum P concentrations and the other an overall increase. Both catchments indicated an overall increase in P concentration in defined high flow ranges. Low flow P concentration showed little change or higher P concentrations in defined low flow ranges despite replacement of defective systems and this is possibly due to a number of confounding reasons including increased housing densities due to new-builds. The work indicates fractured responses to catchment management advice and mitigation and that the short to medium term may be an insufficient time to expect the full implementation of policies (here defined as convergence to optimum soil P concentration and mitigation of STS) and also to gauge their effectiveness.

From Hills to Holes: How Climate Change and Mining are Altering Runoff Processes in Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carey, S. K.

2015-12-01

Canadian environments are under considerable pressure from both climate and land-use change. While warming temperatures are widespread and amplified in the north, surface mining has resulted in large-scale landscape disturbance. How these changes affect catchment response is profound, fundamentally altering the cycling and delivery of water and geochemicals to the drainage network. In permafrost-underlain environments, coupled mass and energy processes control runoff response, and as ground thaw increases, new subsurface pathways become accessible while changing overall catchment storage. With surface mining, watersheds are altered such that they bare little resemblance to what existed prior to mining. In this presentation, data will be presented from long-term experiments exploring the impact of climate and mining on runoff processes in cold catchments using stable isotopes of water and associated hydrometric measurements. In southern Yukon, results from the Wolf Creek Research Basin highlights the influence of surface energy balances on controlling the timing and magnitude of flow response, with inter-annual variability largely driven by how atmospheric forcing interacts with permafrost-underlain areas of the catchment. In mountainous areas of southern British Columbia, surface mining reconfigures landscapes as valleys are filled with waste-rock. Mine-influenced catchments exhibit attenuated flows with delays in spring freshet and a more muted to precipitation. Stable isotopes in stream water suggests that both waste-rock and reference catchments are well mixed, however reference catchments are more responsive to enrichment and depletion events and that mine-influenced catchments had a heavier isotope signature than reference watersheds, suggesting enhanced influence of rainfall on recharge. In both cases, snow storage and release exerts considerable control on streamflow responses, and future changes in streamflow regimes will reflect both a changes in the snow

Hydrological and pollution processes in mining area of Fenhe River Basin in China.

PubMed

Yang, Yonggang; Meng, Zhilong; Jiao, Wentao

2018-03-01

The hydrological and pollution processes are an important science problem for aquatic ecosystem. In this study, the samples of river water, reservoir water, shallow groundwater, deep groundwater, and precipitation in mining area are collected and analyzed. δD and δ 18 O are used to identify hydrological process. δ 15 N-NO 3 - and δ 18 O-NO 3 - are used to identify the sources and pollution process of NO 3 - . The results show that the various water bodies in Fenhe River Basin are slightly alkaline water. The ions in the water mainly come from rock weathering. The concentration of SO 4 2- is high due to the impact of coal mining activity. Deep groundwater is significantly less affected by evaporation and human activity, which is recharged by archaic groundwater. There are recharge and discharge between reservoir water, river water, soil water, and shallow groundwater. NO 3 - is the main N species in the study area, and forty-six percent of NO 3 - -N concentrations exceed the drinking water standard of China (NO 3 - -N ≤ 10 mg/L content). Nitrification is the main forming process of NO 3 - . Denitrification is also found in river water of some river branches. The sources of NO 3 - are mainly controlled by land use type along the riverbank. NO 3 - of river water in the upper reaches are come from nitrogen in precipitation and soil organic N. River water in the lower reaches is polluted by a mixture of soil organic N and fertilizers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of airborne thermal infrared imagery for locating mine drainage sites in the Lower Youghiogheny River Basin, Pennsylvania, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sams, James I.; Veloski, Garret; Ackman, T.E.

2003-01-01

Nighttime high-resolution airborne thermal infrared imagery (TIR) data were collected in the predawn hours during Feb 5-8 and March 11-12, 1999, from a helicopter platform for 72.4 km of the Youghiogheny River, from Connellsville to McKeesport, in southwestern Pennsylvania. The TIR data were used to identify sources of mine drainage from abandoned mines that discharge directly into the Youghiogheny River. Image-processing and geographic information systems (GIS) techniques were used to identify 70 sites within the study area as possible mine drainage sources. The combination of GIS datasets and the airborne TIR data provided a fast and accurate method to target the possible sources. After field reconnaissance, it was determined that 24 of the 70 sites were mine drainage. This paper summarizes: the procedures used to process the TIR data and extract potential mine-drainage sites; methods used for verification of the TIR data; a discussion of factors affecting the TIR data; and a brief summary of water quality.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments in Selected Major River Basins: Population Density, 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This data set represents the average population density, in number of people per square kilometer multiplied by 10 for the year 2000, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is the 2000 Population Density by Block Group for the Conterminous United States (Hitt, 2003). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) RF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Stream water quality in coal mined areas of the lower Cheat River Basin, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, during low-flow conditions, July 1997

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Donald R.; Clark, Mary E.; Brown, Juliane B.

1999-01-01

IntroductionThe Cheat River Basin is in the Allegheny Plateau and Allegheny Mountain Sections of the Appalachian Plateau Physiographic Province (Fenneman, 1946) and is almost entirely within the state of West Virginia. The Cheat River drains an area of 1,422 square miles in Randolph, Tucker, Preston, and Monongalia Counties in West Virginia and Fayette County in Pennsylvania. From its headwaters in Randolph County, W.Va., the Cheat River flows 157 miles north to the Pennsylvania state line, where it enters the Monongahela River. The Cheat River drainage comprises approximately 19 percent of the total Monongahela River Basin. The Cheat River and streams within the Cheat River Basin are characterized by steep gradients, rock channels, and high flow velocities that have created a thriving white-water rafting industry for the area. The headwaters of the Cheat River contain some of the most pristine and aesthetic streams in West Virginia. The attraction to the area, particularly the lower part of the Cheat River Basin (the lower 412 square miles of the basin), has been suppressed because of poor water quality. The economy of the Lower Cheat River Basin has been dominated by coal mining over many decades. As a result, many abandoned deep and surface mines discharge untreated acid mine drainage (AMD), which degrades water quality, into the Cheat River and many of its tributary streams. Approximately 60 regulated mine-related discharges (West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, 1996) and 185 abandoned mine sites (U.S. Office of Surface Mining, 1998) discharge treated and untreated AMD into the Cheat River and its tributaries.The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation (AML&R) has recently completed several AMD reclamation projects throughout the Cheat River Basin that have collectively improved the mainstem water quality. The AML&R office is currently involved in acquiring grant funds and

C, N, P export regimes from headwater catchments to downstream reaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupas, R.; Musolff, A.; Jawitz, J. W.; Rao, P. S.; Jaeger, C. G.; Fleckenstein, J. H.; Rode, M.; Borchardt, D.

2017-12-01

Excessive amounts of nutrients and dissolved organic matter in freshwater bodies affect aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the spatial and temporal variability in nitrate (NO3), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was analyzed in the Selke river continuum from headwaters draining 1 - 3 km² catchments to downstream reaches representing spatially integrated signals from 184 - 456 km² catchments (part of TERENO - Terrestrial Environmental Observatories, in Germany). Three headwater catchments were selected as archetypes of the main landscape units (land use x lithology) present in the Selke catchment. Export regimes in headwater catchments were interpreted in terms of NO3, DOC and SRP land-to-stream transfer processes. Headwater signals were subtracted from downstream signals, with the differences interpreted in terms of in-stream processes and contribution of point-source emissions. The seasonal dynamics for NO3 were opposite those of DOC and SRP in all three headwater catchments, and spatial differences also showed NO3 contrasting with DOC and SRP. These dynamics were interpreted as the result of the interplay of hydrological and biogeochemical processes, for which riparian zones were hypothesized to play a determining role. In the two downstream reaches, NO3 was transported almost conservatively, whereas DOC was consumed and produced in the upper and lower river sections, respectively. The natural export regime of SRP in the three headwater catchments mimicked a point-source signal, which may lead to overestimation of domestic contributions in the downstream reaches. Monitoring the river continuum from headwaters to downstream reaches proved effective to investigate jointly land-to-stream and in-stream transport and transformation processes.

Trace elements in native and transplanted Fontinalis antipyretica and Platyhypnidium riparioides from rivers polluted by uranium mining.

PubMed

Kosior, Grzegorz; Steinnes, Eiliv; Samecka-Cymerman, Aleksandra; Lierhagen, Syverin; Kolon, Krzysztof; Dołhańczuk-Śródka, Agnieszka; Ziembik, Zbigniew

2017-03-01

The past uranium/polymetallic mining activities in the Sudety (SW Poland) left abandoned mines, pits, and dumps of waste rocks with trace elements and radionuclides which may erode or leach out and create a potential risk for the aquatic ecosystem, among others. In the present work four rivers affected by effluents from such mines were selected to evaluate the application of aquatic mosses for the bioindication of 56 elements. Naturally growing F. antipyretica and P. riparioides were compared with transplanted samples of the same species. The results demonstrate serious pollution of the examined rivers, especially with As, Ba, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ti, U and Zn, reaching extremely high concentrations in native moss samples. In the most polluted rivers native F. antipyretica and P. riparioides samples showed significantly higher concentrations of As, Ba, Cu, Fe, La, Nd, Ni, Pb, U and Zn than corresponding transplanted samples, whereas at less polluted sites a reverse situation was sometimes observed. Transplanted moss moved from clean to extremely polluted rivers probably protects itself against the accumulation of toxic elements by reducing their uptake. Selection of native or transplanted F. antipyretica and P. riparioides depended on the pollution load. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Environmental effects of hydrothermal alteration and historical mining on water and sediment quality in Central Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, S.E.; Fey, D. L.; Klein, T.L.; Schmidt, T.S.; Wanty, R.B.; deWitt, E.H.; Rockwell, B.W.; San, Juan C.A.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an environmental assessment of 198 catchments in a 54,000-km2 area of central Colorado, much of which is on Federal land. The Colorado Mineral Belt, a northeast-trending zone of historical base- and precious-metal mining, cuts diagonally across the study area. The investigation was intended to test the hypothesis that degraded water and sediment quality are restricted to catchments in which historical mining has occurred. Water, streambed sediment, and aquatic insects were collected from (1) catchments underlain by single lithogeochemical units, some of which were hydrothermally altered, that had not been prospected or mined; (2) catchments that contained evidence of prospecting, most of which contain hydrothermally altered rock, but no historical mining; and (3) catchments, all of which contain hydrothermally altered rock, where historical but now inactive mines occur. Geochemical data determined from catchments that did not contain hydrothermal alteration or historical mines met water quality criteria and sediment quality guidelines. Base-metal concentrations from these types of catchments showed small geochemical variations that reflect host lithology. Hydrothermal alteration and mineralization typically are associated with igneous rocks that have intruded older bedrock in a catchment. This alteration was regionally mapped and characterized primarily through the analysis of remote sensing data acquired by the ASTER satellite sensor. Base-metal concentrations among unaltered rock types showed small geochemical variations that reflect host lithology. Base-metal concentrations were elevated in sediment from catchments underlain by hydrothermally altered rock. Classification of catchments on the basis of mineral deposit types proved to be an efficient and accurate method for discriminating catchments that have degraded water and sediment quality. Only about 4.5 percent of the study area has been affected by historical mining

The persistence of lead from past gasoline emissions and mining drainage in a large riparian system: Evidence from lead isotopes in the Sacramento River, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dunlap, C.E.; Alpers, Charles N.; Bouse, R.; Taylor, Howard E.; Unruh, D.M.; Flegal, A.R.

2008-01-01

Lead concentrations and isotope ratios measured in river water colloids and streambed sediment samples along 426 km of the Sacramento River, California reveal that the influence of lead from the historical mining of massive sulfide deposits in the West Shasta Cu-mining district (at the headwaters of the Sacramento River) is confined to a 60 km stretch of river immediately downstream of that mining region, whereas inputs from past leaded gasoline emissions and historical hydraulic Au-mining in the Sierra Nevadan foothills are the dominant lead sources in the remaining 370 km of the river. Binary mixing calculations suggest that more than 50% of the lead in the Sacramento River outside of the region of influence of the West Shasta Cu-mining district is derived from past depositions of leaded gasoline emissions. This predominance is the first direct documentation of the geographic extent of gasoline lead persistence throughout a large riparian system (>160,000 km2) and corroborates previous observations based on samples taken at the mouth of the Sacramento River. In addition, new analyses of sediment samples from the hydraulic gold mines of the Sierra Nevada foothills confirm the present-day fluxes into the Sacramento River of contaminant metals derived from historical hydraulic Au-mining that occurred during the latter half of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. These fluxes occur predominantly during periods of elevated river discharge associated with heavy winter precipitation in northern California. In the broadest context, the study demonstrates the potential for altered precipitation patterns resulting from climate change to affect the mobility and transport of soil-bound contaminants in the surface environment. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Bedrock Geology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the area of bedrock geology types in square meters compiled for every catchment of MRB_E2RF1 catchments for Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is the "Geology of the Conterminous United States at 1:2,500,000 Scale--A Digital Representation of the 1974 P.B. King and H.M. Beikman Map" (Schuben and others, 1994). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Integrated assessment of river water quality in contrasting catchments: Impact of urbanization on particle bound pollutant fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grathwohl, Peter; Ruegner, Hermann; Schwientek, Marc; Beckingham, Barbara

2013-04-01

Water quality in rivers typically depends on the degree of urbanization or the population density in a catchment. Transport of many pollutants in rivers is coupled to transport of suspended particles, potentially dominated by storm water overflows and mobilization of legacy contamination of sediments. Concentration of pollutants strongly sorbed to suspended particles cannot be diluted by water directly, but depends on the mixture of "polluted" urban and "clean" background particles. In the current study, the total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the amount of total suspended solids (TSS) and turbidity were measured on a monthly basis in water samples from 5 neighbouring catchments with contrasting land use in Southwest Germany over 1.5 years. In addition, single flood events with large changes in turbidity were sampled at high temporal resolution. Linear correlations of turbidity and TSS where obtained over all catchments investigated. From linear regressions of turbidity vs. total PAH concentrations in water, robust mean concentrations of PAHs on suspended particles could be obtained, which were distinct for each catchment depending on urban influence. PAH concentrations on suspended particles were stable over a large turbidity range (up to 900 NTU) confirmed by samples taken during flood events. No pronounced effects due to changing particle size or origin have been observed for the catchments investigated (< 150 squared km). Regression of total concentrations of PAHs in water samples vs. turbidity thus comprises a robust measure of the average sediment quality in a given catchment and this correlates to the degree of urbanization represented by the number of inhabitants per total flux of suspended particles. The findings are very promising for other particle-bound contaminant fluxes (PCBs, phosphorus, etc.) and in terms of on-line monitoring of turbidity as a proxy for pollution.

[Temporal-spatial Variation and Source Identification of Hydro-chemical Characteristics in Shima River Catchment, Dongguan City].

PubMed

Gao, Lei; Chen, Jian-yao; Wang, Jiang; Ke, Zhi-ting; Zhu, Ai-ping; Xu, Kai

2015-05-01

Shima River catchment is of strategic importance to urban water supply in Dongjiang portable water source area. To investigate the hydro-chemical characteristics of Shima River, 39 river water samples were collected in February, June and November, 2012 to analyze the major ions (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, SO4(2-) , HCO3-) and nutritive salts (PO4(3-), NO3- and NH4+) and to discuss the temporal-spatial variation and controlling factors of hydro-chemical composition, relative sources identification of varied ions was performed as well. The results showed that the hydro-chemical composition exhibited significant differences in different periods. The average concentration of total dissolved solid ( TDS) and nutritive salts in different investigated periods followed the decreasing order of November > February > June. The dominant anion of Shima River was HCO3-, and Na+ + K+ were the major cations in February and November which were changed to Ca2+ in June, the hydro-chemical types were determined as HCO(3-)-Na+ and HCO(3-)- Ca2+ in dry (February and November) and rainy (June) seasons, respectively. Spatial variations of concentration of nutritive salts were mainly affected by the discharges of N- and P-containing waste water resulted from human activities. The ratio between N and P of water sample (R7) was 18.4:1 which boosted the "crazy growth" of phytoplankton and led to severe eutrophication. According to Gibbs distribution of water samples, dissolution of hydatogenic rocks was the primary factor to control the major cations of river water in dry season, however, the hydro-chemical composition was significantly affected by the combination of hydatogenic and carbonate rocks in rainy season. The deposition of sea-salts contributed less to chemical substances in river. Correlation analysis revealed that K+, Na+, Mg2+, Cl- and SO4(2-) were partly derived from the application of fertilizer and the discharge of industrial effluent; Waste water of poultry feeding and

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Base-Flow Index, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the mean base-flow index expressed as a percent, compiled for every catchment of MRB_E2RF1 catchments of Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). Base flow is the component of streamflow that can be attributed to ground-water discharge into streams. The source data set is Base-Flow Index for the Conterminous United States (Wolock, 2003). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every catchment of MRB_E2RF1 catchments for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Effects of uranium mining, Puerco River, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lopes, Thomas J.

1991-01-01

Effluent from uranium-mine dewatering and acidic water released by a tailings-pond dike failure increased radionuclide activities in streamflow in the Puerco River in New Mexico and Arizona. Median dissolved gross-alpha activity in the streamflow was 1,130 picocuries per liter from 1975 to 1986 when mine discharges ceased and 6.2 picocuries per liter from 1986 to 1989. From 1975 to July 1979, major ions in streamflow at the Puerco River at Gallup streamflow-gaging station were sodium, bicarbonate, and sulfate. On July 16, 1979, the day of the tailing spill, major ions in streamflow were magnesium, calcium, and sulfate. From 1979 to 1984, major ions in streamflow had a greater proportion of calcium and sulfate than prior to the spill, indicating flushing of residual tailings solution. Geochemical modeling of mine effluent indicates that uranium was unlikely to precipitate from effluent between the mines and Gallup or when mixed with wastewater downstream from Gallup. Geochemical modeling of acidic-tailings solution indicates that uranium was in solution as far downstream as Gallup. When the acidic-tailings solution mixed with 10- to 40-percent wastewater, uranium may have precipitated from solution as carnotite [K2(UO2)2(VO4)2] and tyuyamunite [Ca(UO2)2(VO4)2].

Mapping mine wastes and analyzing areas affected by selenium-rich water runoff in southeast Idaho using AVIRIS imagery and digital elevation data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mars, J.C.; Crowley, J.K.

2003-01-01

Remotely sensed hyperspectral and digital elevation data from southeastern Idaho are combined in a new method to assess mine waste contamination. Waste rock from phosphorite mining in the area contains selenium, cadmium, vanadium, and other metals. Toxic concentrations of selenium have been found in plants and soils near some mine waste dumps. Eighteen mine waste dumps and five vegetation cover types in the southeast Idaho phosphate district were mapped by using Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) imagery and field data. The interaction of surface water runoff with mine waste was assessed by registering the AVIRIS results to digital elevation data, enabling determinations of (1) mine dump morphologies, (2) catchment watershed areas above each mine dump, (3) flow directions from the dumps, (4) stream gradients, and (5) the extent of downstream wetlands available for selenium absorption. Watersheds with the most severe selenium contamination, such as the South Maybe Canyon watershed, are associated with mine dumps that have large catchment watershed areas, high stream gradients, a paucity of downstream wetlands, and dump forms that tend to obstruct stream flow. Watersheds associated with low concentrations of dissolved selenium, such as Angus Creek, have mine dumps with small catchment watershed areas, low stream gradients, abundant wetlands vegetation, and less obstructing dump morphologies. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Downscaling catchment scale flood risk to contributing sub-catchments to determine the optimum location for flood management.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pattison, Ian; Lane, Stuart; Hardy, Richard; Reaney, Sim

2010-05-01

The recent increase in flood frequency and magnitude has been hypothesised to have been caused by either climate change or land management. Field scale studies have found that changing land management practices does affect local runoff and streamflow, but upscaling these effects to the catchment scale continues to be problematic, both conceptually and more importantly methodologically. The impact on downstream flood risk is highly dependent upon where the changes are in the catchment, indicating that some areas of the catchment are more important in determining downstream flood risk than others. This is a major flaw in the traditional approach to studying the effect of land use on downstream flood risk: catchment scale hydrological models, which treat every cell in the model equally. We are proposing an alternative ideological approach for doing flood management research, which is underpinned by downscaling the downstream effect (problem i.e. flooding) to the upstream causes (contributing sub-catchments). It is hoped that this approach could have several benefits over the traditional upscaling approach. Firstly, it provides an efficient method to prioritise areas for land use management changes to be implemented to reduce downstream flood risk. Secondly, targets for sub-catchment hydrograph change can be determined which will deliver the required downstream effect. Thirdly, it may be possible to detect the effect of land use changes in upstream areas on downstream flood risk, by weighting the areas of most importance in hydrological models. Two methods for doing this downscaling are proposed; 1) data-based statistical analysis; and 2) hydraulic modelling-based downscaling. These will be outlined using the case study of the River Eden, Cumbria, NW England. The data-based methodology uses the timing and magnitude of floods for each sub-catchment. Principal components analysis (PCA) is used to simplify sub-catchment interactions and optimising stepwise regression is

77 FR 39675 - Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Baker County, OR; North Fork Burnt River Mining

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-05

...-Whitman National Forest, Baker County, OR; North Fork Burnt River Mining AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA... North Fork Burnt River Mining Record of Decision will replace and supercede the 2004 North Fork Burnt...

Validation of a simple distributed sediment delivery approach in selected sub-basins of the River Inn catchment area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, Lucas; Kittlaus, Steffen; Scherer, Ulrike

2015-04-01

For large areas without highly detailed data the empirical Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is widely used to quantify soil loss. The problem though is usually the quantification of actual sediment influx into the rivers. As the USLE provides long-term mean soil loss rates, it is often combined with spatially lumped models to estimate the sediment delivery ratio (SDR). But it gets difficult with spatially lumped approaches in large catchment areas where the geographical properties have a wide variance. In this study we developed a simple but spatially distributed approach to quantify the sediment delivery ratio by considering the characteristics of the flow paths in the catchments. The sediment delivery ratio was determined using an empirical approach considering the slope, morphology and land use properties along the flow path as an estimation of travel time of the eroded particles. The model was tested against suspended solids measurements in selected sub-basins of the River Inn catchment area in Germany and Austria, ranging from the high alpine south to the Molasse basin in the northern part.

Mineralogical characteristics of sediments and heavy metal mobilization along a river watershed affected by acid mine drainage.

PubMed

Xie, Yingying; Lu, Guining; Yang, Chengfang; Qu, Lu; Chen, Meiqin; Guo, Chuling; Dang, Zhi

2018-01-01

Trace-element concentrations in acid mine drainage (AMD) are primarily controlled by the mineralogy at the sediment-water interface. Results are presented for a combined geochemical and mineralogical survey of Dabaoshan Mine, South China. Developed sequential extraction experiments with the analysis of the main mineralogical phases by semi-quantitative XRD, differential X-ray diffraction (DXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were conducted to identify the quantitative relationship between iron minerals and heavy metals. Results showed that schwertmannite, jarosite, goethite and ferrihydrite were the dominant Fe-oxyhydroxide minerals which were detected alternately in the surface sediment with the increasing pH from 2.50 to 6.93 along the Hengshi River. Decreasing contents of schwertmannite ranging from 35 wt % to 6.5 wt % were detected along the Hengshi River, which was corresponding to the decreasing metal contents. The easily reducible fractions exert higher affinity of metals while compared with reducible and relatively stable minerals. A qualitative analysis of heavy metals extracted from the sediments indicated that the retention ability varied: Pb > Mn > Zn > As ≈ Cu > Cr > Cd ≈ Ni. Results in this study are avail for understanding the fate and transport of heavy metals associated with iron minerals and establishing the remediation strategies of AMD systems.

Mineralogical characteristics of sediments and heavy metal mobilization along a river watershed affected by acid mine drainage

PubMed Central

Xie, Yingying; Yang, Chengfang; Qu, Lu; Chen, Meiqin; Guo, Chuling; Dang, Zhi

2018-01-01

Trace-element concentrations in acid mine drainage (AMD) are primarily controlled by the mineralogy at the sediment-water interface. Results are presented for a combined geochemical and mineralogical survey of Dabaoshan Mine, South China. Developed sequential extraction experiments with the analysis of the main mineralogical phases by semi-quantitative XRD, differential X-ray diffraction (DXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were conducted to identify the quantitative relationship between iron minerals and heavy metals. Results showed that schwertmannite, jarosite, goethite and ferrihydrite were the dominant Fe-oxyhydroxide minerals which were detected alternately in the surface sediment with the increasing pH from 2.50 to 6.93 along the Hengshi River. Decreasing contents of schwertmannite ranging from 35 wt % to 6.5 wt % were detected along the Hengshi River, which was corresponding to the decreasing metal contents. The easily reducible fractions exert higher affinity of metals while compared with reducible and relatively stable minerals. A qualitative analysis of heavy metals extracted from the sediments indicated that the retention ability varied: Pb > Mn > Zn > As ≈ Cu > Cr > Cd ≈ Ni. Results in this study are avail for understanding the fate and transport of heavy metals associated with iron minerals and establishing the remediation strategies of AMD systems. PMID:29304091

A Global Classification System for Catchment Hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, R. A.

2004-05-01

It is a shocking state of affairs - there is no underpinning scientific taxonomy of catchments. There are widely used global classification systems for climate, river morphology, lakes and wetlands, but for river catchments there exists only a plethora of inconsistent, incomplete regional schemes. By proceeding without a common taxonomy for catchments, freshwater science has missed one of its key developmental stages, and has leapt from definition of phenomena to experiments, theories and models, without the theoretical framework of a classification. I propose the development of a global hierarchical classification system for physical aspects of river catchments, to help underpin physical science in the freshwater environment and provide a solid foundation for classification of river ecosystems. Such a classification scheme can open completely new vistas in hydrology: for example it will be possible to (i) rationally transfer experimental knowledge of hydrological processes between basins anywhere in the world, provided they belong to the same class; (ii) perform meaningful meta-analyses in order to reconcile studies that show inconsistent results (iii) generate new testable hypotheses which involve locations worldwide.

Invertebrate drift during in-channel gravel mining: the Upper River Cinca (Southern Pyrenees)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Béjar, Maria; Gibbins, Chris; Vericat, Damià; Batalla, Ramon J.; Muñoz, Efrén; Ramos, Ester; Lobera, Gemma; Andrés López-Tarazón, Jose; Piqué, Gemma; Tena, Álvaro; Buendía, Cristina; Rennie, Colin D.

2015-04-01

Invertebrate drift has been widely studied as an important mechanism to structure the benthic assemblages and as a part of invertebrate behavior in fluvial systems. River channel disturbance is considered the main factor affecting the organization of riverine communities and contributes to key ecological processes. However, little is known about involuntary drift associated to bed disturbance due to the difficulties associated with sampling during floods. In-channel gravel mining offers an opportunity to study involuntary drift associated not only to local bed disturbances but also to sudden changes on suspended sediment concentrations and flow. High suspended sediment concentrations and sudden changes in flow also prompt drift due to the limiting conditions (i.e. lack of oxygen, hydric stress). Within this context, invertebrate drift was monitored in the Upper River Cinca (Southern Pyrenees) during two gravel mining activities performed in summer 2014. The data acquisition design includes: drift, suspended sediment, bedload, bed mobility and flow. Data was acquired before, during and after mining at different sampling locations located upstream and downstream the perturbation. Drift and suspended sediment transport were sampled at 5 sections: 1 control site upstream the mining and 4 downstream. Bedload samples were collected just downstream the channel where gravels were extracted. Bed mobility and changes on topography were assessed by means of GPS-aDcp and repeat topographic surveys. Discharge was continuously recorded 2.5 km downstream the mining location. Additionally, two turbidity meters registered water turbidity at 15 minute intervals in two of the four sampling sections located downstream. This experimental design provides data on the spatial and temporal variability of drift associated to a local bed disturbance that (i) changes the distribution of flow across the section where mining was performed, (ii) increase substantially suspended sediment

How does spatial variability of climate affect catchment streamflow predictions?

EPA Science Inventory

Spatial variability of climate can negatively affect catchment streamflow predictions if it is not explicitly accounted for in hydrologic models. In this paper, we examine the changes in streamflow predictability when a hydrologic model is run with spatially variable (distribute...

A tracer test to determine a hydraulic connection between the Lauchert and Danube karst catchments (Swabian Alb, Germany)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knöll, Paul; Scheytt, Traugott

2018-03-01

A dye tracer experiment was conducted between the rivers Lauchert and Danube near Sigmaringen (Swabian Alb, southern Germany). After a flood event in the River Lauchert, it was suspected that flood water infiltrated into the karst system and drained towards springs in the Danube Valley. A potential connection of the two rivers is provided by the margin of a tectonic graben crossing the valleys. The aim of the tracer experiment was to gain insight into the dominant groundwater flow direction as well as to study a possible preferential connection between the Lauchert surface catchment area and springs in the Danube Valley. After introducing sodium-fluorescein into the unsaturated zone, six springs in the Danube Valley and the River Lauchert itself were observed. Tracer breakthrough at three springs showed that these springs are fed by groundwater originating in the Lauchert surface catchment. Adjacent springs were not affected by the experiment, indicating a rather sharp divide between separate spring catchments. Analyses of tracer breakthrough curves suggest that springs with a tracer occurrence are fed by the same conduit system. It was possible to show that spring catchments in Sigmaringen reach significantly into the Lauchert surface catchment. As a consequence, a drinking-water supplier has changed its supply strategy. The results also help to explain significant differences between flood damage in the central and lower courses of the River Lauchert.

Evidence of viral dissemination and seasonality in a Mediterranean river catchment: Implications for water pollution management.

PubMed

Rusiñol, Marta; Fernandez-Cassi, Xavier; Timoneda, Natàlia; Carratalà, Anna; Abril, Josep Francesc; Silvera, Carolina; Figueras, Maria José; Gelati, Emiliano; Rodó, Xavier; Kay, David; Wyn-Jones, Peter; Bofill-Mas, Sílvia; Girones, Rosina

2015-08-15

Conventional wastewater treatment does not completely remove and/or inactive viruses; consequently, viruses excreted by the population can be detected in the environment. This study was undertaken to investigate the distribution and seasonality of human viruses and faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in a river catchment located in a typical Mediterranean climate region and to discuss future trends in relation to climate change. Sample matrices included river water, untreated and treated wastewater from a wastewater treatment plant within the catchment area, and seawater from potentially impacted bathing water. Five viruses were analysed in the study. Human adenovirus (HAdV) and JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) were analysed as indicators of human faecal contamination of human pathogens; both were reported in urban wastewater (mean values of 10(6) and 10(5) GC/L, respectively), river water (10(3) and 10(2) GC/L) and seawater (10(2) and 10(1) GC/L). Human Merkel Cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), which is associated with Merkel Cell carcinoma, was detected in 75% of the raw wastewater samples (31/37) and quantified by a newly developed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay with mean concentrations of 10(4) GC/L. This virus is related to skin cancer in susceptible individuals and was found in 29% and 18% of river water and seawater samples, respectively. Seasonality was only observed for norovirus genogroup II (NoV GGII), which was more abundant in cold months with levels up to 10(4) GC/L in river water. Human hepatitis E virus (HEV) was detected in 13.5% of the wastewater samples when analysed by nested PCR (nPCR). Secondary biological treatment (i.e., activated sludge) and tertiary sewage disinfection including chlorination, flocculation and UV radiation removed between 2.22 and 4.52 log10 of the viral concentrations. Climate projections for the Mediterranean climate areas and the selected river catchment estimate general warming and changes in precipitation distribution

Measuring fallout radionuclides to constrain the origin and the dynamics of suspended sediment in an agricultural drained catchment (Loire River basin, France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Gall, Marion; Evrard, Olivier; Foucher, Anthony; Laceby, J. Patrick; Salvador-Blanes, Sébastien; Lefèvre, Irène; Cerdan, Olivier; Ayrault, Sophie

2015-04-01

Soil erosion reaches problematic levels in agricultural areas of Northwestern Europe where tile drains may accelerate sediment transfer to rivers. This supply of large quantities of fine sediment to the river network leads to the degradation of water quality by increasing water turbidity, filling reservoirs and transporting contaminants. Agricultural patterns and landscapes features have been largely modified by human activities during the last century. To investigate erosion and sediment transport in lowland drained areas, a small catchment, the Louroux (24 km²), located in the French Loire River basin was selected. In this catchment, channels have been reshaped and more than 220 tile drains outlets have been installed after World War II. As a result, soil erosion and sediment fluxes strongly increased. Sediment supply needs to be better understood by quantifying the contribution of sources and the residence times of particles within the catchment. To this end, a network of river monitoring stations was installed, and fallout radionuclides (Cs-137, excess Pb-210 and Be-7) were measured in rainwater (n=3), drain tile outlets (n=4), suspended sediment (n=15), soil surface (n=30) and channel bank samples (n=15) between January 2013 and February 2014. Cs-137 concentrations were used to quantify the contribution of surface vs. subsurface sources of sediment. Results show a clear dominance of particles originating from surface sources (99 ± 1%). Be-7 and excess Pb-210 concentrations and calculation of Be-7/excess Pb-210 ratios in rainfall and suspended sediment samples were used to estimate percentages of recently eroded sediment in rivers. The first erosive winter storm mainly exported sediment depleted in Be-7 that likely deposited on the riverbed during the previous months. Then, during the subsequent floods, sediment was directly eroded and exported to the catchment outlet. Our results show the added value of combining spatial and temporal tracers to characterize

Explanatory characteristics for nutrient concentrations and loads in the Sava River Catchment and cross-regionally

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levi, L.; Cvetkovic, V.; Destouni, G.

2015-12-01

This study compiles estimates of waterborne nutrient concentrations and loads in the Sava River Catchment (SRC). Based on this compilation, we investigate hotspots of nutrient inputs and retention along the river, as well as concentration and load correlations with river discharge and various human drivers of excess nutrient inputs to the SRC. For cross-regional assessment and possible generalization, we also compare corresponding results between the SRC and the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin (BSDB). In the SRC, one small incremental subcatchment, which is located just downstream of Zagreb and has the highest population density among the SRC subcatchments, is identified as a major hotspot for net loading (input minus retention) of both total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) to the river and through it to downstream areas of the SRC. The other SRC subcatchments exhibit relatively similar characteristics with smaller net nutrient loading. The annual loads of both TN and TP along the Sava River exhibit dominant temporal variability with considerably higher correlation with annual river discharge (R2 = 0.51 and 0.28, respectively) than that of annual average nutrient concentrations (R2 = 0.0 versus discharge for both TN and TP). Nutrient concentrations exhibit instead dominant spatial variability with relatively high correlation with population density among the SRC subcatchments (R2=0.43-0.64). These SRC correlation characteristics compare well with corresponding ones for the BSDB, even though the two regions are quite different in their hydroclimatic, agricultural and wastewater treatment conditions. Such cross-regional consistency in dominant variability type and explanatory catchment characteristics may be a useful generalization basis, worthy of further investigation, for at least first-order estimation of nutrient concentration and load conditions in less data-rich regions.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major Rivers Basins in the Conterminous United States: Total Precipitation, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the catchment-average total precipitation in millimeters multiplied by 100 for 2002, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data were the Near-Real-Time Monthly High-Resolution Precipitation Climate Data Set for the Conterminous United States (2002) raster data set produced by the Spatial Climate Analysis Service at Oregon State University. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Tropical montane forest conversion affects spatial and temporal nitrogen dynamics in Kenyan headwater catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, Suzanne; Weeser, Björn; Breuer, Lutz; Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus; Guzha, Alphonce; Rufino, Mariana

2017-04-01

Deforestation and land use change (LUC) are often stated as major contributors to changes in water quality, although other catchment characteristics such as topography, geology and climate can also play a role. Understanding how stream water chemistry is affected by LUC is essential for sustainable water management and land use planning. However, there is often a lack of reliable data, especially in less studied regions such as East Africa. This study focuses on three sub-catchments (27-36 km2) with different land use types (natural forest, smallholder agriculture and tea/tree plantations) nested in a 1023 km2 headwater catchment in the Mau Forest Complex, Kenya's largest closed-canopy indigenous tropical montane forest. In the past decades approx. 25% of the natural forest was lost due to land use change. We studied seasonal, diurnal and spatial patterns of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), nitrate (NO3-N) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) using a combination of high-resolution in-situ measurements, bi-weekly stream water samples and spatial sampling campaigns. Multiple linear regression analysis of the spatial data indicates that land use shows a strong influence on TDN and nitrate, while DON is more influenced by precipitation. Highest TDN and nitrate concentrations are found in tea plantations, followed by smallholder agriculture and natural forest. This ranking does not change throughout the year, though concentrations of TDN and nitrate are respectively 27.6 and 25.4% lower in all catchments during the dry season. Maximum Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform (MODWT) analysis of the high resolution nitrate data revealed a seasonal effect on diurnal patterns in the natural forest catchment, where the daily peak shifts from early morning in the wet season to mid-afternoon in the dry season. The smallholder and tea catchment do not exhibit clear diurnal patterns. The results suggest that land use affects dissolved nitrogen concentrations, leading to higher N

Long-term data set analysis of stable isotopic composition in German rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reckerth, Anne; Stichler, Willibald; Schmidt, Axel; Stumpp, Christine

2017-09-01

Stable isotopes oxygen-18 (18O) and deuterium (2H) are commonly used to investigate hydrological processes in catchments. However, only a few isotope studies have been conducted on a large scale and rarely over long time periods. The objective of this study was to identify the spatial and seasonal variability of isotopic composition in river water and how it is affected by geographical and hydrological factors. The stable isotopic composition of river water has been measured in nine large river catchments in Germany for a time period of 12 years or 26 years. We conducted time series and correlation analyses to identify spatial and temporal patterns of the isotopic composition in the rivers. Further, we compared it to isotopic composition in local precipitation and catchments characteristics. In the majority of the rivers, the spatial and temporal patterns of precipitation were directly reflected in river water. The isotopic signals of the river water were time shifted and show attenuated amplitudes. Further deviations from isotopic compositions in local precipitation were observed in catchments with complex flow systems. These deviations were attributed to catchment processes and influences like evaporation, damming and storage. The seasonality of the isotopic composition was mainly determined by the discharge regimes of the rivers. We found correlations between isotopic long-term averages and catchment altitude as well as latitude and longitude, resulting in a northwest-southeast gradient. Furthermore, it was shown that long-term averages of d-excess were inversely related to flow length and catchment size, which indicates that evaporation enrichment has an impact on the isotopic composition even in catchments of humid climates. This study showed that isotopic composition in rivers can serve as a proxy for the local precipitation and can be utilized as an indicator for hydrological processes even in large river basins. In future, such long time series will help to

Lithium and carbon isotopes in river catchment: combined tracers to constrain chemical weathering processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rad, S.; Rive, K.; Assayag, N.; Dictor, M.; Garcin, M.

2012-12-01

Water-rock interactions produced in river catchment are accompanied by fractionation or changes in stable isotopes such as H, Li, C and O during chemical weathering processes. Li is a fluid-mobile element that tends to preferentially partition into the fluid phase during water-rock interaction. The relative mass difference between the two isotopes is considerable, generating large mass dependent fractionation during chemical weathering processes. The CO2 dissolves into the water providing the main acid that attack the rock during chemical weathering. Carbon stable isotopes and concentration of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) in the river catchment can be used to determine the origin and consumption rates of CO2. In the present work, stable isotopes were analyzed in Allier River, one of the major river basins of France. The lithology is dominated by granite rocks within current upstream, while it is mainly basaltic and Oligocene sediments in the downstream with hydrothermal manifestations. We propose a new isotopic approach by combining δ7Li and δ13CDIC analyses in river catchment waters. A first method has been applied to volcanic tropical environments with Li concentrations correlated to δ13CDIC (Rad et al., 2011). Here, we have completed this approach by lithium isotopes. Water samples were collected during several field trips. Our results show a large variation in Li isotopes and C isotopes within the catchment from 3.3 ‰ to 30.3 ‰ and from -17.9‰ to -3.5‰, respectively. Chemical weathering rates linearly increase from upstream to downstream over 400km distance, whereas Li isotope signatures decrease and global C signature increases. This is due to low water-rock interaction dominated in upstream, whereas the downstream is punctually impacted by hydrothermalism. From Li and C isotopes, our results show 4 groups reflecting different chemical weathering processes: the first group with high fractionation of Li and C, for Li, the heavy lithium

Estimating subsurface water volumes and transit times in Hokkaido river catchments, Japan, using high-accuracy tritium analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gusyev, Maksym; Yamazaki, Yusuke; Morgenstern, Uwe; Stewart, Mike; Kashiwaya, Kazuhisa; Hirai, Yasuyuki; Kuribayashi, Daisuke; Sawano, Hisaya

2015-04-01

The goal of this study is to estimate subsurface water transit times and volumes in headwater catchments of Hokkaido, Japan, using the New Zealand high-accuracy tritium analysis technique. Transit time provides insights into the subsurface water storage and therefore provides a robust and quick approach to quantifying the subsurface groundwater volume. Our method is based on tritium measurements in river water. Tritium is a component of meteoric water, decays with a half-life of 12.32 years, and is inert in the subsurface after the water enters the groundwater system. Therefore, tritium is ideally suited for characterization of the catchment's responses and can provide information on mean water transit times up to 200 years. Only in recent years has it become possible to use tritium for dating of stream and river water, due to the fading impact of the bomb-tritium from thermo-nuclear weapons testing, and due to improved measurement accuracy for the extremely low natural tritium concentrations. Transit time of the water discharge is one of the most crucial parameters for understanding the response of catchments and estimating subsurface water volume. While many tritium transit time studies have been conducted in New Zealand, only a limited number of tritium studies have been conducted in Japan. In addition, the meteorological, orographic and geological conditions of Hokkaido Island are similar to those in parts of New Zealand, allowing for comparison between these regions. In 2014, three field trips were conducted in Hokkaido in June, July and October to sample river water at river gauging stations operated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). These stations have altitudes between 36 m and 860 m MSL and drainage areas between 45 and 377 km2. Each sampled point is located upstream of MLIT dams, with hourly measurements of precipitation and river water levels enabling us to distinguish between the snow melt and baseflow contributions

High-resolution monitoring of catchment nutrient response to the end of the 2011-2012 drought in England, captured by the demonstration test catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Outram, F. N.; Lloyd, C.; Jonczyk, J.; Benskin, C. McW. H.; Grant, F.; Dorling, S. R.; Steele, C. J.; Collins, A. L.; Freer, J.; Haygarth, P. M.; Hiscock, K. M.; Johnes, P. J.; Lovett, A. L.

2013-12-01

The Demonstration Test Catchments (DTC) project is a UK Government funded initiative to test the effectiveness of on-farm mitigation measures designed to reduce agricultural pollution without compromising farm productivity. Three distinct catchments in England have been chosen to test the efficacy of mitigation measures on working farms in small tributary sub-catchments equipped with continuous water quality monitoring stations. The Hampshire Avon in the south is a mixed livestock and arable farming catchment, the River Wensum in the east is a lowland catchment with predominantly arable farming and land use in the River Eden catchment in the north-west is predominantly livestock farming. One of the many strengths of the DTC as a national research platform is that it provides the ability to investigate catchment hydrology and biogeochemical response across different landscapes and geoclimatic characteristics, with a range of differing flow behaviours, geochemistries and nutrient chemistries. Although numerous authors present studies of individual catchment responses to storms, no studies exist of multiple catchment responses to the same rainfall event captured with in situ high-resolution nutrient monitoring at a national scale. This paper brings together findings from all three DTC research groups to compare the response of the catchments to a major storm event in April 2012. This was one of the first weather fronts to track across the country following a prolonged drought period affecting much of the UK through 2011-2012, marking an unusual meteorological transition when a rapid shift from drought to flood risk occurred. The effects of the weather front on discharge and water chemistry parameters, including nitrogen species (NO3-N and NH4-N) and phosphorus fractions (total P (TP) and total reactive P (TRP)), measured at a half-hourly time step are examined. When considered in the context of one hydrological year, flow and concentration duration curves reveal that

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Surficial Geology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the area of surficial geology types in square meters compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is the "Digital data set describing surficial geology in the conterminous US" (Clawges and Price, 1999).The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2008). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Rainfall-runoff model for prediction of waterborne viral contamination in a small river catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelati, E.; Dommar, C.; Lowe, R.; Polcher, J.; Rodó, X.

2013-12-01

We present a lumped rainfall-runoff model aimed at providing useful information for the prediction of waterborne viral contamination in small rivers. Viral contamination of water bodies may occur because of the discharge of sewage effluents and of surface runoff over areas affected by animal waste loads. Surface runoff is caused by precipitation that cannot infiltrate due to its intensity and to antecedent soil water content. It may transport animal feces to adjacent water bodies and cause viral contamination. We model streamflow by separating it into two components: subsurface flow, which is produced by infiltrated precipitation; and surface runoff. The model estimates infiltrated and non-infiltrated precipitation and uses impulse-response functions to compute the corresponding fractions of streamflow. The developed methodologies are applied to the Glafkos river, whose catchment extends for 102 km2 and includes the city of Patra. Streamflow and precipitation observations are available at a daily time resolution. Waterborne virus concentration measurements were performed approximately every second week from the beginning of 2011 to mid 2012. Samples were taken at several locations: in river water upstream of Patras and in the urban area; in sea water at the river outlet and approximately 2 km south-west of Patras; in sewage effluents before and after treatment. The rainfall-runoff model was calibrated and validated using observed streamflow and precipitation data. The model contribution to waterborne viral contamination prediction was benchmarked by analyzing the virus concentration measurements together with the estimated surface runoff values. The presented methodology may be a first step towards the development of waterborne viral contamination alert systems. Predicting viral contamination of water bodies would benefit sectors such as water supply and tourism.

Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: 30-Year Average Daily Minimum Temperature, 1971-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents thecatchment-average for the 30-year (1971-2000) average daily minimum temperature in Celsius multiplied by 100 compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data were the United States Average Monthly or Annual Minimum Temperature, 1971 - 2000 raster data set produced by the PRISM Group at Oregon State University. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Study of Spatial Interrelationship of Long-term River Runoff Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jouk, V.; Romanova, H.; Polianin, V.

rivers. This influence was studied by us- ing conditional spatially-correlation functions or CSCF (i.e. spatially-correlation func- 1 tions constructed according to certain conditions applied to some landscape features). The following factors that affect annual river runoff were studied: catchment area, slope, mean elevation of a catchment, percentage of a forest cover of a catchment. As the study shows, the last factor mentioned above is the most important one which affects spatial interrelationship of an annual river runoff. It can be explained by the fact that the forest is a considerable seasonal and annual runoff redistributor. Moreover a forested area of river catchments varies greatly over the studied region. The influence of elevation occurred to be less obvious than that of the forest because of its small variation within the territory. The use of interpolation schemes taking into account anisotropy and heterogeneity of the field made it possible to improve quality of recollection of runoff rows. So considering heterogeneity of an annual runoff field using the information of percent- age of forest cover of a river catchment and mean elevation of a catchment lessened inaccuracy of runoff rows recollection by more than 7%. In principle, quality of in- terpolation can be enhanced more by taking into consideration not only the factors mentioned above, but also all possible landscape features of a river catchment.But this is the task of further researches. 2

Integrated analysis of water quality parameters for cost-effective faecal pollution management in river catchments.

PubMed

Nnane, Daniel Ekane; Ebdon, James Edward; Taylor, Huw David

2011-03-01

In many parts of the world, microbial contamination of surface waters used for drinking, recreation, and shellfishery remains a pervasive risk to human health, especially in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDC). However, the capacity to provide effective management strategies to break the waterborne route to human infection is often thwarted by our inability to identify the source of microbial contamination. Microbial Source Tracking (MST) has potential to improve water quality management in complex river catchments that are either routinely, or intermittently contaminated by faecal material from one or more sources, by attributing faecal loads to their human or non-human sources, and thereby supporting more rational approaches to microbial risk assessment. The River Ouse catchment in southeast England (U.K.) was used as a model with which to investigate the integration and application of a novel and simple MST approach to monitor microbial water quality over one calendar year, thereby encompassing a range of meteorological conditions. A key objective of the work was to develop simple low-cost protocols that could be easily replicated. Bacteriophages (viruses) capable of infecting a human specific strain of Bacteroides GB-124, and their correlation with presumptive Escherichia coli, were used to distinguish sources of faecal pollution. The results reported here suggest that in this river catchment the principal source of faecal pollution in most instances was non-human in origin. During storm events, presumptive E. coli and presumptive intestinal enterococci levels were 1.1-1.2 logs higher than during dry weather conditions, and levels of the faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) were closely associated with increased turbidity levels (presumptive E. coli and turbidity, r = 0.43). Spatio-temporal variation in microbial water quality parameters was accounted for by three principal components (67.6%). Cluster Analysis, reduced the fourteen monitoring sites to six

Palaeoflood evidence on the River Nore, South East Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, Ciara; Turner, Jonathan; Bourke, Mary

2017-04-01

Past geomorphic changes can be detected in sediment sinks, through the investigation of natural sediment archives. Since the advent of palaeoflood hydrology in the 1980s, numerous authors have demonstrated that such sediment deposits record valuable evidence of past flooding events. Many of these studies have focussed on fluvial systems in arid environments, with bedrock channels proving to be particularly successful field sites. In some districts, the collected datasets are now routinely employed to augment analyses of flood frequency and magnitude, which have traditionally relied on extrapolation of short hydrometric datasets. This study targets river reaches in a temperate humid environment, with a predominantly alluvial channel. The River Nore is one of the largest catchments draining South East Ireland. It is situated in a valley with an inherited glacial legacy and is principally a lowland river catchment. Specific morphological zones have been targeted which are optimal for flood deposit preservation, including palaeochannels, tributary junctions and floodplain overbank settings.There are a variety of anthropogenic pressures evident in this landscape. Among them are channelisation of select tributaries, a legacy of coal mining in the upland Carboniferous limestones, and the installation of man-made obstacles or modifications along the length of the river channel such as sluices and weirs. Regarding land-use, the majority of the catchment is dominated by agriculture, mainly pasture with some tillage. This study investigates palaeoflood evidence in the River Nore catchment and examines the development of the river floodplain using a variety of complementary field and desk-based methods. The sub-surface and micro-topography of river reaches are investigated using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology. Flood deposits have been characterised by examination of bank exposures and sediment cores. Installation of sediment traps

Surface water monitoring in the mercury mining district of Asturias (Spain).

PubMed

Loredo, Jorge; Petit-Domínguez, María Dolores; Ordóñez, Almudena; Galán, María Pilar; Fernández-Martínez, Rodolfo; Alvarez, Rodrigo; Rucandio, María Isabel

2010-04-15

Systematic monitoring of surface waters in the area of abandoned mine sites constitutes an essential step in the characterisation of pollution from historic mine sites. The analytical data collected throughout a hydrologic period can be used for hydrological modelling and also to select appropriate preventive and/or corrective measures in order to avoid pollution of watercourses. Caudal River drains the main abandoned Hg mine sites (located in Mieres and Pola de Lena districts) in Central Asturias (NW Spain). This paper describes a systematic monitoring of physical and chemical parameters in eighteen selected sampling points within the Caudal River catchment. At each sampling station, water flow, pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, redox potential and turbidity were controlled "in situ" and major and trace elements were analysed in the laboratory. In the Hg-mineralised areas, As is present in the form of As-rich pyrite, realgar and occasionally arsenopyrite. Mine drainage and leachates from spoil heaps exhibit in some cases acidic conditions and high As contents, and they are incorporated to Caudal River tributaries. Multivariate statistical analysis aids to the interpretation of the spatial and temporary variations found in the sampled areas, as part of a methodology applicable to different environmental and geological studies. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Groundwater denitrification in two agricultural river catchments: influence of hydro-geological setting and aquifer geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAleer, Eoin; Mellander, Per-Erik; Coxon, Catherine; Richards, Karl G.; Jahangir, Mohammad M. R.

2015-04-01

Identifying subsurface environments with a natural capacity for denitrification is important for improving agricultural management. At the catchment scale, a complex hierarchy of landscape, hydro-geological and physico-chemical characteristics combine to affect the distribution of groundwater nitrate (NO3-). This study was conducted along four instrumented hillslopes in two ca. 10km2 agricultural river catchments in Ireland, one dominated by arable and one by grassland agriculture. Both catchments are characterised by well drained soils, but have differing aquifer characteristics. The arable catchment is underlain by weathered Ordovician slate bedrock which is extensively fractured with depth. The grassland catchment is characterised by Devonian sandstone bedrock, exhibiting both lateral (from upslope to near stream) and vertical variations in permeability along each hillslope. The capacity for groundwater denitrification was assessed by examining the concentration and distribution patterns of N species (total nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved oxygen (DO) and redox potential (Eh) in monthly samples from shallow and deep groundwater piezometers (n=37). Additionally, the gaseous products of denitrification: nitrous oxide (N2O) and excess dinitrogen (excess N2) were measured seasonally using gas chromatography and membrane inlet mass spectroscopy, respectively. The slate catchment was characterised by uniformity, both laterally and vertically, in aquifer geochemistry and gaseous denitrification products. The four year spatial mean groundwater NO3--N concentration was 6.89 mg/l and exhibited low spatial and temporal variability (temporal SD: 1.19 mg/l, spatial SD: 1.185 mg/l). Elevated DO concentrations (mean: 9.75 mg/l) and positive Eh (mean: +176.5mV) at all sample horizons indicated a setting with little denitrification potential. This non-reducing environment was reflected in a low accumulation of denitrification

Radionuclides from past uranium mining in rivers of Portugal.

PubMed

Carvalho, Fernando P; Oliveira, João M; Lopes, Irene; Batista, Aleluia

2007-01-01

During several decades and until a few years ago, uranium mines were exploited in the Centre of Portugal and wastewaters from uranium ore milling facilities were discharged into river basins. To investigate enhancement of radioactivity in freshwater ecosystems, radionuclides of uranium and thorium series were measured in water, sediments, suspended matter, and fish samples from the rivers Vouga, Dão, Távora and Mondego. The results show that these rivers carry sediments with relatively high naturally occurring radioactivity, and display relatively high concentrations of radon dissolved in water, which is typical of a uranium rich region. Riverbed sediments show enhanced concentrations of radionuclides in the mid-section of the Mondego River, a sign of past wastewater discharges from mining and milling works at Urgeiriça confirmed by the enhanced values of (238)U/(232)Th radionuclide ratios in sediments. Radionuclide concentrations in water, suspended matter and freshwater fish from that section of Mondego are also enhanced in comparison with concentrations measured in other rivers. Based on current radionuclide concentrations in fish, regular consumption of freshwater species by local populations would add 0.032 mSv a(-1) of dose equivalent (1%) to the average background radiation dose. Therefore, it is concluded that current levels of enhanced radioactivity do not pose a significant radiological risk either to aquatic fauna or to freshwater fish consumers.

Contrasting climate change impact on river flows from high-altitude catchments in the Himalayan and Andes Mountains.

PubMed

Ragettli, Silvan; Immerzeel, Walter W; Pellicciotti, Francesca

2016-08-16

Mountain ranges are the world's natural water towers and provide water resources for millions of people. However, their hydrological balance and possible future changes in river flow remain poorly understood because of high meteorological variability, physical inaccessibility, and the complex interplay between climate, cryosphere, and hydrological processes. Here, we use a state-of-the art glacio-hydrological model informed by data from high-altitude observations and the latest climate change scenarios to quantify the climate change impact on water resources of two contrasting catchments vulnerable to changes in the cryosphere. The two study catchments are located in the Central Andes of Chile and in the Nepalese Himalaya in close vicinity of densely populated areas. Although both sites reveal a strong decrease in glacier area, they show a remarkably different hydrological response to projected climate change. In the Juncal catchment in Chile, runoff is likely to sharply decrease in the future and the runoff seasonality is sensitive to projected climatic changes. In the Langtang catchment in Nepal, future water availability is on the rise for decades to come with limited shifts between seasons. Owing to the high spatiotemporal resolution of the simulations and process complexity included in the modeling, the response times and the mechanisms underlying the variations in glacier area and river flow can be well constrained. The projections indicate that climate change adaptation in Central Chile should focus on dealing with a reduction in water availability, whereas in Nepal preparedness for flood extremes should be the policy priority.

Contrasting climate change impact on river flows from high-altitude catchments in the Himalayan and Andes Mountains

PubMed Central

Pellicciotti, Francesca

2016-01-01

Mountain ranges are the world’s natural water towers and provide water resources for millions of people. However, their hydrological balance and possible future changes in river flow remain poorly understood because of high meteorological variability, physical inaccessibility, and the complex interplay between climate, cryosphere, and hydrological processes. Here, we use a state-of-the art glacio-hydrological model informed by data from high-altitude observations and the latest climate change scenarios to quantify the climate change impact on water resources of two contrasting catchments vulnerable to changes in the cryosphere. The two study catchments are located in the Central Andes of Chile and in the Nepalese Himalaya in close vicinity of densely populated areas. Although both sites reveal a strong decrease in glacier area, they show a remarkably different hydrological response to projected climate change. In the Juncal catchment in Chile, runoff is likely to sharply decrease in the future and the runoff seasonality is sensitive to projected climatic changes. In the Langtang catchment in Nepal, future water availability is on the rise for decades to come with limited shifts between seasons. Owing to the high spatiotemporal resolution of the simulations and process complexity included in the modeling, the response times and the mechanisms underlying the variations in glacier area and river flow can be well constrained. The projections indicate that climate change adaptation in Central Chile should focus on dealing with a reduction in water availability, whereas in Nepal preparedness for flood extremes should be the policy priority. PMID:27482082

Distributions and concentrations of thallium in surface waters of a region impacted by historical metal mining (Cornwall, UK).

PubMed

Tatsi, Kristi; Turner, Andrew

2014-03-01

Thallium is a highly toxic heavy metal whose concentrations and distributions in the aquatic environment are poorly defined. In this study, concentrations of aqueous and total Tl have been measured in water samples from a variety of rivers and effluents (the latter related to historical metal mining) in the county of Cornwall, SW England. Aqueous concentrations ranged from about 13 ng L(-1) in a river whose catchment contained no metal mines to 2,640 ng L(-1) in water abstracted directly from an abandoned mine shaft. Concentrations of Tl in rivers were greatest in the vicinity of mine-related effluents, with a maximum value measured of about 770 ng L(-1). Thallium was not efficiently removed by the conventional, active treatment of mine water, and displayed little interaction with suspended particles. Its mobility in surface waters, coupled with concentrations that are close to a quality guideline of 800 ng L(-1), is cause for concern. Accordingly, we recommend that the metal is more closely monitored in this and other regions impacted by mining activities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Managing salinity in Upper Colorado River Basin streams: Selecting catchments for sediment control efforts using watershed characteristics and random forests models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tillman, Fred; Anning, David W.; Heilman, Julian A.; Buto, Susan G.; Miller, Matthew P.

2018-01-01

Elevated concentrations of dissolved-solids (salinity) including calcium, sodium, sulfate, and chloride, among others, in the Colorado River cause substantial problems for its water users. Previous efforts to reduce dissolved solids in upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) streams often focused on reducing suspended-sediment transport to streams, but few studies have investigated the relationship between suspended sediment and salinity, or evaluated which watershed characteristics might be associated with this relationship. Are there catchment properties that may help in identifying areas where control of suspended sediment will also reduce salinity transport to streams? A random forests classification analysis was performed on topographic, climate, land cover, geology, rock chemistry, soil, and hydrologic information in 163 UCRB catchments. Two random forests models were developed in this study: one for exploring stream and catchment characteristics associated with stream sites where dissolved solids increase with increasing suspended-sediment concentration, and the other for predicting where these sites are located in unmonitored reaches. Results of variable importance from the exploratory random forests models indicate that no simple source, geochemical process, or transport mechanism can easily explain the relationship between dissolved solids and suspended sediment concentrations at UCRB monitoring sites. Among the most important watershed characteristics in both models were measures of soil hydraulic conductivity, soil erodibility, minimum catchment elevation, catchment area, and the silt component of soil in the catchment. Predictions at key locations in the basin were combined with observations from selected monitoring sites, and presented in map-form to give a complete understanding of where catchment sediment control practices would also benefit control of dissolved solids in streams.

Groundwater and surface-water interactions and impacts of human activities in the Hailiutu catchment, northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhi; Zhou, Yangxiao; Wenninger, Jochen; Uhlenbrook, Stefan; Wang, Xusheng; Wan, Li

2017-08-01

The interactions between groundwater and surface water have been significantly affected by human activities in the semi-arid Hailiutu catchment, northwest China. Several methods were used to investigate the spatial and temporal interactions between groundwater and surface water. Isotopic and chemical analyses of water samples determined that groundwater discharges to the Hailiutu River, and mass balance equations were employed to estimate groundwater seepage rates along the river using chemical profiles. The hydrograph separation method was used to estimate temporal variations of groundwater discharges to the river. A numerical groundwater model was constructed to simulate groundwater discharges along the river and to analyze effects of water use in the catchment. The simulated seepage rates along the river compare reasonably well with the seepage estimates derived from a chemical profile in 2012. The impacts of human activities (river-water diversion and groundwater abstraction) on the river discharge were analyzed by calculating the differences between the simulated natural groundwater discharge and the measured river discharge. Water use associated with the Hailiutu River increased from 1986 to 1991, reached its highest level from 1992 to 2000, and decreased from 2001 onwards. The reduction of river discharge might have negative impacts on the riparian ecosystem and the water availability for downstream users. The interactions between groundwater and surface water as well as the consequences of human activities should be taken into account when implementing sustainable water resources management in the Hailiutu catchment.

Suspended sediment export in five intensive agricultural river catchments with contrasting land use and soil drainage characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherriff, Sophie; Rowan, John; Melland, Alice; Jordan, Phil; Fenton, Owen; hUallacháin, Daire Ó.

2015-04-01

Soil erosion and sediment loss from land can have a negative impact on the chemical and ecological quality of freshwater resources. In catchments dominated by agriculture, prediction of soil erosion risk is complex due to the interaction of physical characteristics such as topography, soil erodibility, hydrological connectivity and climate. Robust measurement approaches facilitate the assessment of sediment loss magnitudes in relation to a range of agricultural settings. These approaches improve our understanding of critical sediment transfer periods and inform development of evidence-based and cost-effective management strategies. The aim of this study was to i) assess the efficacy of out-of-channel (ex-situ) suspended sediment measurement approaches, ii) to quantify the variability of sediment exported from five river catchments with varying hydrology and agricultural land uses over multiple years and iii) to investigate trends in relation to physical and land use characteristics when sediment data were compared between catchments. Sediment data were collected in five intensive agricultural river catchments in Ireland (3-11 km2) which featured contrasting land uses (predominantly intensive grassland or arable) and soil drainage classes (well, moderate and poor). High-resolution suspended sediment concentration data (SSC - using a calibrated turbidity proxy) were collected ex-situ and combined with in-stream discharge data measured at each catchment outlet to estimate suspended sediment yield (SSY - t km-2 yr-1). In two catchments additional in-stream turbidity monitoring equipment replicated ex-situ measurements including site specific calibration of individual in-stream and ex-situ turbidity probes. Depth-integrated samples were collected to assess the accuracy of both approaches. Method comparison results showed that true SSC values (from depth-integrated sampling) were predominantly within the 95% confidence interval of ex-situ predicted SSC consequently

Reconstruction of the 2015 Atacama Floods: Influence of Legacy Mining Deposits in the Salado River Mouth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuenzalida Callejas, M. J.; Contreras Vargas, M. T.; Escauriaza, C. R.

2016-12-01

In March 2015, the Salado watershed in the Atacama Desert was affected by unusual storms that unleashed floods never recorded before in northern Chile. Chañaral, an urban center located at the mouth of the Salado River, suffered the most catastrophic consequences on the population and infrastructure. Several natural and anthropic factors contributed to the magnitude and effects observed in this event. The total precipitation, of more than 80 mm in the upper section of the basin, produced a massive and rapid hyperconcentrated flow from the Andean foothills, which propagated along the channel with high velocities, depositing more than 2 m of mud in Chañaral. The dynamics of the flood in the city was also influenced by mine tailings deposited at the river mouth. The mining industry in this region during the previous century deposited approximately 200 million tons of mine tailings in the Chañaral Bay. The accumulation of this legacy mining deposits at the river mouth changed the local morphodynamics, which exacerbated the impacts of the flood. The objective of this work is to improve our understanding of the factors that affect the hydrodynamic of floods in hyper-arid regions. We perform numerical simulations using data collected in the field to reconstruct the event of March 2015 in Chañaral, integrating hydrological and hydrodynamic models to propagate the hydrograph in the city with high resolution. By using the reconstruction of the hydrograph and peak flow estimated by Wilcox et al., 2016, we simulate the flood using a two-dimensional model of the shallow-water equations, fully coupled with the sediment concentration (Contreras & Escauriaza, 2016). To identify the influence of the tailing deposits on the flow hydrodynamics, we use high-resolution data of the pre- and post-disaster topography. We compare the performance of different methodologies to assess the destructive power of the flood, considering also the influence of the sediment concentration in the

Mitigating Agricultural Diffuse Pollution: Learning from The River Eden Demonstration Test Catchment Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reaney, S. M.; Barker, P. A.; Haygarth, P.; Quinn, P. F.; Aftab, A.; Barber, N.; Burke, S.; Cleasby, W.; Jonczyk, J. C.; Owen, G. J.; Perks, M. T.; Snell, M. A.; Surridge, B.

2016-12-01

Freshwater systems continue to fail to achieve their ecological potential and provide associated ecological services due to poor water quality. A key driver of the failure to achieve good status under the EU Water Framework Directive derives from non-point (diffuse) pollution of sediment, phosphorus and nitrogen from agricultural landscapes. While many mitigation options exist, a framework is lacking which provides a holistic understanding of the impact of mitigation scheme design on catchment function and agronomics. The River Eden Demonstration Test Catchment project (2009-2017) in NW England uses an interdisciplinary approach including catchment hydrology, sediment-nutrient fluxes and farmer attitudes, to understand ecological function and diffuse pollution mitigation feature performance. Water flow (both surface and groundwater) and quality monitoring focused on three ca. 10km2 catchments with N and P measurements every 30 minutes. Ecological status was determined by monthly diatom community analysis and supplemented by macrophyte, macroinvertebrate and fish surveys. Changes in erosion potential and hydrological connectivity were monitored using extensive Landsat images and detailed UAV monitoring. Simulation modelling work utilised hydrological simulation models (CRAFT, CRUM3 and HBV-Light) and SCIMAP based risk mapping. Farmer behaviour and attitudes have been assessed with surveys, interviews and diaries. A suite of mitigation features have been installed including changes to land management - e.g. aeriation, storage features within a `treatment train', riparian fencing and woodland creation. A detailed dataset of the integrated catchment hydrological, water quality and ecological behaviour over multiple years, including a drought period and an extreme rainfall event, highlights the interaction between ecology, hydrological and nutrient dynamics that are driven by sediment and nutrients exported within a small number of high magnitude storm events. Hence

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Level 3 Ecoregions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the estimated area of level 3 ecological landscape regions (ecoregions), as defined by Omernik (1987), compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of the Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is Level III Ecoregions of the Continental United States (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Intercomparison of different uncertainty sources in hydrological climate change projections for an alpine catchment (upper Clutha River, New Zealand)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jobst, Andreas M.; Kingston, Daniel G.; Cullen, Nicolas J.; Schmid, Josef

2018-06-01

As climate change is projected to alter both temperature and precipitation, snow-controlled mid-latitude catchments are expected to experience substantial shifts in their seasonal regime, which will have direct implications for water management. In order to provide authoritative projections of climate change impacts, the uncertainty inherent to all components of the modelling chain needs to be accounted for. This study assesses the uncertainty in potential impacts of climate change on the hydro-climate of a headwater sub-catchment of New Zealand's largest catchment (the Clutha River) using a fully distributed hydrological model (WaSiM) and unique ensemble encompassing different uncertainty sources: general circulation model (GCM), emission scenario, bias correction and snow model. The inclusion of snow models is particularly important, given that (1) they are a rarely considered aspect of uncertainty in hydrological modelling studies, and (2) snow has a considerable influence on seasonal patterns of river flow in alpine catchments such as the Clutha. Projected changes in river flow for the 2050s and 2090s encompass substantial increases in streamflow from May to October, and a decline between December and March. The dominant drivers are changes in the seasonal distribution of precipitation (for the 2090s +29 to +84 % in winter) and substantial decreases in the seasonal snow storage due to temperature increase. A quantitative comparison of uncertainty identified GCM structure as the dominant contributor in the seasonal streamflow signal (44-57 %) followed by emission scenario (16-49 %), bias correction (4-22 %) and snow model (3-10 %). While these findings suggest that the role of the snow model is comparatively small, its contribution to the overall uncertainty was still found to be noticeable for winter and summer.

Understanding fine sediment and phosphorous delivery in upland catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perks, M. T.; Reaney, S. M.

2013-12-01

The uplands of UK are heavily impacted by land management including; farming and forestry operations, moorland burning, peat extraction, metal mining, artificial drainage and channelisation. It has been demonstrated that such land management activity may modify hillslope processes, resulting in enhanced runoff generation and changing the spatial distribution and magnitude of erosion. Resultantly, few upland river systems of the UK are operating in a natural state, with land management activity often resulting in increased fluxes of suspended sediment (< 2 mm) and associated pollutants (such as phosphorous). Most recent Environment Agency (EA) data reveals that 60% of monitored water bodies within upland areas of the UK are currently at risk of failing the Water Framework Directive (WFD) due to poor ecological status. In order to prevent the continual degradation of many upland catchments, riverine systems and their diverse ecosystems, a range of measures to control diffuse pollution will need to be implemented. Future mitigation options and measures in the UK may be tested and targeted through the EA's catchment pilot scheme; DEFRA's Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) programmes and through the catchment restoration fund. However, restoring the physical and biological processes of past conditions in inherently sensitive upland environments is extremely challenging requiring the development of a solid evidence base to determine the effectiveness of resource allocation and to enable reliable and transparent decisions to be made about future catchment operations. Such evidence is rarely collected, with post-implementation assessments often neglected. This paper presents research conducted in the Morland sub-catchment of the River Eden within Cumbria; UK. 80% of this headwater catchment is in upland areas and is dominated by improved grassland and rough grazing. The catchment is heavily instrumented with a range of hydro-meteorological equipment. A high-tech monitoring

Evaluation of Metal Toxicity in Streams Affected by Abandoned Mine Lands, Upper Animas River Watershed, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Besser, John M.; Allert, Ann L.; Hardesty, Douglas K.; Ingersoll, Christopher G.; May, Thomas W.; Wang, Ning; Leib, Kenneth J.

2001-01-01

Acid drainage from abandoned mines and from naturally-acidic rocks and soil in the upper Animas River watershed of Colorado generates elevated concentrations of acidity and dissolved metals in stream waters and deposition of metal-contaminated particulates in streambed sediments, resulting in both toxicity and habitat degradation for stream biota. High concentrations of iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) occur in acid streams draining headwaters of the upper Animas River watershed, and high concentrations of some metals, especially Zn, persist in circumneutral reaches of the Animas River and Mineral Creek, downstream of mixing zones of acid tributaries. Seasonal variation of metal concentrations is reflected in variation in toxicity of stream water. Loadings of dissolved metals to the upper Animas River and tributaries are greatest during summer, during periods of high stream discharge from snowmelt and monsoonal rains, but adverse effects on stream biota may be greater during winter low-flow periods, when stream flows are dominated by inputs of groundwater and contain greatest concentrations of dissolved metals. Fine stream-bed sediments of the upper Animas River watershed also contain elevated concentrations of potentially toxic metals. Greatest sediment metal concentrations occur in the Animas River upstream from Silverton, where there are extensive deposits of mine and mill tailings, and in mixing zones in the Animas River and lower Mineral Creek, where precipitates of Fe and Al oxides also contain high concentrations of other metals. This report summarizes the findings of a series of toxicity studies in streams of the upper Animas River watershed, conducted on-site and in the laboratory between 1998 and 2000. The objectives of these studies were: (1) to determine the relative toxicity of stream water and fine stream-bed sediments to fish and invertebrates; (2) to determine the seasonal range of toxicity in stream

Decreasing boron concentrations in UK rivers: insights into reductions in detergent formulations since the 1990s and within-catchment storage issues.

PubMed

Neal, Colin; Williams, Richard J; Bowes, Michael J; Harrass, Michael C; Neal, Margaret; Rowland, Philip; Wickham, Heather; Thacker, Sarah; Harman, Sarah; Vincent, Colin; Jarvie, Helen P

2010-02-15

The changing patterns of riverine boron concentration are examined for the Thames catchment in southern/southeastern England using data from 1997 to 2007. Boron concentrations are related to an independent marker for sewage effluent, sodium. The results show that boron concentrations in the main river channels have declined with time especially under baseflow conditions when sewage effluent dilution potential is at its lowest. While boron concentrations have reduced, especially under low-flow conditions, this does not fully translate to a corresponding reduction in boron flux and it seems that the "within-catchment" supplies of boron to the river are contaminated by urban sources. The estimated boron reduction in the effluent input to the river based on the changes in river chemistry is typically around 60% and this figure matches with an initial survey of more limited data for the industrial north of England. Data for effluent concentrations at eight sewage treatment works within the Kennet also indicate substantial reductions in boron concentrations: 80% reduction occurred between 2001 and 2008. For the more contaminated rivers there are issues of localised rather than catchment-wide sources and uncertainties over the extent and nature of water/boron stores. Atmospheric sources average around 32 to 61% for the cleaner and 4 to 14% for the more polluted parts. The substantial decreases in the boron concentrations correspond extremely well with the timing and extent of European wide trends for reductions in the industrial and domestic usage of boron-bearing compounds. It clearly indicates that such reductions have translated into lower average and peak concentrations of boron in the river although the full extent of these reductions has probably not yet occurred due to localised stores that are still to deplete.

A catchment-integrated approach to determine the importance of secondary sources of contaminated sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andres Lopez-Tarazon, Jose; Byrne, Patrick; Mullan, Donal; Smith, Hugh

2015-04-01

Water pollution has been identified as one of the most important environmental challenges of the early 21st Century. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2008/105/EC) explicitly recognises the risk to water resources posed by sediment-associated contaminants in European river basins. The potential impacts on water supply and the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems from sediment and associated contaminants may be further exacerbated by climate change pressures on water resources, as highlighted in the 2009 EU White Paper "Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for action" (SEC(2009) 386, 387, 388). Despite these concerns, the role of floodplains and other storage areas as secondary sources of contaminated sediment (i.e. metals) in river basins affected by historic industrial or mining pollution has been largely overlooked. Thereby, besides the sediment which is transported by the river, secondary sources of contaminants represent a credible threat to achieving EU water quality targets set by the WFD. This project addresses this issue by developing a catchment-based approach looking at metal geochemistry from source to sink (i.e., from sediment generation at slopes, passing through sediment transported by the river system, to sediment deposition at the storage areas to the outlet) and develop a geochemical model to predict the chemical aspects of metals transport and transformation. This approach will allow us to quantify (i) the sediment fluxes and associated contaminants flowing through the river, (ii) the storage areas contributions to downstream contaminated sediment fluxes, (ii) the timescales for the storage and removal of contaminated sediment in the sinks, and (iv) the transformation and bioavailability of the pollutants (i.e. metals) along the basin. Both physical and chemical aspects of metal transport will be considered by looking at metal geochemistry, mobility and bioavailability, hence producing information on chemical metal transport

Competing feedbacks drive state transitions during initial catchment evolution: Examples from post-mining landscape and ecosystems evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinz, Christoph; Wolfgang, Schaaf; Werner, Gerwin

2014-05-01

Within the context of severely disturbed landscapes with little or no ecological memory, such as post-mining landscapes, we propose a simple framework that explains the catchment evolution as a result of competing feedbacks influenced by the initial conditions and the atmospheric drivers such as rainfall intermittency and intensity. The first stage of the evolution is dominated by abiotic feedbacks triggered by rainfall and subsequent fluid flow causing particle mobilisation on the surface and in the subsurface leading to flow concentration or in some instances to densification of surface and subsurface substrates. Subsequently, abiotic-biotic feedbacks start to compete in the sense that biological activity generally stabilizes substrate by preventing particle mobilisation and hence contribute to converting the substrate to a habitat. We suggest that these competing feedbacks may generate alternative stable states in particular under semi-arid and arid climatic conditions, while in temperate often energy limited environments biological process "outcompete" abiotic processes leading to a stable state, in particular from the water balance point of view for comparable geomorphic situations. To illustrate this framework, we provide examples from post-mining landscapes, in which soil, water and vegetation was monitored. In case of arid regions in Australia, we provide evidence that the initial conditions of a mine waste disposal "locked" the system into a state that was limited by water and nutrient storage capacity while at the same time it was stable from a geomorphic point of view for the observation period. The cause of the system to be locked in, is the very high hydraulic conductivity of the substrate, that has not undergone any changes during the first years. In contrast to this case study, we illustrate how this framework explains the evolution of an artificial catchment (Hühnerwasser Catchment) in Lusatia (150 km southeast of Berlin, Germany). During the

Soil water dynamics of lateritic catchments as affected by forest clearing for pasture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, M. L.; Barron, R. J. W.; Williamson, D. R.

1987-10-01

Aspects of soil water dynamics as affected by land use changes were examined over a period of five years (1974-1979) in two groups of adjacent catchments located in 1200 mm yr -1 and 800 mm yr -1 rainfall zones near Collie, Western Australia. In the summer of 1976/1977, after three years of calibration, 100% of one high rainfall catchment, Wights, and 53% of one lower rainfall catchment, Lemon, was cleared of native eucalyptus forest and replaced with pasture. The soil water storage down to 6m was measured in-situ using a neutron probe in fifteen access tubes located at five stratified sites in each catchment. Considerable spatial variability in soil water storage was encountered within a site, between sites within a catchment, and between paired catchments; the dominant variability being between sites. Comparisons between the pre- and postclearing states within a catchment and between the cleared and uncleared control catchments were used to evaluate the effect of change in land use on soil water dynamics. Within two years of the change from forest to pasture, a significant increase in soil water storage had occurred in the profiles in both cleared catchments. Concurrently, there was a small decrease in the uncleared control catchments. The increases following clearing were greater in the higher than in the lower rainfall catchment, more pronounced in the first year than in the second year, and occurred mostly at depths greater than 2m. In Wights catchment, the increase in summer minimum soil water storage in the first and second years amounted to 220 and 58 mm respectively, whilst for Lemon catchment the increase for the first year was < 50 mm. This increased soil water storage was due to a substantially lower evapotranspiration from the shallow-rooted, seasonally active pasture which extracts water from the top 1 m or so, compared with the perennial native eucalyptus forest which extracts water from depths down to 6 m and beyond. Due to the relatively low water

Glacier retreat and projected river regime changes in the hydrologically highly-coupled Virkisjökull catchment, Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flett, Verity; Kirkbride, Martin; Black, Andrew; Everest, Jez; MacDonald, Alan

2016-04-01

Virkisjökull, an outlet glacier of the Oræfajökull icecap in SE Iceland, currently has 60% glacier cover, though this is reducing due to glacier retreat. Intensive monitoring over the last 4 years includes measurement of measuring ice ablation, proglacial discharge, dye-tracing of flow pathways, and deployment of three automatic weather stations at altitudes up to 880 m. These data calibrate a distributed hydrological model (WaSIM) to project potential river regime during stages of glacier retreat. Results show: (1) glacier hypsometry sensitises the catchment to a disproportionately rapid increase in runoff as the snowline rises onto a gentle ice cap resulting in in a potential annual increase in river discharge of up to 37% (2) a dominantly channelized glacial drainage system in all seasons with a rapid runoff response to melt: englacial flow of 0.58 m s-1 is comparable to the proglacial river velocity; and (3) longer-term, reduced glacier cover and snow storage will lead to a discharge regime dominated by short-term precipitation events in all seasons, and a reduced influence of the seasonal meltwater discharge peak. The study demonstrates the importance of glacier hypsometry above the present ELA as an influence on catchment hydrological response to potential climate warming.

Changes in water and sediment exchange between the Changjiang River and Poyang Lake under natural and anthropogenic conditions, China.

PubMed

Gao, Jian Hua; Jia, Jianjun; Kettner, Albert J; Xing, Fei; Wang, Ya Ping; Xu, Xia Nan; Yang, Yang; Zou, Xin Qing; Gao, Shu; Qi, Shuhua; Liao, Fuqiang

2014-05-15

To study the fluvial interaction between Changjiang River and Poyang Lake, we analyze the observed changes of riverine flux of the mid-upstream of Changjiang River catchment, the five river systems of Poyang Lake and Poyang Lake basin. Inter-annual and seasonal variations of the water discharge and sediment exchange processes between Changjiang River and Poyang Lake are systematically explored to determine the influence of climate change as well as human impact (especially the Three Gorges Dam (TGD)). Results indicate that climate variation for the Changjiang catchment and Poyang Lake watershed is the main factor determining the changes of water exchanges between Changjiang River and Poyang Lake. However, human activities (including the emplacement of the TGD) accelerated this rate of change. Relative to previous years (1956-1989), the water discharge outflow from Poyang Lake during the dry season towards the Changjiang catchment increased by 8.98 km(3)y(-1) during 2003-2010. Evidently, the water discharge flowing into Poyang Lake during late April-late May decreased. As a consequence, water storage of Poyang Lake significantly reduced during late April-late May, resulting in frequent spring droughts after 2003. The freshwater flux of Changjiang River towards Poyang Lake is less during the flood season as well, significantly lowering the magnitude and frequency of the backflow of the Changjiang River during 2003-2010. Human activities, especially the emplacement and operation of the TGD and sand mining at Poyang Lake impose a major impact on the variation of sediment exchange between Changjiang main river and Poyang Lake. On average, sediments from Changjiang River deposited in Poyang Lake before 2000. After 2000, Changjiang River no longer supplied sediment to Poyang Lake. As a consequence, the sediment load of Changjiang River entering the sea increasingly exists of sediments from Lake Poyang during 2003-2010. As a result, Poyang Lake converted from a

Assessment of catchments' flooding potential: a physically-based analytical tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botter, G.; Basso, S.; Schirmer, M.

2016-12-01

The assessment of the flooding potential of river catchments is critical in many research and applied fields, ranging from river science and geomorphology to urban planning and the insurance industry. Predicting magnitude and frequency of floods is key to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of high flows, and has therefore long been the focus of hydrologic research. Here, the recurrence intervals of seasonal flow maxima are estimated through a novel physically-based analytic approach, which links the extremal distribution of streamflows to the stochastic dynamics of daily discharge. An analytical expression of the seasonal flood-frequency curve is provided, whose parameters embody climate and landscape attributes of the contributing catchment and can be estimated from daily rainfall and streamflow data. Only one parameter, which expresses catchment saturation prior to rainfall events, needs to be calibrated on the observed maxima. The method has been tested in a set of catchments featuring heterogeneous daily flow regimes. The model is able to reproduce characteristic shapes of flood-frequency curves emerging in erratic and persistent flow regimes and provides good estimates of seasonal flow maxima in different climatic regions. Performances are steady when the magnitude of events with return times longer than the available sample size is estimated. This makes the approach especially valuable for regions affected by data scarcity.

Variability of rainfall over Lake Kariba catchment area in the Zambezi river basin, Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muchuru, Shepherd; Botai, Joel O.; Botai, Christina M.; Landman, Willem A.; Adeola, Abiodun M.

2016-04-01

In this study, average monthly and annual rainfall totals recorded for the period 1970 to 2010 from a network of 13 stations across the Lake Kariba catchment area of the Zambezi river basin were analyzed in order to characterize the spatial-temporal variability of rainfall across the catchment area. In the analysis, the data were subjected to intervention and homogeneity analysis using the Cumulative Summation (CUSUM) technique and step change analysis using rank-sum test. Furthermore, rainfall variability was characterized by trend analysis using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall statistic. Additionally, the rainfall series were decomposed and the spectral characteristics derived using Cross Wavelet Transform (CWT) and Wavelet Coherence (WC) analysis. The advantage of using the wavelet-based parameters is that they vary in time and can therefore be used to quantitatively detect time-scale-dependent correlations and phase shifts between rainfall time series at various localized time-frequency scales. The annual and seasonal rainfall series were homogeneous and demonstrated no apparent significant shifts. According to the inhomogeneity classification, the rainfall series recorded across the Lake Kariba catchment area belonged to category A (useful) and B (doubtful), i.e., there were zero to one and two absolute tests rejecting the null hypothesis (at 5 % significance level), respectively. Lastly, the long-term variability of the rainfall series across the Lake Kariba catchment area exhibited non-significant positive and negative trends with coherent oscillatory modes that are constantly locked in phase in the Morlet wavelet space.

Mercury and arsenic in the gold mining regions of the Ankobra River basin in Ghana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bannerman, W.; Potin-Gautier, M.; Amoureux, D.; Tellier, S.; Rambaud, A.; Babut, M.; Adimado, A.; Beinhoff, C.

2003-05-01

The river Ankobra flows through the principal gold mining centres in Western Ghana, draining a total area of 8272 km^2 to join the Atlantic ocean. Mercury is used by thousands of small-scale miners in the region to amalgamate gold. Ores mined in some deep shafts and surface mines are arsenopyrites and the region is marked by the presence of heaps of arsenic - rich mine tailings from both past and recent activities. This study was conducted to assess the impact of mining activities on the distribution and speciation of arsenic and mercury in the aquatic environment of the Ankobra River. In all, water (filtered and non-filtered) and bed sediments were collected from various locations within the watershed. Principal parameters investigated include total mercury, arsenic (III), arsenic (V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMAA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA). Seasonal and spatial variations of these parameters were investigated. Quality control systems were adopted at both the environmental and analytical stages of the study. ln general, areas close to the mining centres are the most pollilited. As (V)/As (III) ratios in water are reversed after the first 100-km of the river length with the onset of industrial influence downstream.

The catchment based approach using catchment system engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonczyk, Jennine; Quinn, Paul; Barber, Nicholas; Wilkinson, Mark

2015-04-01

The catchment based approach (CaBa) has been championed as a potential mechanism for delivery of environmental directives such as the Water Framework Directive in the UK. However, since its launch in 2013, there has been only limited progress towards achieving sustainable, holistic management, with only a few of examples of good practice ( e.g. from the Tyne Rivers trust). Common issues with developing catchment plans over a national scale include limited data and resources to identify issues and source of those issues, how to systematically identify suitable locations for measures or suites of measures that will have the biggest downstream impact and how to overcome barriers for implementing solutions. Catchment System Engineering (CSE) is an interventionist approach to altering the catchment scale runoff regime through the manipulation of hydrological flow pathways throughout the catchment. A significant component of the runoff generation can be managed by targeting hydrological flow pathways at source, such as overland flow, field drain and ditch function, greatly reducing erosive soil losses. Coupled with management of farm nutrients at source, many runoff attenuation features or measures can be co-located to achieve benefits for water quality and biodiversity. A catchment, community-led mitigation measures plan using the CSE approach will be presented from a catchment in Northumberland, Northern England that demonstrate a generic framework for identification of multi-purpose features that slow, store and filter runoff at strategic locations in the landscape. Measures include within-field barriers, edge of field traps and within-ditch measures. Progress on the implementation of measures will be reported alongside potential impacts on the runoff regime at both local and catchment scale and costs.

Hydrogeochemical studies of historical mining areas in the Humboldt River basin and adjacent areas, northern Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nash, J. Thomas

2005-01-01

The study area comprises the Humboldt River Basin and adjacent areas, with emphasis on mining areas relatively close to the Humboldt River. The basin comprises about 16,840 mi2 or 10,800,000 acres. The mineral resources of the Humboldt Basin have been investigated by many scientists over the past 100 years, but only recently has our knowledge of regional geology and mine geology been applied to the understanding and evaluation of mining effects on water and environmental quality. The investigations reported here apply some of the techniques and perspectives developed in the Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative (AMLI) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a program of integrated geological-hydrological-biological-chemical studies underway in the Upper Animas River watershed in Colorado and the Boulder River watershed in, Montana. The goal of my studies of sites and districts is to determine the character of mining-related contamination that is actively or potentially a threat to water quality and to estimate the potential for natural attenuation of that contamination. These geology-based studies and recommendations differ in matters of emphasis and data collection from the biology-based assessments that are the cornerstone of environmental regulations.

Rainfall-runoff modelling of the Okavango River catchment to assess impacts of land use change on runoff and downstream ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milzow, Christian; Bauer-Gottwein, Peter

2010-05-01

The competition between human water use and ecosystem water use is one of the major challenges for water resources management at the global scale. We analyse the situation for the Okavango River basin of southern Africa. The Okavango River is representative for many large rivers throughout the developing world in that it is ungauged and poorly studied. The Okavango basin - spanning over Angola, Namibia and Botswana - represents a multi-objective problem in an international setting. Economic benefits of agricultural development and conservation of ecosystem services call for opposed actions. A semi-distributed rainfall-runoff model of the Okavango catchment is set up using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The model is sufficiently physically based to simulate the impact on runoff of extent of agricultural use, crop types and management practices. Precipitation and temperature inputs are taken from datasets covering large parts of the globe. The methodology can thus easily be applied for other ungauged catchments. For temperature we use the ERA-Interim reanalysis product of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and for precipitation the Famine Early Warning Systems Network data (FEWS-Net). Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) data resulted in poor model performance compared to the FEWS-Net data. Presently, the upstream catchment in Angola is largely pristine and agriculture is basically restricted to dry land subsistence farming. But economic growth in Angola is likely to result in agricultural development and consequent impacts on catchment runoff. Land use scenarios that are simulated include large scale irrigated agriculture with water extractions from the river and the shallow aquifer. Climate change impacts are also studied and compared to land use change impacts. The downstream part of the basin consists of the large Okavango Wetlands, which are a biodiversity hotspot of global importance and, through tourism, an important

Persistent pollution of Warta river catchment with chromium: case study from central Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermanski, S.; Lukaczynski, I.; Nikiel, G.; Mizera, J.; Dulinski, M.; Kania, J.; Rozanski, K.; Szklarczyk, T.; Wachniew, P.; Witczak, S.; Zurek, A.

2012-04-01

Upper reaches of the Warta river, the third largest river in Poland, are located in a densely populated and industrialized area, with presence of heavy industry going back to the second half of the XIX century. Industrial activities include iron smelters in towns of Częstochowa and Zawiercie, large chemical plants (Rudniki and Aniolow) producing predominantly chromium compounds, paper and textile industry, as well as large number of small enterprises specialized in metal coatings (nickel and chromium). Until the 1960s all the industrial and municipal effluents in the region were discharged into the Warta river and its tributaries. Solid wastes were dumped on the surface, mostly without appropriate cover and isolation. This resulted in progressive contamination of surface waters and groundwater with heavy metals, mostly chromium. The upper reaches of the Warta river are located on top of upper Jurassic Major Groundwater Basin (MGWB 326 which is one of four most important groundwater reservoirs in Poland. Almost all potable water demands in the area (ca. 340,000 inhabitants, 800 factories and enterprises) are covered by MGWB 326 (50 deep wells with the average extraction rate of 57,000 m3/d). As the MGWB 326 is mostly phreatic, it has been recognized since long time that persistent pollution of the upper catchment of the Warta river with heavy metals may pose serious thread to quality of this important groundwater resource. In this presentation we summarize the work carried out to date, focused on characterization of the extent and understanding of the mechanisms of pollution of surface water, sediments and groundwater in MGWB 326 with chromium. Historical monitoring data of the levels of chromium in the Warta river and its tributaries are presented, supplemented by the results of measurements of Cr loads in Warta over-bank deposits and Cr levels in groundwater production wells in the area. Three conceptual models of spreading of chromium in the catchment of Warta

Histopathology investigation on the Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis) populations captured from the rivers impacted by mining activities.

PubMed

Jordanova, Maja; Rebok, Katerina; Dragun, Zrinka; Ramani, Sheriban; Ivanova, Lozenka; Kostov, Vasil; Valić, Damir; Krasnići, Nesrete; Filipović Marijić, Vlatka; Kapetanović, Damir

2016-07-01

Many natural freshwater ecosystems, especially in the north eastern Macedonia, are polluted with heavy metals, which are released by active mines. Long-term exposure to high levels of dissolved metals might result in increased metal bioaccumulation in organs of aquatic organisms, and consequently might cause various sub-toxic and toxic effects. The aim of this study was to assess the health of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis) inhabiting mining impacted rivers Zletovska and Kriva, in comparison with chub from the reference Bregalnica River. It was done by use of indicators of tissue damage (histopathology of liver and gonads) and general indicators of exposure to environmental stressors (condition factor, organo-somatic indices and external/internal macroscopic lesions). Histological assessment of gonads revealed good reproductive health in all three rivers, indicating high tolerance of gonads to contaminant exposure. Contrary, several external/internal lesions were more pronounced in chub from severely metal contaminated Zletovska River. Prevalence of hepatic lesions was also higher in mining impacted rivers (in Kriva, 70%; in Zletovska, 59%) compared to Bregalnica River (38%). The spectrum of histological lesions observed in chub liver varied from non-specific minor degenerative conditions, such as lymphocyte infiltration, fibrosis, parasites, granulomas and lipidosis, to extensive and/or more severe changes such as bile duct proliferation, necrosis, megalocytosis, light-dark hepatocytes and hepatocytes regeneration. The results of histopathological investigation for all three rivers showed clear signs of water contamination, especially prominent in mining influenced rivers. More research efforts should be devoted to study of environmental conditions and metal contamination in the mining impacted rivers worldwide, especially of their effects on health of local ichthyofauna. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reconstructing a sediment pulse: Modeling the effect of placer mining on Fraser River, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, R. I.; Church, M.; Rennie, C. D.; Venditti, J. G.

2015-07-01

Gold mining along 525 km of the Fraser River between 1858 and 1909 added an estimated 1.1 × 108 t of tailings, half gravel and the rest finer, to the river's natural sediment load. We simulate the response using a 1-D multigrain size morphodynamic model. Since premining conditions are unknown and modern data are insufficient for tuning the process representation, we devised a novel modeling strategy which may be useful in other data-poor applications. We start the model from a smoothed version of the modern longitudinal profile with bed grain size distributions optimized to match alternative assumptions about natural sediment supply and compare runs that include mining with control runs that can be used to quantify the effects of deficiencies in process representation and initialization. Simulations with an appropriate choice of natural supply rate closely match the best available test data, which consist of a detailed 1952-1999 gravel budget for the distal part of the model domain. The simulations suggest that the main response to mining was rapid bed fining, which allowed a major increase in bed load transport rate with only slight (~0.1 m) mean aggradation within the mining region and most of the excess sediment exported well beyond the mountain front within the mining period or soon afterward. We compare this pattern of response by a large, powerful river with previous case studies of river adjustment to sediment supply change.

Sedimentation and Its Impacts/Effects on River System and Reservoir Water Quality: case Study of Mazowe Catchment, Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tundu, Colleta; Tumbare, Michael James; Kileshye Onema, Jean-Marie

2018-04-01

Sediment delivery into water sources and bodies results in the reduction of water quantity and quality, increasing costs of water purification whilst reducing the available water for various other uses. The paper gives an analysis of sedimentation in one of Zimbabwe's seven rivers, the Mazowe Catchment, and its impact on water quality. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was used to compute soil lost from the catchment as a result of soil erosion. The model was used in conjunction with GIS remotely sensed data and limited ground observations. The estimated annual soil loss in the catchment indicates soil loss ranging from 0 to 65 t ha yr-1. Bathymetric survey at Chimhanda Dam showed that the capacity of the dam had reduced by 39 % as a result of sedimentation and the annual sediment deposition into Chimhanda Dam was estimated to be 330 t with a specific yield of 226 t km-2 yr-1. Relationship between selected water quality parameters, TSS, DO, NO3, pH, TDS, turbidity and sediment yield for selected water sampling points and Chimhanda Dam was analyzed. It was established that there is a strong positive relationship between the sediment yield and the water quality parameters. Sediment yield showed high positive correlation with turbidity (0.63) and TDS (0.64). Water quality data from Chimhanda treatment plant water works revealed that the quality of water is deteriorating as a result of increase in sediment accumulation in the dam. The study concluded that sedimentation can affect the water quality of water sources.

Analytical results for Bullion Mine and Crystal Mine waste samples and bed sediments from a small tributary to Jack Creek and from Uncle Sam Gulch, Boulder River watershed, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fey, David L.; Church, Stan E.; Finney, Christopher J.

2000-01-01

Metal-mining related wastes in the Boulder River basin study area in northern Jefferson County, Montana affect water quality as a result of acid-generation and toxic-metal solubilization. Mine waste and tailings in the unnamed tributary to Jack Creek draining the Bullion mine area and in Uncle Sam Gulch below the Crystal mine are contributors to water quality degradation of Basin Creek and Cataract Creek, Montana. Basin Creek and Cataract Creek are two of three tributaries to the Boulder River in the study area. The bed sediment geochemistry in these two creeks has also been affected by the acidic drainage from these two mines. Geochemical analysis of 42 tailings cores and eleven bed-sediment samples was undertaken to determine the concentrations of Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn present in these materials. These elements are environmentally significant, in that they can be toxic to fish and/or the invertebrate organisms in the aquatic food chain. Suites of one-inch cores of mine waste and tailings material were taken from two breached tailings impoundments near the site of the Bullion mine and from Uncle Sam Gulch below the Crystal mine. Forty-two core samples were taken and divided into 211 subsamples. The samples were analyzed by ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy) using a mixed-acid (HC1-HNO3-HC1O4-HF) digestion. Results of the core analyses show that some samples contain moderate to very high concentrations of arsenic (as much as 13,000 ppm), silver (as much as 130 ppm), cadmium (as much as 260 ppm), copper (as much as 9,000 ppm), lead (as much as 11,000 ppm), and zinc (as much as 18,000 ppm). Eleven bed-sediment samples were also subjected to the mixed-acid total digestion, and a warm (50°C) 2M HC1-1% H2O2 leach and analyzed by ICP-AES. Results indicate that bed sediments of the Jack Creek tributary are impacted by past mining at the Bullion and Crystal mines. The contaminating metals are mostly contained in the 2M HC1-1% H2O2

Effects of land cover change on evapotranspiration and streamflow of small catchments in the Upper Xingu River Basin, Central Brazi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, M. H.; Dias, L. C. P.; Macedo, M.; Coe, M. T.; Neill, C.

2014-12-01

This study assess the influence of land cover changes on evapotranspiration and streamflow in small catchments in the Upper Xingu River Basin (Mato Grosso state, Brazil). Streamflow was measured in catchments with uniform land use for September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2010. We used models to simulate evapotranspiration and streamflow for the four most common land cover types found in the Upper Xingu: tropical forest, cerrado (savanna), pasture, and soybean croplands. We used INLAND to perform single point simulations considering tropical rainforest, cerrado and pasturelands, and AgroIBIS for croplands. Converting natural vegetation to agriculture substantially modifies evapotranspiration and streamflow in small catchments. Measured mean streamflow in soy catchments was about three times greater than that of forest catchments, while the mean annual amplitude of flow in soy catchments was more than twice that of forest catchments. Simulated mean annual evapotranspiration was 39% lower in agricultural ecosystems (pasture and soybean cropland) than in natural ecosystems (tropical rainforest and cerrado). Observed and simulated mean annual streamflows in agricultural ecosystems were more than 100% higher than in natural ecosystems. The accuracy of the simulations is improved by using field-measured soil hydraulic properties. The inclusion of local measurements of key soil parameters is likely to improve hydrological simulations in other tropical regions.

Effects of land cover change on evapotranspiration and streamflow of small catchments in the Upper Xingu River Basin, Central Brazi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, M. H.; Dias, L. C. P.; Macedo, M.; Coe, M. T.; Neill, C.

2015-12-01

This study assess the influence of land cover changes on evapotranspiration and streamflow in small catchments in the Upper Xingu River Basin (Mato Grosso state, Brazil). Streamflow was measured in catchments with uniform land use for September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2010. We used models to simulate evapotranspiration and streamflow for the four most common land cover types found in the Upper Xingu: tropical forest, cerrado (savanna), pasture, and soybean croplands. We used INLAND to perform single point simulations considering tropical rainforest, cerrado and pasturelands, and AgroIBIS for croplands. Converting natural vegetation to agriculture substantially modifies evapotranspiration and streamflow in small catchments. Measured mean streamflow in soy catchments was about three times greater than that of forest catchments, while the mean annual amplitude of flow in soy catchments was more than twice that of forest catchments. Simulated mean annual evapotranspiration was 39% lower in agricultural ecosystems (pasture and soybean cropland) than in natural ecosystems (tropical rainforest and cerrado). Observed and simulated mean annual streamflows in agricultural ecosystems were more than 100% higher than in natural ecosystems. The accuracy of the simulations is improved by using field-measured soil hydraulic properties. The inclusion of local measurements of key soil parameters is likely to improve hydrological simulations in other tropical regions.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Hydrologic Landscape Regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the area of Hydrologic Landscape Regions (HLR) compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of the Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is a 100-meter version of Hydrologic Landscape Regions of the United States (Wolock, 2003). HLR groups watersheds on the basis of similarities in land-surface form, geologic texture, and climate characteristics. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

The effects of acidic mine drainage from historical mines in the Animas River watershed, San Juan County, Colorado—What is being done and what can be done to improve water quality?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, Stanley E; Owen, J. Robert; Von Guerard, Paul; Verplanck, Philip L.; Kimball, Briant A.; Yager, Douglas B.

2006-01-01

Historical production of metals in the western United States has left a legacy of acidic drainage and toxic metals in many mountain watersheds that are a potential threat to human and ecosystem health. Studies of the effects of historical mining on surface water chemistry and riparian habitat in the Animas River watershed have shown that cost-effective remediation of mine sites must be carefully planned. Of the more than 5400 mine, mill, and prospect sites in the watershed, 80 sites account for more than 90% of the metal loads to the surface drainages. Much of the low pH water and some of the metal loads are the result of weathering of hydrothermally altered rock that has not been disturbed by historical mining. Some stream reaches in areas underlain by hydrothermally altered rock contained no aquatic life prior to mining. Scientific studies of the processes and metal-release pathways are necessary to develop effective remediation strategies, particularly in watersheds where there is little land available to build mine-waste repositories. Characterization of mine waste, development of runoff profiles, and evaluation of ground-water pathways all require rigorous study and are expensive upfront costs that land managers find difficult to justify. Tracer studies of water quality provide a detailed spatial analysis of processes affecting surface- and ground-water chemistry. Reactive transport models were used in conjunction with the best state-of-the-art engineering solutions to make informed and cost-effective remediation decisions. Remediation of 23% of the high-priority sites identified in the watershed has resulted in steady improvement in water quality. More than $12 million, most contributed by private entities, has been spent on remediation in the Animas River watershed. The recovery curve for aquatic life in the Animas River system will require further documentation and long-term monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of remediation projects implemented.

The effects of acidic mine drainage from historical mines in the Animas River watershed, San Juan County, Colorado—What is being done and what can be done to improve water quality?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, Stanley E.; Owen, Robert J.; Von Guerard, Paul; Verplanck, Philip L.; Kimball, Briant A.; Yager, Douglas B.

2007-01-01

Historical production of metals in the western United States has left a legacy of acidic drainage and toxic metals in many mountain watersheds that are a potential threat to human and ecosystem health. Studies of the effects of historical mining on surface water chemistry and riparian habitat in the Animas River watershed have shown that cost-effective remediation of mine sites must be carefully planned. of the more than 5400 mine, mill, and prospect sites in the watershed, ∼80 sites account for more than 90% of the metal loads to the surface drainages. Much of the low pH water and some of the metal loads are the result of weathering of hydrothermally altered rock that has not been disturbed by historical mining. Some stream reaches in areas underlain by hydrothermally altered rock contained no aquatic life prior to mining.Scientific studies of the processes and metal-release pathways are necessary to develop effective remediation strategies, particularly in watersheds where there is little land available to build mine-waste repositories. Characterization of mine waste, development of runoff profiles, and evaluation of ground-water pathways all require rigorous study and are expensive upfront costs that land managers find difficult to justify. Tracer studies of water quality provide a detailed spatial analysis of processes affecting surface- and ground-water chemistry. Reactive transport models were used in conjunction with the best state-of-the-art engineering solutions to make informed and cost-effective remediation decisions.Remediation of 23% of the high-priority sites identified in the watershed has resulted in steady improvement in water quality. More than $12 million, most contributed by private entities, has been spent on remediation in the Animas River watershed. The recovery curve for aquatic life in the Animas River system will require further documentation and long-term monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of remediation projects implemented.

Hydrology of the North Klondike River: carbon export, water balance and inter-annual climate influences within a sub-alpine permafrost catchment.

PubMed

Lapp, Anthony; Clark, Ian; Macumber, Andrew; Patterson, Tim

2017-10-01

Arctic and sub-arctic watersheds are undergoing significant changes due to recent climate warming and degrading permafrost, engendering enhanced monitoring of arctic rivers. Smaller catchments provide understanding of discharge, solute flux and groundwater recharge at the process level that contributes to an understanding of how larger arctic watersheds are responding to climate change. The North Klondike River, located in west central Yukon, is a sub-alpine permafrost catchment, which maintains an active hydrological monitoring station with a record of >40 years. In addition to being able to monitor intra-annual variability, this data set allows for more complex analysis of streamflow records. Streamflow data, geochemistry and stable isotope data for 2014 show a groundwater-dominated system, predominantly recharged during periods of snowmelt. Radiocarbon is shown to be a valuable tracer of soil zone recharge processes and carbon sources. Winter groundwater baseflow contributes 20 % of total annual discharge, and accounts for up to 50 % of total river discharge during the spring and summer months. Although total stream discharge remains unchanged, mean annual groundwater baseflow has increased over the 40-year monitoring period. Wavelet analysis reveals a catchment that responds to El Niño and longer solar cycles, as well as climatic shifts such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Dedicated to Professor Peter Fritz on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Land Use and River Degradation Impact of Sand and Gravel Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syah, Putra Rizal Ichsan; Hartuti, Purnaweni

2018-02-01

Sand and gravel mining is aimed at providing materials for infrastructure development, as well as providing economical source to the miners. However, the impacts of sand and gravel mining could also cause disturbances to ecological balance, since it is closely related to land use change and river degradation, besides causing conflicts in the miners, the government, and the private relationship. Therefore the government regulation and proper supervision are needed to preserve the ecological balance and decreasing the negative impacts of this mining, and therefore guarantee sustainable development.

Hydrological modeling of a watershed affected by acid mine drainage (Odiel River, SW Spain). Assessment of the pollutant contributing areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galván, L.; Olías, M.; Cánovas, C. R.; Sarmiento, A. M.; Nieto, J. M.

2016-09-01

The Odiel watershed drains materials belonging to the Iberian Pyrite Belt, where significant massive sulfide deposits have been mined historically. As a result, a huge amount of sulfide-rich wastes are deposited in the watershed, which suffer from oxidation, releasing acidic lixiviates with high sulfate and metal concentrations. In order to reliably estimate the metal loadings along the watershed a complete series of discharge and hydrochemical data are essential. A hydrological model was performed with SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) to solve the scarcity of gauge stations along the watershed. The model was calibrated and validated from daily discharge data (from 1980 to 2010) at the outlet of the watershed, river inputs into an existent reservoir, and a flow gauge station close to the northern area of the watershed. Discharge data obtained from the hydrological model, together with analytical data, allowed the estimation of the dissolved pollutant load delivered annually by the Odiel River (e.g. 9140 t of Al, 2760 t of Zn). The pollutant load is influenced strongly by the rainfall regime, and can even double during extremely rainy years. Around 50% of total pollution comes from the Riotinto Mining District, so the treatment of Riotinto lixiviates reaching the Odiel watershed would reduce the AMD (Acid Mine Drainages) in a remarkable way, improving the water quality downstream, especially in the reservoir of Alcolea, currently under construction. The information obtained in this study will allow the optimization of remediation efforts in the watershed, in order to improve its water quality.

Land Management, River Restoration and the Water Framework Directive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Ben; Clifford, Nicholas

2014-05-01

The influence of catchment land-use on river ecosystems is well established, with negative changes in hydrology, sediment supply and pollutants causing widespread degradation in modified catchments across Europe. The strength of relationship found between different land-use types and impacts on river systems varies from study to study as a result of issues around data quality, scale, study design and the interaction of stressors at multiple scales. Analysis of large-scale datasets can provide important information about the way that catchments pressures affect WFD objectives at a national scale. Comparisons of relationships between land-use and WFD status in different types of catchment within the UK allow an assessment of catchment sensitivity and analysis of the catchment characteristics which influence these relationships. The results suggest prioritising catchments at or near land-use thresholds, or targeting waterbodies with limited land-use pressures but which are failing to achieve GES or GEP. This paper uses UK datasets on land cover and WFD waterbody status to examine how catchment land-use impacts on WFD status and to evaluate opportunities to achieve Good Ecological Status or Good Ecological Potential. Agricultural and urban land-use are shown to have different types of relationship with respect to the likelihood of achieving Good Ecological Status, and with clear threshold effects apparent for urban land-use in the catchment. Broad-scale analysis shows the influence of different sized buffer strips in mitigating the negative effects of different types of land-cover, and reinforces the positive effects of riparian woodland on river ecosystems and their potential under the WFD.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Physiographic Provinces

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the area of each physiographic province (Fenneman and Johnson, 1946) in square meters, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data are from Fenneman and Johnson's Physiographic Provinces of the United States, which is based on 8 major divisions, 25 provinces, and 86 sections representing distinctive areas having common topography, rock type and structure, and geologic and geomorphic history (Fenneman and Johnson, 1946).The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Examining the spatial and temporal variation of groundwater inflows to a valley-to-floodplain river using 222Rn, geochemistry and river discharge: the Ovens River, southeast Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, M. C. L.; Cartwright, I.; Braden, J. L.; de Bree, S. T.

2013-12-01

Radon (222Rn) and major ion geochemistry were used to define and quantify the catchment-scale groundwater-surface water interactions along the Ovens River in the southeast Murray-Darling Basin, Victoria, Australia, between September 2009 and October 2011. The Ovens River is characterized by the transition from a single channel within a mountain valley in the upper catchment to a multi-channel meandering river on flat alluvial plains in the lower catchment. Overall, the Ovens River is dominated by gaining reaches, receiving groundwater from both alluvial and basement aquifers. The distribution of gaining and losing reaches is governed by catchment morphology and lithology. In the upper catchment, rapid groundwater recharge through the permeable aquifers increases the water table. The rising water table, referred to as hydraulic loading, increases the hydraulic head gradient toward the river and hence causes high baseflow to the river during wet (high flow) periods. In the lower catchment, lower rainfall and finer-gained sediments reduce the magnitude and variability of hydraulic gradient between the aquifer and the river, producing lower but more constant groundwater inflows. The water table in the lower reaches has a shallow gradient, and small changes in river height or groundwater level can result in fluctuating gaining and losing behaviour. The middle catchment represents a transition in river-aquifer interactions from the upper to the lower catchment. High baseflow in some parts of the middle and lower catchments is caused by groundwater flowing over basement highs. Mass balance calculations based on 222Rn activities indicate that groundwater inflows are 2 to 17% of total flow with higher inflows occurring during high flow periods. In comparison to 222Rn activities, estimates of groundwater inflows from Cl concentrations are higher by up to 2000% in the upper and middle catchment but lower by 50 to 100% in the lower catchment. The high baseflow estimates using

The long road to improving the water quality of the Western Bug River (Ukraine) - A multi-scale analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagemann, N.; Blumensaat, F.; Tavares Wahren, F.; Trümper, J.; Burmeister, C.; Moynihan, R.; Scheifhacken, N.

2014-11-01

River basin management (RMB) was introduced to combat high levels of water pollution across Ukraine. The Western Bug River provides an example of how water quality is impacted by industrial and domestic wastewater discharges as well as pollution from agriculture and mining activities. The paper draws from a broader interdisciplinary study which aims to outline the sources of pollution within the upper Western Bug River catchment and identify the driving institutional forces behind this enduring environmental problem. The results of this study show that the administrative and spatial scales concerning river catchment management in the Western Bug River basin are not aligned. Furthermore, the temporal scale is often conflicting with the two above mentioned scales. The current political and financial situation of the State, as well as outdated administrative structures hinders effective water governance and results in low water quality. Despite these findings, there is also some evidence that in the longer term the RBM approach could succeed in the Western Bug River, especially if political and legal reforms are properly implemented and enforced.

North Branch Potomac River Basin mine drainage study. Phase I. Baseline survey. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1977-05-06

This baseline survey of the mine drainage and related water resources of the North Branch Potomac River Basin established the extent, magnitude, and effects of coal mine drainage pollution. Alternative abatement and reclamation solutions were considered. The study included an analysis of socioeconomic and environmental conditions as related to the mine drainage problem.

Human mining activity across the ages determines the genetic structure of modern brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) populations

PubMed Central

Paris, Josephine R; King, R Andrew; Stevens, Jamie R

2015-01-01

Humans have exploited the earth's metal resources for thousands of years leaving behind a legacy of toxic metal contamination and poor water quality. The southwest of England provides a well-defined example, with a rich history of metal mining dating to the Bronze Age. Mine water washout continues to negatively impact water quality across the region where brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) populations exist in both metal-impacted and relatively clean rivers. We used microsatellites to assess the genetic impact of mining practices on trout populations in this region. Our analyses demonstrated that metal-impacted trout populations have low genetic diversity and have experienced severe population declines. Metal-river trout populations are genetically distinct from clean-river populations, and also from one another, despite being geographically proximate. Using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), we dated the origins of these genetic patterns to periods of intensive mining activity. The historical split of contemporary metal-impacted populations from clean-river fish dated to the Medieval period. Moreover, we observed two distinct genetic populations of trout within a single catchment and dated their divergence to the Industrial Revolution. Our investigation thus provides an evaluation of contemporary population genetics in showing how human-altered landscapes can change the genetic makeup of a species. PMID:26136823

Potential effects of anticipated coal mining on salinity of the Price, San Rafael, and Green Rivers, Utah

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Linkskov, K.L.

1986-01-01

The impact of anticipated coal mining in Utah on the salinity of the Price, San Rafael, and Green Rivers is to be addressed in the repermitting of existing mines and permitting of new mines. To determine the potential impacts, mathematical models were developed for the Price and San Rafael River basins. Little impact on the quantity and quality of streamflow is expected for the Price and San Rafael Rivers. The increase in mean monthly flow of the Price River downstream from Scofield Reservoir is projected as 3.5 cu ft/sec, ranging from 1.7% in June to 140% in February. At themore » mouth of the Price River, the potential increase in mean monthly flow is projected as 12.6 cu ft/sec, ranging from 3.7% in May to 37.7% in January. The potential changes in dissolved solids concentration would range from a 20.7% decrease in January to a 1.3% increase in June. At the mouth of the San Rafael River, the potential increase in mean monthly flow ranges from 2.9 cu ft/sec in February to 6.7 cu ft/sec in May, with the increase ranging from 0.8% in June to 12.6% in November. The potential changes in dissolved solids concentration would range from a 5.3% decrease in March to a 0.6% increase in May. The anticipated mining in the Price and San Rafael River basins is not expected to cause a detectable change in the quantity and quality of streamflow in the Green River. The projected peak increase in flow resulting from discharge from the mines is less than 0.3% of the average flow in the Green River. 18 refs., 6 figs., 17 tabs.« less

Climate and land-use change impact on faecal indicator bacteria in a temperate maritime catchment (the River Conwy, Wales)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bussi, Gianbattista; Whitehead, Paul G.; Thomas, Amy R. C.; Masante, Dario; Jones, Laurence; Jack Cosby, B.; Emmett, Bridget A.; Malham, Shelagh K.; Prudhomme, Christel; Prosser, Havard

2017-10-01

Water-borne pathogen contamination from untreated sewage effluent and runoff from farms is a serious threat to the use of river water for drinking and commercial purposes, such as downstream estuarine shellfish industries. In this study, the impact of climate change and land-use change on the presence of faecal indicator bacteria in freshwater was evaluated, through the use of a recently-developed catchment-scale pathogen model. The River Conwy in Wales has been used as a case-study, because of the large presence of livestock in the catchment and the importance of the shellfish harvesting activities in its estuary. The INCA-Pathogens catchment model has been calibrated through the use of a Monte-Carlo-based technique, based on faecal indicator bacteria measurements, and then driven by an ensemble of climate projections obtained from the HadRM3-PPE model (Future Flow Climate) plus four land-use scenarios (current land use, managed ecosystem, abandonment and agricultural intensification). The results show that climate change is not expected to have a very large impact on average river flow, although it might alter its seasonality. The abundance of faecal indicator bacteria is expected to decrease in response to climate change, especially during the summer months, due to reduced precipitation, causing reduced runoff, and increased temperature, which enhances the bacterial die-off processes. Land-use change can also have a potentially large impact on pathogens. The "managed ecosystems" scenario proposed in this study can cause a reduction of 15% in average water faecal indicator bacteria and up to 30% in the 90th percentile of water faecal indicator bacteria, mainly due to the conversion of pasture land into grassland and the expansion of forest land. This study provides an example of how to assess the impacts of human interventions on the landscape, and what may be the extent of their effects, for other catchments where the human use of the natural resources in the

A new perspective on catchment storage gained from a nested catchment experiment in Luxembourg (Europe)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfister, Laurent; Klaus, Julian; Hissler, Christophe; François Iffly, Jean; Gourdol, Laurent; Martinez-Carreras, Nuria; McDonnell, Jeffrey J.

2014-05-01

Recent hydrological process research focussed on how much water a catchment can store and how these catchments store and release water. Storage can be a valuable metric for catchment description, inter-comparison, and classification. Further storage controls catchment mixing, non-linearities in rainfall-runoff transformation and eco-hydrological processes. Various methods exist to determine catchment storage (e.g. natural tracer, soil moisture and groundwater data, hydrological models). Today it remains unclear what parts of the catchment storage are measured with the different models. Here we present a new hydrometric approach to answer the question how much water a catchment can store. We tested our approach in a dense hydro-climatological monitoring network that encompasses 16 recording streamgauges and 21 pluviographs in the Alzette River basin in Luxembourg (Europe). Catchment scales are ranging from 0.47 to 285 km2 and they have clean- and mixed combinations of distinct geologies ranging from schists to marls, sandstone, dolomite and limestone. Previous investigations in the area of interest have shown that geology largely controls winter runoff coefficients. Here, we focus at how catchment geology is ultimately affecting catchment storage. We used the approach of Sayama et al. (2011) to compute catchment dynamic storage changes for each winter season over the period 2002-2012 (based on precipitation as input; discharge and evapotranspiration as output). We determined dynamic storage changes for each winter semester (October to March) in all 16 catchments over the period 2002-2012. At the beginning of each hydrological winter season, all catchments showed similar trends in storage change. A few weeks into the winter season, catchments with lowest permeability (e.g. marls) started to plateau. The highest storage values were reached several months later in the season in catchments dominated by permeable substrate (e.g. sandstone). For most catchments, we found

Cadmium Isotope Fractionation of the Surface Waters in a Mining Area Impacted by Acid Mine Drainage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, W.; Chen, Y.; Tang, Y.

2016-12-01

The pollution of natural waters and sediments with metals derived from acid mine drainage (AMD) is a global environmental problem. However, the processes governing the behaviors of transportation and transformation of metals like Cd in mountain area are poorly understood, the complicated hydro-geomorphic settings of mountain catchments are difficult to access . And few reports have been reported about the effects of. In this study, the concentration and the isotopic composition of Cd selected filtered stream samples from the Hengshi river affected by AMD have been determined. The Cd concentrations were determined for collected sediments samples, which cover the entire river valley from upstream to the downstream regions. Results showed that reducing concentrations for Cd were found in the river water from upstream to downstream, and also high enrichment factor for Cd in all the sediments, suggest that Cd mainly is derived from Liwu dam and easily enter into solid phase. The isotopic data show that the dissolved Cd in rivers is characterized by δ114/110Cd, ranged from 0.09 ‰ to 0.40 ‰ in term of δ114/110Cd , the mean is 0.25 ± 0.06 ‰, and the content of Cd from the sediments is 0.18 to 39.85 μg/g. The river isotope values are similar to the isotope signature of Liwu dam, which contain significant amounts of contaminants under a deep water cover, such as mine tailings, sulfide-rich rocks and minerals. Large fractionated Cd (δ114/110Cd = 0.40 ± 0.09 ‰) was found in water sample collected from midstream near a farmland, which imply there is a new source different from the LIWU dam depend on the heavier Cd signature. We hypothesize that this shift results from either hydrology changes over time in the main and tributaries stream, and some new pollution source imported. The change in the behavior of sorption of cadmium on oxides and hydroxides in the sediment system under low pH cause indistinguishable fractionation. Our result is encouraging for

Numerical model of the catchments of the oziąbel and wołczyński strumień rivers - Wołczyn municipality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olichwer, Tomasz; Wcisło, Marek; Staśko, Stanisław; Buczyński, Sebastian; Modelska, Magdalena; Tarka, Robert

2012-10-01

The article presents a numerical model designed for determining groundwater dynamics and water balance of the catchments of the Oziąbel (Czarna Woda) river and the Wołczyński Strumień river in Wołczyn region. Hydrogeological mapping and modelling research covered the area of 238.9 km2. As a result of measurements performed in 2008-2009, flows were determined in major rivers and water table positions were measured at 26 points. In the major part of the area described, the water table, lying at the depth of 1.5-18.7 m, has unconfined character, and the aquifer is built of Neogene (Quaternary) sands and gravels. In the area under study, groundwaters are drawn from 6 wells with total withdrawal of 6133 m3/d. The numerical modelling was performed with the use of Visual Modflow 3.1.0 software. The area was partitioned by a discretization grid with a step size l = 250 m. The conceptual model of the hydrogeological system is based on hydrological data gathered over a period of one year, data from HYDRO bank database, cross-sections and maps. The boundaries of the modelled hydrogeological system were established on the watersheds of the Wołczyński Strumień river and the Oziąbel river, apart from the areas where they run together. The modelled area was extended (271.5 km2) around the Wołczyński Strumień river catchment to achieve a more effective mapping of the anthropogenic impact on its balance and the hydrodynamic system of the catchment area. The structure is characterised by the occurrence of one or rarely two aquifers separated by a pack of Quaternary clays. The investigation produced a detailed water balance and its components.

Surface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cravotta, Charles A.; Goode, Daniel J.; Bartles, Michael D.; Risser, Dennis W.; Galeone, Daniel G.

2014-01-01

Streams crossing underground coal mines may lose flow, while abandoned mine drainage (AMD) restores flow downstream. During 2005-12, discharge from the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel, the largest AMD source in the upper Schuylkill River Basin, had near-neutral pH and elevated concentrations of iron, manganese, and sulfate. Discharge from the tunnel responded rapidly to recharge but exhibited a prolonged recession compared to nearby streams, consistent with rapid infiltration and slow release of groundwater from the mine. Downstream of the AMD, dissolved iron was attenuated by oxidation and precipitation while dissolved CO2 degassed and pH increased. During high-flow conditions, the AMD and downstream waters exhibited decreased pH, iron, and sulfate with increased acidity that were modeled by mixing net-alkaline AMD with recharge or runoff having low ionic strength and low pH. Attenuation of dissolved iron within the river was least effective during high-flow conditions because of decreased transport time coupled with inhibitory effects of low pH on oxidation kinetics. A numerical model of groundwater flow was calibrated using groundwater levels in the Pine Knot Mine and discharge data for the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel and the West Branch Schuylkill River during a snowmelt event in January 2012. Although the calibrated model indicated substantial recharge to the mine complex took place away from streams, simulation of rapid changes in mine pool level and tunnel discharge during a high flow event in May 2012 required a source of direct recharge to the Pine Knot Mine. Such recharge produced small changes in mine pool level and rapid changes in tunnel flow rate because of extensive unsaturated storage capacity and high transmissivity within the mine complex. Thus, elimination of stream leakage could have a small effect on the annual discharge from the tunnel, but a large effect on peak discharge and associated water quality in streams.

Spatial and temporal relationships among watershed mining, water quality, and freshwater mussel status in an eastern USA river.

PubMed

Zipper, Carl E; Donovan, Patricia F; Jones, Jess W; Li, Jing; Price, Jennifer E; Stewart, Roger E

2016-01-15

The Powell River of southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee, USA, drains a watershed with extensive coal surface mining, and it hosts exceptional biological richness, including at-risk species of freshwater mussels, downstream of mining-disturbed watershed areas. We investigated spatial and temporal patterns of watershed mining disturbance; their relationship to water quality change in the section of the river that connects mining areas to mussel habitat; and relationships of mining-related water constituents to measures of recent and past mussel status. Freshwater mussels in the Powell River have experienced significant declines over the past 3.5 decades. Over that same period, surface coal mining has influenced the watershed. Water-monitoring data collected by state and federal agencies demonstrate that dissolved solids and associated constituents that are commonly influenced by Appalachian mining (specific conductance, pH, hardness and sulfates) have experienced increasing temporal trends from the 1960s through ~2008; but, of those constituents, only dissolved solids concentrations are available widely within the Powell River since ~2008. Dissolved solids concentrations have stabilized in recent years. Dissolved solids, specific conductance, pH, and sulfates also exhibited spatial patterns that are consistent with dilution of mining influence with increasing distance from mined areas. Freshwater mussel status indicators are correlated negatively with dissolved solids concentrations, spatially and temporally, but the direct causal mechanisms responsible for mussel declines remain unknown. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Influence of temporal sampling regime on the WFD classification of catchments within the Eden Demonstration Test Catchment Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonczyk, Jennine; Haygarth, Phil; Quinn, Paul; Reaney, Sim

2014-05-01

A high temporal resolution data set from the Eden Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) project is used to investigate the processes causing pollution and the influence of temporal sampling regime on the WFD classification of three catchments. This data highlights WFD standards may not be fit for purpose. The Eden DTC project is part of a UK government-funded project designed to provide robust evidence regarding how diffuse pollution can be cost-effectively controlled to improve and maintain water quality in rural river catchments. The impact of multiple water quality parameters on ecosystems and sustainable food production are being studied at the catchment scale. Three focus catchments approximately 10 km2 each, have been selected to represent the different farming practices and geophysical characteristics across the Eden catchment, Northern England. A field experimental programme has been designed to monitor the dynamics of agricultural diffuse pollution at multiple scales using state of the art sensors providing continuous real time data. The data set, which includes Total Phosphorus and Total Reactive Phosphorus, Nitrate, Ammonium, pH, Conductivity, Turbidity and Chlorophyll a reveals the frequency and duration of nutrient concentration target exceedance which arises from the prevalence of storm events of increasing magnitude. This data set is sub-sampled at different time intervals to explore how different sampling regimes affects our understanding of nutrient dynamics and the ramification of the different regimes to WFD chemical status. This presentation seeks to identify an optimum temporal resolution of data for effective catchment management and to question the usefulness of the WFD status metric for determining health of a system. Criteria based on high frequency short duration events needs to be accounted for.

Determination of pre-mining geochemical conditions and paleoecology in the Animas River Watershed, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, S.E.; Fey, D.L.; Brouwers, E.M.; Holmes, C.W.; Blair, Robert

1999-01-01

Determination of the pre-mining geochemical baseline in bed sediments and the paleoecology in a watershed impacted by historical mining activity is of utmost importance in establishing watershed restoration goals. We have approached this problem in the Animas River watershed using geomorphologic mapping methods to identify old pre-mining sediments. A systematic evaluation of possible sites resulted in collection of a large number of samples of pre-mining sediments, overbank sediments, and fluvial tailings deposits from more than 50 sites throughout the watershed. Chemical analysis of individual stratigraphic layers has resulted in a chemical stratigraphy that can be tied to the historical record through geochronological and dendochronological studies at these sites. Preliminary analysis of geochemical data from more than 500 samples from this study, when coupled with both the historical and geochronological record, clearly show that there has been a major impact by historical mining activities on the geochemical record preserved in these fluvial bed sediments. Historical mining activity has resulted in a substantial increase in metals in the very fine sand to clay sized component of the bed sediment of the upper Animas River, and Cement and Mineral Creeks. Enrichment factors for metals in modern bed sediments, relative to the pre-mining sediments, range from a factor of 2 to 6 for arsenic, 4 to more than 10 for cadmium, 2 to more than 10 for lead, 2 to 5 for silver, and 2 to more than 15 for zinc. However, the pre-mining bed sediment geochemical baseline is high relative to crustal abundance levels of many orerelated metals and the watershed would readily be identified as a highly mineralized area suitable for mineral exploration if it had not been disturbed by historical mining activity. We infer from these data that the water chemistry in the streams was less acidic prior to historical mining activity in the watershed. Paleoentologic evidence does not indicate a

Representing macropore flow at the catchment scale: a comparative modeling study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D.; Li, H. Y.; Tian, F.; Leung, L. R.

2017-12-01

Macropore flow is an important hydrological process that generally enhances the soil infiltration capacity and velocity of subsurface water. Up till now, macropore flow is mostly simulated with high-resolution models. One possible drawback of this modeling approach is the difficulty to effectively represent the overall typology and connectivity of the macropore networks. We hypothesize that modeling macropore flow directly at the catchment scale may be complementary to the existing modeling strategy and offer some new insights. Tsinghua Representative Elementary Watershed model (THREW model) is a semi-distributed hydrology model, where the fundamental building blocks are representative elementary watersheds (REW) linked by the river channel network. In THREW, all the hydrological processes are described with constitutive relationships established directly at the REW level, i.e., catchment scale. In this study, the constitutive relationship of macropore flow drainage is established as part of THREW. The enhanced THREW model is then applied at two catchments with deep soils but distinct climates, the humid Asu catchment in the Amazon River basin, and the arid Wei catchment in the Yellow River basin. The Asu catchment has an area of 12.43km2 with mean annual precipitation of 2442mm. The larger Wei catchment has an area of 24800km2 but with mean annual precipitation of only 512mm. The rainfall-runoff processes are simulated at a hourly time step from 2002 to 2005 in the Asu catchment and from 2001 to 2012 in the Wei catchment. The role of macropore flow on the catchment hydrology will be analyzed comparatively over the Asu and Wei catchments against the observed streamflow, evapotranspiration and other auxiliary data.

Towards a catchment-scale macro-ecological model to support integrated catchment management in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerner, R. N.; Lerner, D. N.; Surridge, B.; Paetzold, A.; Harris, B.; Anderson, C. W.

2005-12-01

In Europe, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is providing a powerful regulatory driver to adopt integrated catchment management, and so pressurizing researchers to build suitable supporting tools. The WFD requires agencies to drive towards `good ecological quality' by 2015. After the initial step of characterising water bodies and the pressures on them, the next substantive step is the preparation of river basin management plans and proposed programmes of measures by 2009. Ecological quality is a complex concept and poorly defined, unless it is taken as a simple measure such as the abundance of a particular species of organism. There is clearly substantial work to do to build a practical but sound definition of ecological quality; practical in the sense of being easy to measure and explain to stakeholders, and sound in the sense that it reflects ecological complexity within catchments, the variability between catchments, and the conflicts demands for goods and services that human society places upon the ecological system. However ecological quality is defined, it will be driven by four interacting groups of factors. These represent the physical, chemical, ecological and socio-economic environments within and encompassing the catchment. Some of these groupings are better understood than others, for example hydrological processes and the transport of solutes are reasonably understood, even though they remain research areas in their own right. There are much larger gaps in our understanding at the interfaces, i.e. predicting how, for example, hydrological processes such as flow and river morphology influence ecological quality. Overall, it is clear we are not yet in a position to build deterministic models of the overall ecological behaviour of catchment. But we need predictive tools to support catchment management agencies in preparing robust plans. This poster describes our current exploration of soft modelling options to build a comprehensive macro

Trace elements in the Fontinalis antipyretica from rivers receiving sewage of lignite and glass sand mining industry.

PubMed

Kosior, Grzegorz; Samecka-Cymerman, Aleksandra; Kolon, Krzysztof; Brudzińska-Kosior, Anna; Bena, Waldemar; Kempers, Alexander J

2015-07-01

Intensive lignite and glass sand mining and industrial processing release waste which may contain elements hazardous to the aquatic ecosystem and constitute a potential risk to human health. Therefore, their levels must be carefully controlled. As a result, we examined the effects of sewage on the aquatic Fontinalis antipyretica moss in the Nysa Łużycka (lignite industry) and the Kwisa Rivers (glass sand industry). The Nysa Łużycka and the Kwisa Rivers appeared to be heavily polluted with As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn, which were reflected in the extremely high concentration of these elements in F. antipyretica along the studied watercourses. In the Nysa Łużycka, trace element composition in the moss species is affected by lignite industry with accumulation in its tissues of the highest concentrations of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, while samples from the Kwisa sites influenced by glass sand industry revealed the highest concentrations of As, V and Fe. The principal component and classification analysis classifies the concentration of elements in the aquatic F. antipyretica moss, thus enabling the differentiation of sources of water pollution in areas affected by mining industry.

Mass balance and decontamination times of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in rural nested catchments of an early industrialized region (Seine River basin, France).

PubMed

Gateuille, David; Evrard, Olivier; Lefevre, Irène; Moreau-Guigon, Elodie; Alliot, Fabrice; Chevreuil, Marc; Mouchel, Jean-Marie

2014-02-01

Accumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils and their subsequent release in rivers constitute a major environmental and public health problem in industrialized countries. In the Seine River basin (France), some PAHs exceed the target concentrations, and the objectives of good chemical status required by the European Water Framework Directive might not be achieved. This investigation was conducted in an upstream subcatchment where atmospheric fallout (n=42), soil (n=33), river water (n=26) and sediment (n=101) samples were collected during one entire hydrological year. PAH concentrations in atmospheric fallout appeared to vary seasonally and to depend on the distance to urban areas. They varied between 60 ng·L(-1) (in a remote site during autumn) and 2,380 ng·L(-1) (in a built-up area during winter). PAH stocks in soils of the catchment were estimated based on land use, as mean PAH concentrations varied between 110 ng·g(-1) under woodland and 2,120 ng·g(-1) in built-up areas. They ranged from 12 to 220 kg·km(-2). PAH contamination in the aqueous phase of rivers remained homogeneous across the catchment (72 ± 38 ng·L(-1)). In contrast, contamination of suspended solid was heterogeneous depending on hydrological conditions and population density in the drainage area. Moreover, PAH concentrations appeared to be higher in sediment (230-9,210 ng·g(-1)) than in the nearby soils. Annual mass balance calculation conducted at the catchment scale showed that current PAH losses were mainly due to dissipation (biodegradation, photo-oxidation and volatilization) within the catchments (about 80%) whereas exports due to soil erosion and riverine transport appeared to be of minor importance. Based on the calculated fluxes, PAHs appeared to have long decontamination times in soils (40 to 1,850 years) thereby compromising the achievement of legislative targets. Overall, the study highlighted the major role of legacy contamination that supplied the bulk of

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: STATSGO Soil Characteristics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents estimated soil variables compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The variables included are cation exchange capacity, percent calcium carbonate, slope, water-table depth, soil thickness, hydrologic soil group, soil erodibility (k-factor), permeability, average water capacity, bulk density, percent organic material, percent clay, percent sand, and percent silt. The source data set is the State Soil ( STATSGO ) Geographic Database (Wolock, 1997). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

A hybrid monitoring and modelling approach to assess the contribution of sources of glyphosate and AMPA in large river catchments.

PubMed

Desmet, N; Touchant, K; Seuntjens, P; Tang, T; Bronders, J

2016-12-15

Large river catchments with mixed land use capture pesticides from many sources, and degradable pesticides are converted during downstream transport. Unravelling the contribution of pesticide source and the effect of degradation processes is a challenge in such areas. However, insight and understanding of the sources is important for targeted management, especially when water is abstracted from the river for drinking water production. The river Meuse is such a case. A long-term monitoring data set was applied in a modelling approach for assessing the contribution of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) and tributaries (sub-basins) to surface water contamination, and to evaluate the effect of decay on the downstream concentrations of glyphosate and AMPA at the point of drinking water abstraction. The results show that WWTPs are important contributors for glyphosate and AMPA in large river catchments with mixed land uses. In the studied area, the river Meuse in the Netherlands, the relative contribution of WWTP effluents is above 29% for glyphosate and around 12% for AMPA. Local industries are found to be potentially big contributors of AMPA. Glyphosate entering the river system is gradually converted to AMPA and other degradation productions, which results in downstream loads that are considerably lower than the sum of all influxes. In summer when the travel time is longer due to lower discharge, the first order decay of glyphosate in the river Meuse is estimated to result in about 50% reduction of the downstream glyphosate concentrations over a river stretch of 250km. The contribution of glyphosate decay to the observed AMPA concentrations ranges between 2% and 10%. Contributions are sensitive to seasonal variations in discharge that influence the concentrations through dilution and degradation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of coal mining on the water resources of the Tradewater River Basin, Kentucky

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grubb, Hayes F.; Ryder, Paul D.

1973-01-01

The effects of coal-mine drainage on the water resources of the Tradewater River basin, in the Western Coal Field region of Kentucky, were evaluated (1) by synthesis and interpretation of 16 years of daily conductance data. 465 chemical analyses covering an 18-year period, 28 years of daily discharge data, and 14 years of daily suspended-sediment data from the Tradewater River at Olney and (2) by collection, synthesis, and interpretation of chemical and physical water-quality data and water-quantity data collected over a 2-year period from mined and nonmined sites in the basin. Maximum observed values of 13 chemical and physical water-quality parameters were three to 300 times greater in the discharge from mined subbasins than in the discharge from nonmined subbasins. Potassium, chloride, and nitrate concentrations were not significantly different between mined and nonmined areas. Mean sulfate loads carried by the Tradewater River at Olney were about 75 percent greater for the period 1955-67 than for the period 1952-54. Suspended-sediment loads at Olney for the November-April storm-runoff periods generally vary in response to strip-mine coal production in the basin above Olney. Streamflow is maintained during extended dry periods in mined subbasins after streams in nonmined subbasins have ceased flowing. Some possible methods of reducing the effects of mine drainage on the streams are considered in view of a geochemical model proposed by Ivan Barnes and F. E. Clarke. Use of low-flow-augmenting reservoirs and crushed limestone in streambeds in nonmined areas seems to be the most promising method for alleviating effects of mine drainage at the present time. Other aspects of the water resources such as variability of water quantity and water quality in the basin are discussed briefly.

Physical-chemical modeling of elements' behavior in mixing sea and fresh waters of minor rivers in the White Sea catchment area.

PubMed

Maksimova, Victoria V; Mazukhina, Svetlana I; Cherepanova, Tatiana A; Gorbacheva, Tamara T

2017-07-29

The physical-chemical stage of marginal filters in minor rivers of the White Sea catchment area by the example of the Umba River, flowing to Kandalaksha Gulf, has been explored. Application of the method of physical-chemical modeling on the basis of field data allowed establishing migration forms of a number of elements in the "river-sea" system and deposition of solid phases when mixing waters. The mixing of river and sea water is accompanied by the sedimentation of predominantly goethite, hydromuscovite, and hydroxylapatite. Sediments in mixing river and sea waters were found to be mainly composed by goethite, hydromuscovite, and hydroxylapatite. The research has added to the knowledge of the role of the abiotic part in the marginal filters of small rivers in the Arctic.

Methodology to quantify the role of the factors controlling the variation of rivers' total dissolved solids in Jiu Catchment (Romania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adina Morosanu, Gabriela; Zaharia, Liliana; Ioana-Toroimac, Gabriela; Belleudy, Philippe

2017-04-01

The total dissolved solids (TDS) is a river water quality parameter reflecting its concentration in solute ions. It is sensitive to many physical and anthropogenic features of the watershed. In this context, the objective of this work is to analyze the spatial variation of the TDS and to identify the role of the main controlling factors (e.g. geology, soils, land use) in Jiu River and some of its main tributaries, by using a methodology based on GIS and multivariate analysis. The Jiu watershed (10,000 kmp) is located in south-western Romania and it has a high diversity of physical and anthropogenic features influencing the water flow and its quality. The study is based on TDS measurements performed in August, 2016, during low flow conditions in the Jiu River and its tributaries. To measure in situ the TDS (ppm), an EC/TDS/Temperature Hand-held Tester was used in the 12 measuring points on Jiu River and in another 7 points on some of its tributaries. Across the hydrographic basin, the recorded TDS values ranged from 31 ppm to 607 ppm, while in the case of Jiu River, the TDS varied between 38 ppm at Lonea station (upper Jiu River) and 314 ppm at Išalniča (in the lower course). For each catchment corresponding to the sampling points, the influence of some contiguous features was defined on the basis of the lithology (marls, limestones, erodible bedrocks) and soils (clay textures), as well as the land cover/use influencing the solubility and solid content. This assessment was carried out in GIS through a set of spatial statistics analysis by calculating the percentages of the catchment coverage area for each determinant. In order to identify the contributions of different catchment features on the TDS variability, principal components analysis (PCA) was then applied. The results revealed the major role of the marls and clayey soils in the increase of TDS (on the Amaradia and Gilort rivers and some sections in the middle course of the Jiu River). In contrast

Source estimation of pharmaceuticals based on catchment population and in-stream attenuation in Yodo River watershed, Japan.

PubMed

Hanamoto, Seiya; Nakada, Norihide; Yamashita, Naoyuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

2018-02-15

Fifty-five pharmaceuticals were monitored at four rivers and inlets and/or outlets of three sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Yodo River watershed, Japan over 17 sampling events. Twenty-six quantified pharmaceuticals were classified by source and fate. The load per person (LPP) of nine pharmaceuticals, including six with observed mass balance in studied river stretch of <80%, was appreciably lower in river water (RW) than in the effluent (EF) of STPs (RW/EF <0.5), indicating that they were susceptible to in-stream attenuation in the study area, while the others were relatively conservative. The LPP of 12 pharmaceuticals in RW were within ±50% of that in EF. Because their mass loadings in rivers were correlated with human population in the catchment and most people use the sewer system, the major source of the 12 pharmaceuticals was considered to be STPs. The LPP of the three most labile pharmaceuticals in STPs (caffeine, theophylline, and acetaminophen) was >1.5 in RW/EF and <1.0 in RW/influent (IF) of STPs. Poorly treated sewage discharged from households without using the sewer system was considered to be influential source of the three pharmaceuticals. The LPP (RW/EF) of caffeine, a pharmaceutical contained in food and beverage, was considerably higher than that of the other two, and this is attributable to untreated gray water discharged at households using the night-soil treatment system. The LPP of two veterinary drugs (sulfamonomethoxine and lincomycin) were >1.5 (RW/EF) and >1.0 (RW/IF). Their mass loadings in rivers showed a positive correlation with swine population in the catchment, although sulfamonomethoxine is equally used in both cattle and swine farming. This was attributable to application of cattle excrement as manure, and lability of sulfamonomethoxine during composting processes. The major source of the two veterinary drugs was considered to be on-site treatment facilities of swine urine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil thaw effects on river discharge recessions of a subarctic catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ploum, Stefan; Lyon, Steve; Teuling, Ryan; van der Velde, Ype

2017-04-01

Thawing permafrost in circumpolar regions is likely to change subsurface hydrology. In high latitude areas continuous permafrost is expected to partially thaw leading to sporadic permafrost with deeper groundwater flow paths. Moreover, freeze-thaw cycles of the shallow subsurface are likely to increase. River discharge recession analysis can be particularly useful to understand the hydrological effects of a thawing Arctic. Here we examine river discharge recessions of the Abiskojokka, a 560 km2 watershed with sporadic permafrost, using a river discharge record of 30 years (1985 - 2015). Snow observation records were used to separate river recessions in snowmelt and snowfree periods. We found significant differences between recessions during the snowmelt and snowfree seasons. During the snowmelt, recessions were close to linear (b=1.11), while during the snowfree period, recessions were more non-linear (b=1.54). Typically, non-linearity has been found to increase with discharge magnitude, while we observed the opposite (snowfree periods tend to have lower discharges than the snowmelt periods). We explain these contrasting results by hypothesizing that increased connectivity (increasing magnitude and number of water flow paths) between groundwater and stream leads to higher non-linearity. In temperate catchments without frozen soils, connectivity tends to increase with increasing discharge. In contrast, in Arctic systems, where soils are frozen, connectivity between groundwater and stream is limited. Therefore, thawing of frozen soils is expected to increase connectivity and thus non-linearity of river discharges. We tested this hypothesis with a detailed analysis of all spring flood recessions. Years with cold soil temperatures (b=1.08) and years with a below median snowpack depth were found to have progressively linear slopes (b=1.08 and 1.01 respectively). On the other hand, years with warm soil conditions show increasingly non-linear recessions (b=1.67). Although

Reach‐scale river metabolism across contrasting sub‐catchment geologies: Effect of light and hydrology

PubMed Central

Attard, Karl M.; Binley, Andrew; Heppell, Catherine M.; Stahl, Henrik; Trimmer, Mark; Glud, Ronnie N.

2017-01-01

Abstract We investigated the seasonal dynamics of in‐stream metabolism at the reach scale (∼ 150 m) of headwaters across contrasting geological sub‐catchments: clay, Greensand, and Chalk of the upper River Avon (UK). Benthic metabolic activity was quantified by aquatic eddy co‐variance while water column activity was assessed by bottle incubations. Seasonal dynamics across reaches were specific for the three types of geologies. During the spring, all reaches were net autotrophic, with rates of up to 290 mmol C m−2 d−1 in the clay reach. During the remaining seasons, the clay and Greensand reaches were net heterotrophic, with peak oxygen consumption of 206 mmol m−2 d−1 during the autumn, while the Chalk reach was net heterotrophic only in winter. Overall, the water column alone still contributed to ∼ 25% of the annual respiration and primary production in all reaches. Net ecosystem metabolism (NEM) across seasons and reaches followed a general linear relationship with increasing stream light availability. Sub‐catchment specific NEM proved to be linearly related to the local hydrological connectivity, quantified as the ratio between base flow and stream discharge, and expressed on a timescale of 9 d on average. This timescale apparently represents the average period of hydrological imprint for carbon turnover within the reaches. Combining a general light response and sub‐catchment specific base flow ratio provided a robust functional relationship for predicting NEM at the reach scale. The novel approach proposed in this study can help facilitate spatial and temporal upscaling of riverine metabolism that may be applicable to a broader spectrum of catchments. PMID:29242670

Evaluation of sediment and 137Cs redistribution in the Oginosawa River catchment near the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant using integrated watershed modeling.

PubMed

Sakuma, Kazuyuki; Malins, Alex; Funaki, Hironori; Kurikami, Hiroshi; Niizato, Tadafumi; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Mori, Koji; Tada, Kazuhiro; Kobayashi, Takamaru; Kitamura, Akihiro; Hosomi, Masaaki

2018-02-01

The Oginosawa River catchment lies 15 km south-west of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant and covers 7.7 km 2 . Parts of the catchment were decontaminated between fall 2012 and March 2014 in preparation for the return of the evacuated population. The General-purpose Terrestrial Fluid-flow Simulator (GETFLOWS) code was used to study sediment and 137 Cs redistribution within the catchment, including the effect of decontamination on redistribution. Fine resolution grid cells were used to model local features of the catchment, such as paddy fields adjacent to the Oginosawa River. The simulation was verified using monitoring data for river water discharge rates (r = 0.92), suspended sediment concentrations, and particulate 137 Cs concentrations (r = 0.40). Cesium-137 input to watercourses came predominantly from land adjacent to river channels and forest gullies, e.g. the paddy fields in the Ogi and Kainosaka districts, as the ground in these areas saturates during heavy rain and is easily eroded. A discrepancy between the simulation and monitoring results on the sediment discharge rate following decontamination may be explained by fast erosion occurring after decontamination. Forested areas far from the channels only made a minor contribution to 137 Cs input to watercourses, total erosion of between 0.001 and 0.1 mm from May 2011 to December 2015, as ground saturation is infrequent in these areas. The 2.3-6.9% y -1 decrease in the amount of 137 Cs in forest topsoil over the study period can be explained by radioactive decay (approximately 2.3% y -1 ), along with a migration downwards into subsoil and a small amount of export. The amount of 137 Cs available for release from land adjacent to rivers is expected to be lower in future than compared to this study period, as the simulations indicate a high depletion of inventory from these areas by the end of 2015. However continued monitoring of 137 Cs concentrations in river water over future years is advised, as

Urban and agricultural contribution of annual loads of glyphosate and AMPA towards surface waters at the Orge River catchment scale (France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botta, Fabrizio; Chevreuil, Marc; Blanchoud, Hélène

2010-05-01

The general use of pesticides in the Orge Basin, located in the southern part of the Paris suburb (France), is damaging surface water quality. Consequently, an increase in the water supply costs is registered by the water supply agencies that are situated downstream the Orge confluence with the Seine River. In this catchment, high uses of glyphosate are registered for fallow fields (upstream part) and for roadway weed control (downstream part). The proportion of glyphosate coming from these two zones was not well known, along with the double source of its metabolite AMPA originated from the degradation of some detergent phosphonates. The aim of this work was firstly to identify the potential sources of glyphosate and AMPA in urban sectors (such as sewerage system inputs) and in agricultural areas and to quantify the origins of urban pesticides pathways towards surface waters at the basin scale. The new approach of this project was to collect information at three different scales to establish a first step of modeling. At the basin scale, 1 year of surface water monitoring at the outlet of the Orge River was useful to establish the inputs towards the Seine River. At the urban catchment scale, the investigations have permitted to record glyphosate and AMPA loads transferred by storm waters and by wastewaters. Loads were estimated during and out of application calendar, in different hydrological conditions such as rainfall with high intensity or dry conditions. Impact of WWTP on surface water was also demonstrated. The third phase of this work was the interpretation of agricultural inputs from two different agricultural catchments of the Orge River. The results showed the impact of urban uses of glyphosate upon the Orge River contamination with annual loads from 100 times higher from the urban zone than from the agricultural one. Storm sewers were recognized to be the main way for glyphosate transfer towards surface waters. A budget of glyphosate and AMPA inputs and

The oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate in river water and its potential sources in the Upper River Taw catchment, UK.

PubMed

Granger, Steven J; Heaton, Tim H E; Pfahler, Verena; Blackwell, Martin S A; Yuan, Huimin; Collins, Adrian L

2017-01-01

The need to reduce both point and diffuse phosphorus pollution to aquatic ecosystems is widely recognised and in order to achieve this, identification of the different pollutant sources is essential. Recently, a stable isotope approach using oxygen isotopes within phosphate (δ 18 O PO4 ) has been used in phosphorus source tracing studies. This approach was applied in a one-off survey in September 2013 to the River Taw catchment in south-west England where elevated levels of phosphate have been reported. River water δ 18 O PO4 along the main channel varied little, ranging from +17.1 to +18.8‰. This was no >0.3‰ different to that of the isotopic equilibrium with water (Eδ 18 O PO4 ). The δ 18 O PO4 in the tributaries was more variable (+17.1 to +18.8‰), but only deviated from Eδ 18 O PO4 by between 0.4 and 0.9‰. Several potential phosphate sources within the catchment were sampled and most had a narrow range of δ 18 O PO4 values similar to that of river Eδ 18 O PO4 . Discharge from two waste water treatment plants had different and distinct δ 18 O PO4 from one another ranging between +16.4 and +19.6‰ and similar values to that of a dairy factory final effluent (+16.5 to +17.8‰), mains tap water (+17.8 to +18.4‰), and that of the phosphate extracted from river channel bed sediment (+16.7 to +17.6‰). Inorganic fertilizers had a wide range of values (+13.3 to +25.9‰) while stored animal wastes were consistently lower (+12.0 to +15.0‰) than most other sources and Eδ 18 O PO4 . The distinct signals from the waste water treatment plants were lost within the river over a short distance suggesting that rapid microbial cycling of phosphate was occurring, because microbial cycling shifts the isotopic signal towards Eδ 18 O PO4 . This study has added to the global inventory of phosphate source δ 18 O PO4 values, but also demonstrated the limitations of this approach to identifying phosphate sources, especially at times when microbial cycling is

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Average Saturation Excess-Overland Flow, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the average value of saturation overland flow, in percent of total streamflow, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is Saturation Overland Flow Estimated by TOPMODEL for the Conterminous United States (Wolock, 2003). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Mean Infiltration-Excess Overland Flow, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the mean value for infiltration-excess overland flow as estimated by the watershed model TOPMODEL, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of the Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is Infiltration-Excess Overland Flow Estimated by TOPMODEL for the Conterminous United States (Wolock, 2003). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Mean Annual R-factor, 1971-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the average annual R-factor, rainfall-runoff erosivity measure, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data are from Christopher Daly of the Spatial Climate Analysis Service, Oregon State University, and George Taylor of the Oregon Climate Service, Oregon State University (2002). The ERF1_2 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Hydrochemical responses among nested catchments of the Sleepers River Research Watershed.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebestyen, S. D.; Boyer, E. W.; Shanley, J. B.; Kendall, C.

2005-12-01

We are probing chemical and isotopic tracers of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrate over both space and time to determine how stream nutrient dynamics change with increasing basin size and differ with flow conditions. At the Sleepers River Research Watershed in northeastern Vermont, USA, 20 to 30 nested sub-basins that ranged in size from 3 to 11,000 ha were sampled repeatedly under baseflow conditions. These synoptic surveys showed a pattern of heterogeneity in headwaters that converged to a consistent response at larger basin sizes and is consistent with findings of other studies. In addition to characterizing spatial patterns under baseflow, we sampled rainfall and snowmelt events over a gradient of basin sizes to investigate scaling responses under different flow conditions. During high flow events, DOC and nitrate flushing responses varied among different basins where high-frequency event samples were collected. While the DOC and nitrate concentration patterns were similar at four headwater basins, the concentration responses of larger basins were markedly different in that the concentration patterns, flushing duration, and maximum concentrations were attenuated from headwaters to the largest basin. We are using these data to explore how flow paths and solute mixing aggregate. Overall, these results highlight the complexities of understanding spatial scaling issues in catchments and underscore the need to consider event responses of hydrology and chemistry among catchments.

Water contamination with heavy metals and trace elements from Kilembe copper mine and tailing sites in Western Uganda; implications for domestic water quality.

PubMed

Abraham, Mwesigye R; Susan, Tumwebaze B

2017-02-01

The mining and processing of copper in Kilembe, Western Uganda, from 1956 to 1982 left over 15 Mt of cupriferous and cobaltiferous pyrite dumped within a mountain river valley, in addition to mine water which is pumped to the land surface. This study was conducted to assess the sources and concentrations of heavy metals and trace elements in Kilembe mine catchment water. Multi-element analysis of trace elements from point sources and sinks was conducted which included mine tailings, mine water, mine leachate, Nyamwamba River water, public water sources and domestic water samples using ICP-MS. The study found that mean concentrations (mg kg -1 ) of Co (112), Cu (3320), Ni (131), As (8.6) in mine tailings were significantly higher than world average crust and were being eroded and discharged into water bodies within the catchment. Underground mine water and leachate contained higher mean concentrations (μg L -1 ) of Cu (9470), Co (3430) and Ni (590) compared with background concentrations (μg L -1 ) in un contaminated water of 1.9, 0.21 and 0.67 for Cu, Co and Ni respectively. Over 25% of household water samples exceeded UK drinking water thresholds for Al of 200 μg L -1 , Co exceeded Winsconsin (USA drinking) water thresholds of 40 μg L -1 in 40% of samples while Fe in 42% of samples exceeded UK thresholds of 200 μg L -1 . The study however found that besides mining activities, natural processes of geological weathering also contributed to Al, Fe, and Mn water contamination in a number of public water sources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Average Atmospheric (Wet) Deposition of Inorganic Nitrogen, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the average atmospheric (wet) deposition, in kilograms per square kilometer, of inorganic nitrogen for the year 2002 compiled for every catchment for MRB_E2RF1 of Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set for wet deposition was from the USGS's raster data set atmospheric (wet) deposition of inorganic nitrogen for 2002 (Gronberg, 2005). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every catchment of MRB_E2RF1 catchments for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Post Gold King Mine Spill Investigation of Metal Stability in Water and Sediments of the Animas River Watershed.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Freire, Lucia; Avasarala, Sumant; Ali, Abdul-Mehdi S; Agnew, Diane; Hoover, Joseph H; Artyushkova, Kateryna; Latta, Drew E; Peterson, Eric J; Lewis, Johnnye; Crossey, Laura J; Brearley, Adrian J; Cerrato, José M

2016-11-01

We applied spectroscopy, microscopy, diffraction, and aqueous chemistry methods to investigate the persistence of metals in water and sediments from the Animas River 13 days after the Gold King Mine spill (August 5, 2015). The Upper Animas River watershed, located in San Juan Colorado, is heavily mineralized and impacted by acid mine drainage, with low pH water and elevated metal concentrations in sediments (108.4 ± 1.8 mg kg -1 Pb, 32.4 ± 0.5 mg kg -1 Cu, 729.6 ± 5.7 mg kg -1 Zn, and 51 314.6 ± 295.4 mg kg -1 Fe). Phosphate and nitrogen species were detected in water and sediment samples from Farmington, New Mexico, an intensive agricultural area downstream from the Animas River, while metal concentrations were low compared to those observed upstream. Solid-phase analyses of sediments suggest that Pb, Cu, and Zn are associated with metal-bearing jarosite and other minerals (e.g., clays, Fe-(oxy)hydroxides). The solubility of jarosite at near-neutral pH and biogeochemical processes occurring downstream could affect the stability of metal-bearing minerals in river sediments. This study contributes relevant information about the association of metal mixtures in a heavy mineralized semiarid region, providing a foundation to better understand long-term metal release in a public and agricultural water supply.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Level 3 Nutrient Ecoregions, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the area of each level 3 nutrient ecoregion in square meters compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of the Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data are from the 2002 version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Aggregations of Level III Ecoregions for National Nutrient Assessment & Management Strategy (USEPA, 2002). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Geochemical disturbance of soil cover in the nonferrous mining centers of the Selenga River basin.

PubMed

Timofeev, Ivan V; Kosheleva, Natalia E

2017-08-01

The anthropogenic geochemical transformation of soil cover in large nonferrous mining centers of the Selenga River basin was assessed. The results of the geochemical survey of 2010-2012 revealed the spatial distribution patterns and abundances of 18 hazardous heavy metals and metalloids in the soils of Erdenet (Mongolia) and Zakamensk (Buryat republic, Russian Federation). In both cities, mining activities disturbed soil cover which accumulates Mo, Cu, As, Sb, W in Erdenet and Bi, W, Cd, Be, Pb, Mo, Sb in Zakamensk. Maximum accumulation of elements in Erdenet is restricted to the industrial zone. In Zakamensk, it has spread on ½ of the territory with the degree of multielemental pollution exceeding the extremely dangerous level by 16 times. The effect of mining centers on the state of the river system is local and does not spread to the Selenga River. Downstream from Erdenet, an artificial pool intercepts heavy metal and metalloid flows of the Erdenetii-Gol River. By contrast, downstream from the tailing dumps of the Dzhida tungsten-molybdenum plant the concentrations of ore elements W and Mo and their accessories Bi and Cd in the Modonkul River exceed background values by 146, 20, 57, and 21 times, respectively, decreasing by an order of magnitude 30 km downstream.

Leaching, transport, and methylation of mercury in and around abandoned mercury mines in the Humboldt River basin and surrounding areas, Nevada. Chapter C.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, John E.; Stillings, Lisa L.

2003-01-01

Mercury and methylmercury concentrations were measured in mine wastes, stream sediments, and stream waters collected both proximal and distal from abandoned mercury mines to evaluate mercury contamination and mercury methylation in the Humboldt River system. The climate in the study area is arid, and due to the lack of mine-water runoff, water-leaching laboratory experiments were used to evaluate the potential of mine wastes to release mercury. Mine-waste calcine contains mercury concentrations as high as 14,000 ?g/g. Stream-sediment samples collected within 1 km of the mercury mines studied contain mercury concentrations as high as 170 ?g/g, but sediments collected from the Humboldt River and regional baseline sites have much lower mercury contents, less than 0.44 ?g/g. Similarly, methylmercury concentrations in mine-waste calcine are locally as high as 96 ng/g, but methylmercury contents in stream sediments collected down-stream from the mines and from the Humboldt River are lower (<0.05-0.95 ng/g). Stream-water samples collected below two mines studied contain mercury concentrations ranging from 6 to 2,000 ng/L, whereas mercury contents in Humboldt River and Rye Patch Reservoir water were generally lower, ranging from 2.1 to 9.0 ng/L. Methylmercury concentrations in Humboldt River system water were the lowest in this study (<0.02- 0.27 ng/L). Although mercury and methylmercury concentrations were elevated in some mine-waste calcine and mercury concentrations were locally high in mine-waste leachate samples, data show significant dilution of mercury and lower mercury methylation down gradient from the mines, especially in the sediments and water collected from the Humboldt River, which is more than 8 km from any mercury mines. Data show only minor, local transference of mercury and methylmercury from mine-waste calcine to stream sediment, and then onto the water column, and indicate little transference of mercury from the mine sites to the Humboldt River system.

Mercury biogeochemistry in the Idrija River, Slovenia, from above the mine into the Gulf of Trieste

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hines, M.E.; Horvat, M.; Faganeli, J.; Bonzongo, J.-C.J.; Barkay, T.; Major, E.B.; Scott, K.J.; Bailey, E.A.; Warwick, J.J.; Lyons, W.B.

2000-01-01

The Idrija Mine is the second largest Hg mine in the world which operated for 500 years. Mercury (Hg)-laden tailings still line the banks, and the system is a threat to the Idrija River and water bodies downstream including the Soca/Isonzo River and the Gulf of Trieste in the northern Adriatic Sea. A multidisciplinary study was conducted in June 1998 on water samples collected throughout the Idrija and Soca River systems and waters and sediments in the Gulf. Total Hg in the Idrija River increased >20-fold downstream of the mine from 60 ng liter-1 with methyl mercury (MeHg) accounting for ~0.5%. Concentrations increased again downstream and into the estuary with MeHg accounting for nearly 1.5% of the total. While bacteria upstream of the mine did not contain mercury detoxification genes (mer), such genes were detected in bacteria collected downstream. Benthic macroinvertebrate diversity decreased downstream of the mine. Gulf waters near the river mouth contained up to 65 ng liter-1 total Hg with ~0.05 ng liter-1 MeHg. Gulf sediments near the river mouth contained 40 ??g g-1 total Hg with MeHg concentrations of about 3 ng g-1. Hg in sediment pore waters varied between 1 and 8 ng liter-1, with MeHg accounting for up to 85%. Hg methylation and MeHg demethylation were active in Gulf sediments with highest activities near the surface. MeHg was degraded by an oxidative pathway with >97% C released from MeHg as CO2. Hg methylation depth profiles resembled profiles of dissolved MeHg. Hg-laden waters still strongly impact the riverine, estuarine, and marine systems. Macroinvertebrates and bacteria in the Idrija River responded to Hg stress, and high Hg levels persist into the Gulf. Increases in total Hg and MeHg in the estuary demonstrate the remobilization of Hg, presumably as HgS dissolution and recycling. Gulf sediments actively produce MeHg, which enters bottom waters and presumably the marine food chain. (C) 2000 Academic Press.

Identifying fine sediment sources to alleviate flood risk caused by fine sediments through catchment connectivity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Twohig, Sarah; Pattison, Ian; Sander, Graham

2017-04-01

Fine sediment poses a significant threat to UK river systems in terms of vegetation, aquatic habitats and morphology. Deposition of fine sediment onto the river bed reduces channel capacity resulting in decreased volume to contain high flow events. Once the in channel problem has been identified managers are under pressure to sustainably mitigate flood risk. With climate change and land use adaptations increasing future pressures on river catchments it is important to consider the connectivity of fine sediment throughout the river catchment and its influence on channel capacity, particularly in systems experiencing long term aggradation. Fine sediment erosion is a continuing concern in the River Eye, Leicestershire. The predominately rural catchment has a history of flooding within the town of Melton Mowbray. Fine sediment from agricultural fields has been identified as a major contributor of sediment delivery into the channel. Current mitigation measures are not sustainable or successful in preventing the continuum of sediment throughout the catchment. Identifying the potential sources and connections of fine sediment would provide insight into targeted catchment management. 'Sensitive Catchment Integrated Modelling Analysis Platforms' (SCIMAP) is a tool often used by UK catchment managers to identify potential sources and routes of sediment within a catchment. SCIMAP is a risk based model that combines hydrological (rainfall) and geomorphic controls (slope, land cover) to identify the risk of fine sediment being transported from source into the channel. A desktop version of SCIMAP was run for the River Eye at a catchment scale using 5m terrain, rainfall and land cover data. A series of SCIMAP model runs were conducted changing individual parameters to determine the sensitivity of the model. Climate Change prediction data for the catchment was used to identify potential areas of future connectivity and erosion risk for catchment managers. The results have been

Watershed scale spatial variability in dissolved and total organic and inorganic carbon in contrasting UK catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cumberland, S.; Baker, A.; Hudson, N. J.

2006-12-01

Approximately 800 organic and inorganic carbon analyses have been undertaken from watershed scale and regional scale spatial surveys in various British catchments. These include (1) a small (<100 sq-km) urban catchment (Ouseburn, N England); (2) a headwater, lowland agricultural catchment (River Tern, C England) (3) a large UK catchment (River Tyne, ~3000 sq-km) and (4) a spatial survey of ~300 analyses from rivers from SW England (~1700 sq-km). Results demonstrate that: (1) the majority of organic and inorganic carbon is in the dissolved (DOC and DIC) fractions; (2) that with the exception of peat rich headwaters, DIC concentration is always greater than DOC; (3) In the rural River Tern, riverine DOC and DIC are shown to follow a simple end- member mixing between DIC (DOC) rich (poor) ground waters and DOC (DIC) rich (poor) riparian wetlands for all sample sites. (4) In the urbanized Ouseburn catchment, although many sample sites also show this same mixing trend, some tributaries follow a pollutant trend of simultaneous increases in both DOC and DIC. The Ouseburn is part of the larger Tyne catchment: this larger catchment follows the simple groundwater DIC- soil water DOC end member mixing model, with the exception of the urban catchments which exhibit an elevated DIC compared to rural sites. (5) Urbanization is demonstrated to increase DIC compared to equivalent rural catchments; this DIC has potential sources including diffuse source inputs from the dissolution of concrete, point sources such as trade effluents and landfill leachates, and bedrock derived carbonates relocated to the soil dissolution zone by urban development. (6) DIC in rural SW England demonstrates that spatial variability in DIC can be attributed to variations in geology; but that DIC concentrations in the SW England rivers dataset are typically lower than the urbanized Tyne catchments despite the presence of carbonate bedrock in many of the sample catchments in the SW England dataset. (7

Evaluation of soil erosion as a basis of sediment yield in mountainous catchments: a preliminary study in the River Douro Basin (Northern Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reis, Anabela; Martinho Lourenço, José M.; Parker, Andrew; Alencoão, Ana

2013-04-01

The River Corgo drains a meso-scale mountainous rural catchment with an area of 295 km2, underlain by crystalline rocks, in a temperate climate, which integrates the transboundary River Douro Basin, in the northeast of Portugal. A geochemical survey on oxic fluvial sediments of the river network shows considerable contents of metals associated to the finer particles (< 63um). The results on the study of the sediment properties indicate that these are essentially detrital in origin, derived from soils and weathering products. Moreover, taking into account the hydrological pattern of the catchment, the seasonal and spatial variability of metal contents associated to the sediments suggests that the control of metal in the sediments by their mineralogical, geochemical and physical properties is governed primarily at the level of the basin soils system, especially in the Wet Period, when the sediments are frequently remobilised (Reis, 2010). Although the soil particles are a common pathway of transport and entrance of metals in the fluvial network by runoff derived erosion, this mechanism is naturally more marked in mountainous catchments. Modelling sediment and adsorbed contaminant transport within catchments can help to identify possible contaminant sources, as well as to estimate the delivered quantities of eroded material and associated contaminants. In catchments with the described morphological features, monitoring the transport of sediments poses some issues concerning: (a) the low mass yield of suspended sediment from river water, under low-flow conditions; (b) the maintenance of the sediment sampler's devices in the streams, in periods of high-flow or storm events. This study describes the preliminary results of a GIS-based mass balance model of overland sediment transport to the River. The erosion, the first step of sediment transport, was estimated by an empirical model - The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The objective was to construct a GIS based

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments in Selected Major River Basins of the Conterminous United States: Contact Time, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the average contact time, in units of days, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). Contact time, as described in Vitvar and others (2002), is defined as the baseflow residence time in the subsurface. The source data set was the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) 1-kilometer grid for the conterminous United States (D.M. Wolock, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2008). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) RF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Using high resolution water quality monitoring across three English catchments to capture a storm event during a transition from dry to wet conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Outram, F.; Lloyd, C.; Jonczyk, J.; Benskin, C.; Grant, F.

2013-12-01

The Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) project is a UK government funded initiative to test the effectiveness of on-farm mitigation measures designed to reduce agricultural pollution without compromising farm productivity. Three distinct catchments in England have been chosen to test mitigation measures on working farms in small tributary catchments equipped with continuous water quality monitoring stations. The River Avon in the south is a chalk and sandstone catchment with livestock and arable farming, the River Wensum in the east is a lowland chalk catchment with predominantly arable farming and the River Eden in the North has a limestone and sandstone geology with predominantly livestock farming. One of the many strengths of the DTC as a national programme is that it provides the ability to investigate catchment hydrology and biogeochemical response across three different English landscapes. This is a collaborative paper involving members of all three DTC consortia, which aims to compare the responses of each of the catchments to a single storm event from April 2012, which was as a result of one of the first weather fronts to track across the country following a drought period affecting much of the UK, producing heavy rainfall in all three catchments. This was an unusual meteorological period, with subsequent hydrological implications when a rapid shift from drought to flood risk occurred across parts of the country. The effects of the weather front on discharge and water chemistry parameters, including N (NO3- and NH4), P (Total P (TP) and Total Reactive P (TRP)), dissolved oxygen (DO), chlorophyll and turbidity, measured at a half-hourly time step, are examined. When considered in the context of one hydrological year, flow and concentration duration curves reveal that the weather fronts resulted in extreme flow, nitrate and TP concentrations in all three catchments but with distinct differences in hydrograph and nutrient response. Hysteresis loops constructed

Potential effects of anticipated coal mining on salinity of the Price, San Rafael, and Green Rivers, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lindskov, K.L.

1986-01-01

The impact of anticipated coal mining in Utah on the salinity of the Price, San Rafael, and Green Rivers is to be addressed in the repermitting of existing mines and permitting of new mines. To determine the potential impacts, mathematical models were developed for the Price and San Rafael River basins. Little impact on the quantity and quality of streamflow is expected for the Price and San Rafael Rivers. The increase in mean monthly flow of the Price River downstream from Scofield Reservoir is projected as 3.5 cu ft/sec, ranging from 1.7% in June to 140% in February. The potential increase in dissolved solids concentration downstream from Scofield Reservoir would range from 10.4% in June and July (from 202 to 223 mg/L) to 97.0% in February (from 202 to 398 mg/L). However, the concentration of the mixture of mine water with the existing flow released from Scofield Reservoir would contain less than 500 mg/L of dissolved solids. At the mouth of the Price River, the potential increase in mean monthly flow is projected as 12.6 cu ft/sec, ranging from 3.7% in May to 37.7% in January. The potential changes in dissolved solids concentration would range from a 20.7% decrease in January (from 3,677 to 2,917 mg/L) to a 1.3% increase in June (from 1,911 to 1,935 mg/L). At the mouth of the San Rafael River , the potential increase in mean monthly flow ranges from 2.9 cu ft/sec in February to 6.7 cu ft/sec in May, with the increase ranging from 0.8% in June to 12.6% in November. The potential changes in dissolved solids concentration would range from a 5.3 % decrease in March (from 2,318 to 2,195 mg/L) to a 0.6% increase in May (from 1,649 to 1,659 mg/L). The anticipated mining in the Price and San Rafael River basins is not expected to cause a detectable change in the quantity and quality of streamflow in the Green River. The projected peak increase in flow resulting from discharge from the mines is less than 0.3% of the average flow in the Green River. (Author 's abstract)

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Estimated Mean Annual Natural Groundwater Recharge, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the mean annual natural groundwater recharge, in millimeters, compiled for every MRB_E2RF1catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data set is Estimated Mean Annual Natural Ground-Water Recharge in the Conterminous United States (Wolock, 2003). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Interpreting stream sediment fingerprints against primary and secondary source signatures in agricultural catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blake, Will H.; Haley, Steve; Smith, Hugh G.; Taylor, Alex; Goddard, Rupert; Lewin, Sean; Fraser, David

2013-04-01

Many sediment fingerprinting studies adopt a black box approach to source apportionment whereby the properties of downstream sediment are compared quantitatively to the geochemical fingerprints of potential catchment sources without consideration of potential signature development or modification during transit. Working within a source-pathway-receptor framework, this study aimed to undertake sediment source apportionment within 6 subcatchments of an agricultural river basin with specific attention to the potential role of contaminants (vehicle emissions and mine waste) in development of stream sediment signatures. Fallout radionuclide (FRN) and geochemical fingerprinting methods were adopted independently to establish source signatures for primary sediment sources of surface and subsurface soil materials under various land uses plus reworked mine and 'secondary' soil material deposited, in transit, along road networks. FRN data demonstrated expected variability between surface soil (137Cs = 14 ± 3 Bq kg-1; 210Pbxs = 40 ± 7 Bq kg-1) and channel bank materials (137Cs = 3 ± 1 Bq kg-1; 210Pbxs = 24 ± 5 Bq kg-1) but road transported soil material was considerably elevated in 210Pbxs (up to 673 ± 51 Bq kg-1) due to sediment interaction with pluvial surface water within the road network. Geochemical discrimination between surface and subsurface soil materials was dominated by alkaline earth and alkali metals e.g. Ba, Rb, Ca, K, Mg which are sensitive to weathering processes in soil. Magnetic susceptibility and heavy metals were important discriminators of road transported material which demonstrated transformation of the signatures of material transported via the road network. Numerical unmixing of stream sediment indicated that alongside channel bank erosion, road transported material was an important component in some systems in accord with FRN evidence. While mining spoil also ranked as a significant source in an affected catchment, perhaps related to legacy

Comparison of direct outflow calculated by modified SCS-CN methods for mountainous and highland catchments in upper Vistula Basin, Poland and lowland catchment in South Carolina, U.S.A

Treesearch

A. Walega; A. Cupak; D.M. Amatya; E. Drozdzal

2017-01-01

The aim of the study is to compare direct outflow from storm events estimated using modifications of original SCS-CN procedure. The study was conducted in a mountainous catchment of Kamienica River and a highland catchment draining Stobnica River located in Upper Vistula water region, both in Poland, and a headwater lowland watershed WS80 located at the Santee...

Modeling the behavior of an ungauged catchment using alternative datasets: a case study of the Caribou catchment in Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labrecque, Geneviève; Boucher, Marie-Amélie; Chesnaux, Romain

2017-04-01

The modelling of ungauged catchments is a long standing problem in hydrology and there is still no general consensus regarding the best practices to adopt in a variety of situations. In addition to flood and drought forecasting, there are other interests of modelling the hydrological behaviour of a catchment, whether it is gauged or not. For instance, estimation of groundwater recharge can be performed through an integrated modeling of the catchment. In this study, the WaSim model is used to model the hydrology of the Caribou River catchment located in the province of Quebec, in Canada. Since this catchment includes an important aquifer that is used both for drinking water, industrial and potential agricultural purposes, an accurate recharge assessment is important and is the long-term objective of the project. The WaSim model was chosen due to its very versatile soil sub-model features which allow to simulate subsurface flows and calculate the groundwater recharge as an output variable. Since the Caribou River is ungauged, alternative means of calibrating the free parameters of WaSim had to be implemented. The implementation of a calibration protocol that can get the most out of the few available data is a secondary objective and is the subject of this presentation. First, a « twin » gauged catchment is selected for its physiographic and hydro-climatic similarities with the Caribou River catchment. Streamflow series from this « twin » catchment are then transferred and used jointly with the dynamically dimensioned search (DDS) algorithm (Tolson and Shoemaker 2007) to obtain a raw calibration of the WaSim model parameters. This initial calibration can be further refined using two available datasets: (1) snow water equivalent data interpolated on a 10 km by 10 km grid and (2) a short and discontinuous time series of streamflow obtained using the land-surface scheme of the environmental multiscale atmospheric model (GEM) at Environment and Climate Change Canada

Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils affected by mining activities around the Ganxi River in Chenzhou, Southern China.

PubMed

Ma, Li; Sun, Jing; Yang, Zhaoguang; Wang, Lin

2015-12-01

Heavy metal contamination attracted a wide spread attention due to their strong toxicity and persistence. The Ganxi River, located in Chenzhou City, Southern China, has been severely polluted by lead/zinc ore mining activities. This work investigated the heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils around the Ganxi River. The total concentrations of heavy metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The potential risk associated with the heavy metals in soil was assessed by Nemerow comprehensive index and potential ecological risk index. In both methods, the study area was rated as very high risk. Multivariate statistical methods including Pearson's correlation analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and principal component analysis were employed to evaluate the relationships between heavy metals, as well as the correlation between heavy metals and pH, to identify the metal sources. Three distinct clusters have been observed by hierarchical cluster analysis. In principal component analysis, a total of two components were extracted to explain over 90% of the total variance, both of which were associated with anthropogenic sources.

The distribution of mercury around the small-scale gold mining area along the Cikaniki river, Bogor, Indonesia.

PubMed

Tomiyasu, Takashi; Kono, Yuriko; Kodamatani, Hitoshi; Hidayati, Nuril; Rahajoe, Joeni Setijo

2013-08-01

The distribution of mercury in the soil, sediment and river water around the artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) area along the Cikaniki River, West Java, Indonesia, was investigated. The total mercury concentration (T-Hg) in the forest soil ranged from 0.11 to 7.0mgkg(-1), and the highest value was observed at the ASGM village. In the vertical T-Hg profile around the villages, the highest value was observed at the soil surface, and the concentration decreased with depth. This result suggested that the mercury released by mining activity was dispersed through the atmosphere and deposited on the surface. The total organic carbon content (TOC) showed a similar vertical profile as the T-Hg, and a linear relationship was found between T-Hg and TOC. Mercury deposited on the surface can be absorbed by organic matter. The slope of the line was larger near the ASGM village, implying a higher rate of deposition of mercury. The T-Hg in the sediment ranged from 10 to 70mgkg(-1), decreasing gradually toward the lower reaches of the river. Mining waste can be transported with the river flow and deposited along the river. The distribution of the mining waste can be determined using the mineralogical composition measured by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Distribution of mercury species and mercury isotope ratios in soils and river suspended matter of a mercury mining area.

PubMed

Baptista-Salazar, Carluvy; Hintelmann, Holger; Biester, Harald

2018-04-25

Mercury (Hg) released by mining activities can be dispersed in the environment, where it is subject to species transformations. Hg isotope ratios have been used to track sources in Hg contaminated areas, although it is unclear to what extent variations in δ-values are attributed to distinct Hg species. Hg was mined as Hg sulphide (cinnabar) in Idrija, Slovenia for centuries. Sediments are loaded with mining-residues (cinnabar and calcine), whereas contaminated soils mainly contain Hg bound to natural organic matter (NOM-Hg) related to atmospheric Hg deposition. Hg released from soils and sediments is transported as suspended matter (SM) in the Idrijca river to the Gulf of Trieste (GT), Italy. We determine Hg isotope ratios in river SM, sediments and soils from the Idrijca-catchment to decipher the Hg isotope ratio variability related to Hg species distribution in different grain-size fractions. δ202Hg values of SM collected from tributaries corresponded to those found in soils ranging from -2.58 to 0.19‰ and from -2.27 to -0.88‰, respectively. Speciation measurements reveal that fine fractions (0.45-20 μm) are dominated by NOM-Hg, while larger fractions contain more cinnabar. More negative δ202Hg values were related to higher proportions of NOM-Hg, which are predominant in soils and SM. Rain events increase SM-loads in the river, mainly due to resuspension of coarse grain-size fractions of bottom sediments bearing larger proportions of cinnabar, which leads to more positive δ202Hg values. The large magnitude of variation in δ202Hg and the smaller magnitude of variation in Δ199Hg (-0.37 to 0.09‰) are likely related to fractionation during ore roasting. Soil samples with high NOM-Hg content show more negative δ202Hg values and larger variation of Δ199Hg. More negative δ202Hg values in GT sediments were rather linked to distant sedimentation of soil derived NOM-Hg than to sedimentation of autochthonous marine material. Heterogeneity in the Idrija ore

Streamflow variation of forest covered catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gribovszki, Z.; Kalicz, P.; Kucsara, M.

2003-04-01

Rainfall concentration and runoff, otherwise rainfall-runoff processes, which cause river water discharge fluctuation, is one of the basic questions of hydrology. Several social-economy demands have a strong connection with small or bigger rivers from the point of view both quantity and quality of the water. Gratification or consideration of these demands is complicated substantially that we have still poor knowledge about our stream-flow regime. Water resources mainly stem from upper watersheds. These upper watersheds are the basis of the water concentration process; therefore we have to improve our knowledge about hydrological processes coming up in these territories. In this article we present runoff regime of two small catchments on the basis of one year data. Both catchments have a similar magnitude 0.6 and 0.9 km^2. We have been analyzed in detail some hydrological elements: features of rainfall, discharge, rainfall induced flooding waves and basic discharge in rainless periods. Variances of these parameters have been analyzed in relation to catchments surface, vegetation coverage and forest management. Result data set well enforce our knowledge about small catchments hydrological processes. On the basis of these fundamentals we can plan more established the management of these lands (forest practices, civil engineering works, and usage of natural water resources).

Vulnerability of schools to floods in Nyando River catchment, Kenya.

PubMed

Ochola, Samuel O; Eitel, Bernhard; Olago, Daniel O

2010-07-01

This paper assesses the vulnerability of schools to floods in the Nyando River catchment (3,600 km(2)) in western Kenya and identifies measures needed to reduce this vulnerability. It surveys 130 schools in the lower reaches, where flooding is a recurrent phenomenon. Of the primary schools assessed, 40% were vulnerable, 48% were marginally vulnerable and 12% were not vulnerable. Of the secondary schools, 8% were vulnerable, 73% were marginally vulnerable and 19% were not vulnerable. Vulnerability to floods is due to a lack of funds, poor building standards, local topography, soil types and inadequate drainage. The Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), established in 2003, provides financial support to cover school construction and reconstruction costs; CDF Committees are expected to adopt school building standards. In an effort to promote safe and resilient construction and retrofitting to withstand floods, this paper presents vulnerability reduction strategies and recommendations for incorporating minimum standards in the on-going Primary School Infrastructure Programme Design.

A Comparative Analysis of the Influence of Surface Mining on Hydrological and Geochemical Response of Selected Headwater Streams in the Elk Valley, British Columbia, Canada.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carey, S. K.; Shatilla, N. J.; Szmudrowska, B.; Rastelli, J.; Wellen, C.

2014-12-01

Surface mining is a common method of accessing coal. Blasting of overburden rock allows access to mineable ore. In high-elevation environments, the removed overburden rock is deposited in adjacent valleys as waste rock spoils. As part of a multi-year R&D program examining the influence of surface mining on watershed hydrological and water quality responses in the Elk Valley, British Columbia, this study reports on how surface mining affects streamflow hydrological and geochemical response at four reference and four mine-influenced catchments. The hydrology of this environment is dominated by snowmelt and steep topographic gradients. Flows were attenuated in mine-influenced catchments, with spring freshet delayed and more muted responses to precipitation events observed. Dissolved ions were an order of magnitude greater in mine-influenced streams, with more dilution-based responses to flows compared with chemostatic behavior observed in reference streams. Stable isotope signatures in stream water suggested that in both mine-influenced and reference watersheds, stream water was derived from well mixed groundwater as annual variability of stream isotope signatures was dampened compared with precipitation signatures. However, deflection of stream isotopes in response to precipitation were more apparent in reference watersheds. As a group, mine influenced catchments had a heavier isotope signature than reference watersheds, suggesting an enhanced influence of rainfall on recharge. Transit time distributions indicate existing waste rock spoils increase the average time water takes to move through the catchment.

Geologic processes influence the effects of mining on aquatic ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, Travis S.; Clements, William H.; Wanty, Richard B.; Verplanck, Philip L.; Church, Stan E.; San Juan, Carma A.; Fey, David L.; Rockwell, Barnaby W.; DeWitt, Ed H.; Klein, Terry L.

2012-01-01

Geologic processes strongly influence water and sediment quality in aquatic ecosystems but rarely are geologic principles incorporated into routine biomonitoring studies. We test if elevated concentrations of metals in water and sediment are restricted to streams downstream of mines or areas that may discharge mine wastes. We surveyed 198 catchments classified as “historically mined” or “unmined,” and based on mineral-deposit criteria, to determine whether water and sediment quality were influenced by naturally occurring mineralized rock, by historical mining, or by a combination of both. By accounting for different geologic sources of metals to the environment, we were able to distinguish aquatic ecosystems limited by metals derived from natural processes from those due to mining. Elevated concentrations of metals in water and sediment were not restricted to mined catchments; depauperate aquatic communities were found in unmined catchments. The type and intensity of hydrothermal alteration and the mineral deposit type were important determinants of water and sediment quality as well as the aquatic community in both mined and unmined catchments. This study distinguished the effects of different rock types and geologic sources of metals on ecosystems by incorporating basic geologic processes into reference and baseline site selection, resulting in a refined assessment. Our results indicate that biomonitoring studies should account for natural sources of metals in some geologic environments as contributors to the effect of mines on aquatic ecosystems, recognizing that in mining-impacted drainages there may have been high pre-mining background metal concentrations.

Stable oxygen isotope variability in two contrasting glacier river catchments in Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yde, Jacob C.; Knudsen, Niels T.; Steffensen, Jørgen P.; Carrivick, Jonathan L.; Hasholt, Bent; Ingeman-Nielsen, Thomas; Kronborg, Christian; Larsen, Nicolaj K.; Mernild, Sebastian H.; Oerter, Hans; Roberts, David H.; Russell, Andrew J.

2016-03-01

Analysis of stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) characteristics is a useful tool to investigate water provenance in glacier river systems. In order to attain knowledge on the diversity of δ18O variations in Greenlandic rivers, we examined two contrasting glacierised catchments disconnected from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). At the Mittivakkat Gletscher river, a small river draining a local temperate glacier in southeast Greenland, diurnal oscillations in δ18O occurred with a 3 h time lag to the diurnal oscillations in run-off. The mean annual δ18O was -14.68 ± 0.18 ‰ during the peak flow period. A hydrograph separation analysis revealed that the ice melt component constituted 82 ± 5 % of the total run-off and dominated the observed variations during peak flow in August 2004. The snowmelt component peaked between 10:00 and 13:00 local time, reflecting the long travel time and an inefficient distributed subglacial drainage network in the upper part of the glacier. At the Kuannersuit Glacier river on the island Qeqertarsuaq in west Greenland, the δ18O characteristics were examined after the major 1995-1998 glacier surge event. The mean annual δ18O was -19.47 ± 0.55 ‰. Despite large spatial variations in the δ18O values of glacier ice on the newly formed glacier tongue, there were no diurnal oscillations in the bulk meltwater emanating from the glacier in the post-surge years. This is likely a consequence of a tortuous subglacial drainage system consisting of linked cavities, which formed during the surge event. Overall, a comparison of the δ18O compositions from glacial river water in Greenland shows distinct differences between water draining local glaciers and ice caps (between -23.0 and -13.7 ‰) and the GrIS (between -29.9 and -23.2 ‰). This study demonstrates that water isotope analyses can be used to obtain important information on water sources and the subglacial drainage system structure that is highly desired for understanding glacier hydrology.

Industrial pollution and the management of river water quality: a model of Kelani River, Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Gunawardena, Asha; Wijeratne, E M S; White, Ben; Hailu, Atakelty; Pandit, Ram

2017-08-19

Water quality of the Kelani River has become a critical issue in Sri Lanka due to the high cost of maintaining drinking water standards and the market and non-market costs of deteriorating river ecosystem services. By integrating a catchment model with a river model of water quality, we developed a method to estimate the effect of pollution sources on ambient water quality. Using integrated model simulations, we estimate (1) the relative contribution from point (industrial and domestic) and non-point sources (river catchment) to river water quality and (2) pollutant transfer coefficients for zones along the lower section of the river. Transfer coefficients provide the basis for policy analyses in relation to the location of new industries and the setting of priorities for industrial pollution control. They also offer valuable information to design socially optimal economic policy to manage industrialized river catchments.

Defining the sources of low-flow phosphorus transfers in complex catchments.

PubMed

Arnscheidt, J; Jordan, P; Li, S; McCormick, S; McFaul, R; McGrogan, H J; Neal, M; Sims, J T

2007-08-15

Nutrient transfers from the land to rivers have the potential to cause persistent eutrophic impacts at low flows even though the transfers may constitute a minor percentage of total annual fluxes. In rural catchments, the contribution from agricultural soils during storm events can be particularly large and untangling the relative contributions from multiple sources that vary in time and space is especially problematic. In this study, the potential for domestic septic tank system pollution during low flows was investigated in 3 small catchments (3 to 5 km(2)) using an integrated series of methods. These included septic system surveys, continuous (10 min) total phosphorus (TP) monitoring at the outlet of each catchment, repeated low-flow water quality surveys in sub-catchments upstream of the catchment outlets and single day river-walk water quality surveys. A series of faecal matter and grey-water fingerprinting techniques were also employed. These included determining sterol ratios in stream sediments, monitoring the presence of proteins, E. coli and enterococci bacterial signatures and boron. The total density and density of poorly maintained septic systems mirrored the magnitude of frequent TP concentrations in the catchments although this relationship was less apparent in the nested sub-catchments. The exception was possibly related to the simple hydraulics in one particular catchment and indicated temporary effluent attenuation in the other catchments. Repeated low-flow and river-walk water quality surveys highlighted discrete areas and reaches where stepped changes in nutrient concentration occurred. Bio-chemical fingerprinting showed that between 7% and 27% of sediments were contaminated with human faecal material and correlation matrices indicated that, at least during low flows, P fractions were positively correlated with some markers of faecal and grey-water contamination.

Cutthroat trout avoidance of metals and conditions characteristic of a mining waste site: Coeur d'Alene River, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, Daniel F.; Goldstein, Jack N.; Farag, Aïda M.; Brumbaugh, William G.

1997-01-01

The South Fork basin of the Coeur d'Alene River, Idaho has been an area of heavy mining activity since the 1880s. The mining operations have resulted in elevated concentrations of metals in surface water, most notably cadmium, lead, zinc, and, to a lesser extent, copper. The metals affected surface water quality downstream in the Coeur d'Alene basin and are suspected to be one of the primary reasons for the reduction in populations of native westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi. The avoidance response of a surrogate species, Snake River cutthroat trout O. clarki (unnamed subspecies), was evaluated against conditions simulating those in the Coeur d'Alene River basin. Cutthroat trout avoided a metals mixture of these concentrations: Cd (0.30 ??g/L), Cu (6.0 ??g/L), Pb (0.6 ??g/L), and Zn (28 ??g/L). The avoidance response to either Cu or Zn alone was similar to the avoidance response to the mixture, suggesting that avoidance to the mixture was due to these metals. After acclimation to Zn at 55 ??g/L for 90 d, cutthroat trout detected and preferred a lower Zn concentration of 28 ??g/L. The lowest Zn concentrations avoided (28 ??g/L) were 1/6 to 1/78 the Zn concentrations measured in the South Fork and lower Coeur d'Alene River basins. Avoidance of metals-contaminated habitats by cutthroat trout may be, in part, responsible for reduced fish populations.

Human-induced landscape changes and geo-hydrological risk: the Rupinaro catchment, Liguria, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giostrella, Paola; Faccini, Francesco; Maggi, Roberto; Cesare Mondini, Alessandro; Tarolli, Paolo; Guzzetti, Fausto

2015-04-01

Small and steep watersheds are typical of Liguria, northern Italy. In these small watersheds, geo-hydrological hazards, including flash floods and shallow landslides, caused by high intensity rainfall are frequent and abundant. In the coastal valleys of Liguria, narrow flood plains have hosted human settlements and communication lines since the protohistoric period. Since then, a variety of human activities have modified the natural landscape significantly, and chiefly through land-use changes first in the flood-plains, and next along the slopes. We have studied the 11-square km Rupinaro catchment, west of Chiavari, which has been inhabited since the 8th century BC. Progressive human actions have modified the main river and its tributaries, which have become narrower and canalized, and locally they were covered completely. Human actions have also contributed to the increase in the runoff coefficients, and to the progradation of the main river into the Ligurian Sea. Demographic growth, socio-economic development and urbanization are the main drivers for the land use changes occurred in the Rupinaro catchment. Through a combined analysis of archaeological and palynologycal data, and the multi-temporal analysis of historical maps, aerial photographs and satellite imagery of different vintages, we have reconstructed phases of modifications of the river and the tributaries. We determined the land use changes calculating the loss of soil, analyzing statistics of buildings and demography for the last 150 years, and interpreting historical maps and aerial and satellite imagery. We found that land reclamations, the construction of embankments, and the rectification of rivers are the main human actions performed to obtain building areas along the main river course. Expansion of urban settlements in flood prone areas, and even in the main riverbed, have reached a critical limit has shown by the destructive flood event that has affected the Rupinaro catchment, and chiefly the

Quantifying Temperature Effects on Snow, Plant and Streamflow Dynamics in Headwater Catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wainwright, H. M.; Sarah, T.; Siirila-Woodburn, E. R.; Newcomer, M. E.; Williams, K. H.; Hubbard, S. S.; Enquist, B. J.; Steltzer, H.; Carroll, R. W. H.

2017-12-01

Quantifying Temperature Effects on Snow, Plant and Streamflow Dynamics in Headwater Catchments Snow-dominated headwater catchments are critical for water resource throughout the world; particularly in Western US. Under climate change, temperature increases are expected to be amplified in mountainous regions. We use a data-driven approach to better understand the coupling among inter-annual variability in temperature, snow and plant community dynamics and stream discharge. We apply data mining methods (e.g., principal component analysis, random forest) to historical spatiotemporal datasets, including the SNOTEL data, Landsat-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and airborne LiDAR-based snow distribution. Although both snow distribution and NDVI are extremely heterogeneous spatially, the inter-annual variability and temporal responses are spatially consistent, providing an opportunity to quantify the effect of temperature in the catchment-scale. We demonstrate our approach in the East River Watershed of the Upper Colorado River Basin, including Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, where the changes in plant communities and their dynamics have been extensively documented. Results indicate that temperature - particularly spring temperature - has a significant control not only on the timing of snowmelt, plant NDVI and peak flow but also on the magnitude of peak NDVI, peak flow and annual discharge. Monthly temperature in spring explains the variability of snowmelt by the equivalent standard deviation of 3.4-4.4 days, and total discharge by 10-11%. In addition, the high correlation among June temperature, peak NDVI and annual discharge suggests a primary role of spring evapotranspiration on plant community phenology, productivity, and streamflow volume. On the other hand, summer monsoon precipitation does not contribute significantly to annual discharge, further emphasizing the importance of snowmelt. This approach is mostly based on a set of datasets

A geomorphological characterisation of river systems in South Africa: A case study of the Sabie River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eze, Peter N.; Knight, Jasper

2018-06-01

Fluvial geomorphology affects river character, behaviour, evolution, trajectory of change and recovery potential, and as such affects biophysical interactions within a catchment. Water bodies in South Africa, in common with many other water-stressed parts of the world, are generally under threat due to increasing natural and anthropogenic influences including aridity, siltation and pollution, as well as climate and environmental change. This study reports on a case study to characterise the geomorphology of different river systems in South Africa, with the aim of better understanding their properties, controls, and implications for biophysical interactions including water quality, biodiversity (aquatic and riparian), and human activity within the catchment. The approach adopted is based on the River Styles® framework (RSF), a geomorphology-based approach developed for rivers in New Zealand and Australia, but applied here for the first time to South Africa. Based on analysis of remote sensing imagery, SRTM-2 digital topographic data and field observations on sites through the entire river system, six geomorphic elements were identified along the Sabie River, northeast South Africa (gorge, bedrock-forced meander, low-moderate sinuosity planform controlled sand bed, meandering sand bed, low sinuosity fine grained sand bed, and floodouts), using the RSF classification scheme and based on the RSF procedural tree of Brierley and Fryirs (2005). Previous geomorphological studies along the Sabie River have shown that different reaches respond differently to episodic floods; we use these data to link river geomorphological character (as defined by the RSF) to the hydrodynamic conditions and processes giving rise to such character. This RSF approach can be used to develop a new management approach for river systems that considers their functional biophysical behaviour within individual reaches, rather than considering them as homogeneous and uniform systems.

Emergent Archetype Hydrological-Biogeochemical Response Patterns in Heterogeneous Catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawitz, J. W.; Gall, H. E.; Rao, P.

2013-12-01

What can spatiotemporally integrated patterns observed in stream hydrologic and biogeochemical signals generated in response to transient hydro-climatic and anthropogenic forcing tell us about the interactions between spatially heterogeneous soil-mediated hydrological and biogeochemical processes? We seek to understand how the spatial structure of solute sources coupled with hydrologic responses affect observed concentration-discharge (C-Q) patterns. These patterns are expressions of the spatiotemporal structure of solute loads exported from managed catchments, and their likely ecological consequences manifested in receiving water bodies (e.g., wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal waters). We investigated the following broad questions: (1) How does the correlation between flow-generating areas and biogeochemical source areas across a catchment evolve under stochastic hydro-climatic forcing? (2) What are the feasible hydrologic and biogeochemical responses that lead to the emergence of the observed archetype C-Q patterns? and; (3) What implications do these coupled dynamics have for catchment monitoring and implementation of management practices? We categorize the observed temporal signals into three archetypical C-Q patterns: dilution; accretion, and constant concentration. We introduce a parsimonious stochastic model of heterogeneous catchments, which act as hydrologic and biogeochemical filters, to examine the relationship between spatial heterogeneity and temporal history of solute export signals. The core concept of the modeling framework is considering the types and degree of spatial correlation between solute source zones and flow generating zones, and activation of different portions of the catchments during rainfall events. Our overarching hypothesis is that each of the archetype C-Q patterns can be generated by explicitly linking landscape-scale hydrologic responses and spatial distributions of solute source properties within a catchment. The model

Questa Baseline and Pre-Mining Ground-Water Quality Investigation. 13. Mineral Microscopy and Chemistry of Mined and Unmined Porphyry Molybdenum Mineralization Along the Red River, New Mexico: Implications for Ground- and Surface-Water Quality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plumlee, Geoff; Lowers, Heather; Ludington, Steve; Koenig, Alan; Briggs, Paul

2005-01-01

This report is one in a series presenting results of an interdisciplinary U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study of ground-water quality in the lower Red River watershed prior to open-pit and underground molybdenite mining at Molycorp's Questa mine. The stretch of the Red River watershed that extends from just upstream of the town of Red River to just above the town of Questa includes several mineralized areas in addition to the one mined by Molycorp. Natural erosion and weathering of pyrite-rich rocks in the mineralized areas has created a series of erosional scars along this stretch of the Red River that contribute acidic waters, as well as mineralized alluvial material and sediments, to the river. The overall goal of the USGS study is to infer the pre-mining ground-water quality at the Molycorp mine site. An integrated geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical model for ground water in the mineralized but unmined Straight Creek drainage is being used as an analogue for the geologic, geochemical, and hydrologic conditions that influenced ground-water quality and quantity at the mine site prior to mining. This report summarizes results of reconnaissance mineralogical and chemical characterization studies of rock samples collected from the various scars and the Molycorp open pit, and of drill cuttings or drill core from bedrock beneath the scars and adjacent debris fans.

Effects of historical lead–zinc mining on riffle-dwelling benthic fish and crayfish in the Big River of southeastern Missouri, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allert, A.L.; DiStefano, R.J.; Fairchild, J.F.; Schmitt, C.J.; McKee, M.J.; Girondo, J.A.; Brumbaugh, W.G.; May, T.W.

2013-01-01

The Big River (BGR) drains much of the Old Lead Belt mining district (OLB) in southeastern Missouri, USA, which was historically among the largest producers of lead–zinc (Pb–Zn) ore in the world. We sampled benthic fish and crayfish in riffle habitats at eight sites in the BGR and conducted 56-day in situ exposures to the woodland crayfish (Orconectes hylas) and golden crayfish (Orconectes luteus) in cages at four sites affected to differing degrees by mining. Densities of fish and crayfish, physical habitat and water quality, and the survival and growth of caged crayfish were examined at sites with no known upstream mining activities (i.e., reference sites) and at sites downstream of mining areas (i.e., mining and downstream sites). Lead, zinc, and cadmium were analyzed in surface and pore water, sediment, detritus, fish, crayfish, and other benthic macro-invertebrates. Metals concentrations in all materials analyzed were greater at mining and downstream sites than at reference sites. Ten species of fish and four species of crayfish were collected. Fish and crayfish densities were significantly greater at reference than mining or downstream sites, and densities were greater at downstream than mining sites. Survival of caged crayfish was significantly lower at mining sites than reference sites; downstream sites were not tested. Chronic toxic-unit scores and sediment probable effects quotients indicated significant risk of toxicity to fish and crayfish, and metals concentrations in crayfish were sufficiently high to represent a risk to wildlife at mining and downstream sites. Collectively, the results provided direct evidence that metals associated with historical mining activities in the OLB continue to affect aquatic life in the BGR.

Lessons learned from the U.S. Geological Survey abandoned mine lands initiative: 1997-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kimball, Briant A.; Church, Stan E.; Besser, John M.

2006-01-01

Growth of the United States has been facilitated, in part, by hard-rock mining in the Rocky Mountains. Abandoned and inactive mines cause many significant environmental concerns in hundreds of watersheds. Those who have responsibility to address these environmental concerns must have a basic level of scientific information about mining and mine wastes in a watershed prior to initiating remediation activities. To demonstrate what information is needed and how to obtain that information, the U.S. Geological Survey implemented the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Initiative from 1997 to 2002 with demonstration studies in the Boulder River watershed in Montana and the Animas River watershed in Colorado. The AML Initiative included collection and analysis of geologic, hydrologic, geochemical, geophysical, and biological data. The synergy of this interdisciplinary analysis produced a perspective of the environmental concerns that could not have come from a single discipline. Two examples of these perspectives include (1) the combination of hydrological tracer techniques, structural geology, and geophysics help to understand the spatial distribution of loading to the streams in a way that cannot be evaluated by monitoring at a catchment outlet, and (2) the combination of toxicology and hydrology combine to illustrate that seasonal variability of toxicity conditions occurs. Lessons have been learned by listening to and collaborating with land-management agencies to understand their needs and by applying interdisciplinary methods to answer their questions.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: 30-Year Average Annual Precipitation, 1971-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the 30-year (1971-2000) average annual precipitation in millimeters multiplied by 100 compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data were the United States Average Monthly or Annual Minimum Precipitation, 1971 - 2000 raster data set produced by the PRISM Group at Oregon State University. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; J.W. Brakebill, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2008). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Influence of gravel mining and other factors on detection probabilities of Coastal Plain fishes in the Mobile River Basin, Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayer, C.-A.; Irwin, E.R.

2008-01-01

We used an information-theoretic approach to examine the variation in detection probabilities for 87 Piedmont and Coastal Plain fishes in relation to instream gravel mining in four Alabama streams of the Mobile River drainage. Biotic and abiotic variables were also included in candidate models. Detection probabilities were heterogeneous across species and varied with habitat type, stream, season, and water quality. Instream gravel mining influenced the variation in detection probabilities for 38% of the species collected, probably because it led to habitat loss and increased sedimentation. Higher detection probabilities were apparent at unmined sites than at mined sites for 78% of the species for which gravel mining was shown to influence detection probabilities, indicating potential negative impacts to these species. Physical and chemical attributes also explained the variation in detection probabilities for many species. These results indicate that anthropogenic impacts can affect detection probabilities for fishes, and such variation should be considered when developing monitoring programs or routine sampling protocols. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.

Salinisation of rivers: an urgent ecological issue.

PubMed

Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel; Kefford, Ben J; Piscart, Christophe; Prat, Narcís; Schäfer, Ralf B; Schulz, Claus-Jürgen

2013-02-01

Secondary salinisation of rivers and streams is a global and growing threat that might be amplified by climate change. It can have many different causes, like irrigation, mining activity or the use of salts as de-icing agents for roads. Freshwater organisms only tolerate certain ranges of water salinity. Therefore secondary salinisation has an impact at the individual, population, community and ecosystem levels, which ultimately leads to a reduction in aquatic biodiversity and compromises the goods and services that rivers and streams provide. Management of secondary salinization should be directed towards integrated catchment strategies (e.g. benefiting from the dilution capacity of the rivers) and identifying threshold salt concentrations to preserve the ecosystem integrity. Future research on the interaction of salinity with other stressors and the impact of salinization on trophic interactions and ecosystem properties is needed and the implications of this issue for human society need to be seriously considered. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relations among rainstorm runoff, streamflow, pH, and metal concentrations, Summitville Mine area, upper Alamosa River basin, southwest Colorado, 1995-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rupert, Michael G.

2001-01-01

The upper Alamosa River Basin contains areas that are geochemically altered and have associated secondary sulfide mineralization. Occurring with this sulfide mineralization are copper, gold, and silver deposits that have been mined since the 1870's. Weathering of areas with sulfide mineralization produces runoff with anomalously low pH and high metal concentrations; mining activities exacerbate the condition. Summer rainstorms in the upper Alamosa River Basin produce a characteristic relation between streamflow and pH; streamflow suddenly increases and pH suddenly decreases (commonly by more than 1 pH unit). This report evaluates changes in pH in the upper Alamosa River Basin during July, August, and September 1995, 1996, and 1997 to examine possible adverse environmental effects due to rainstorm runoff. Ninety-three percent of the rainstorms occurring during 1995?97 produced runoff throughout the entire basin. Out of 54 storms, only 3 storms were isolated to the river reach upstream from the streamflow-gaging station Alamosa River above Wightman Fork, and only 1 storm was isolated to the river reach between the streamflow-gaging stations Alamosa River below Jasper and Alamosa River above Terrace Reservoir. Although most rainstorm runoff events occurred throughout the entire basin, pH changes were highest in parts of the basin that receive runoff from hydrothermally altered areas. The three principal altered areas within the basin are the Jasper, Stunner, and Summitville areas. Only limited mining occurred in the Stunner altered area, and yet significant decreases in pH values occur due to runoff from this area. Even after environmental restoration activities are completed at the Summitville Mine, the main stem of the Alamosa River may continue to be adversely affected by runoff from the Stunner and Jasper altered areas. A comparison of measured pH with Federal and State of Colorado water-quality standards and Toxicological Reference Values indicates pH was too low

Trends and seasonality of river nutrients in agricultural catchments: 18years of weekly citizen science in France.

PubMed

Abbott, Benjamin W; Moatar, Florentina; Gauthier, Olivier; Fovet, Ophélie; Antoine, Virginie; Ragueneau, Olivier

2018-05-15

Agriculture and urbanization have disturbed three-quarters of global ice-free land surface, delivering huge amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus to freshwater ecosystems. These excess nutrients degrade habitat and threaten human food and water security at a global scale. Because most catchments are either currently subjected to, or recovering from anthropogenic nutrient loading, understanding the short- and long-term responses of river nutrients to changes in land use is essential for effective management. We analyzed a never-published, 18-year time series of anthropogenic (NO 3 - and PO 4 3- ) and naturally derived (dissolved silica) riverine nutrients in 13 catchments recovering from agricultural pollution in western France. In a citizen science initiative, high-school students sampled catchments weekly, which ranged from 26 to 1489km 2 . Nutrient concentrations decreased substantially over the period of record (19 to 50% for NO 3 - and 14 to 80% for PO 4 3- ), attributable to regional, national, and international investment and regulation, which started immediately prior to monitoring. For the majority of catchments, water quality during the summer low-flow period improved faster than during winter high-flow conditions, and annual minimum concentrations improved relatively faster than annual maximum concentrations. These patterns suggest that water-quality improvements were primarily due to elimination of discrete nutrient sources with seasonally-constant discharge (e.g. human and livestock wastewater), agreeing with available land-use and municipal records. Surprisingly, long-term nutrient decreases were not accompanied by changes in nutrient seasonality in most catchments, attributable to persistent, diffuse nutrient stocks. Despite decreases, nutrient concentrations in almost all catchments remained well above eutrophication thresholds, and because additional improvements will depend on decreasing diffuse nutrient sources, future gains may be much slower than

Catchment Restoration in the Tweed UNESCO-IHP HELP Basin - Eddleston Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spray, Christopher

2013-04-01

The EU Water Frame Work Directive (WFD) requires member states to work towards the achievement of 'good ecological status' for water bodies, through a 6 year cycle of river basin management plans (RBMPs). Within these RBMPs, states must develop and implement programmes of measures designed to improve the quality of individual water bodies at risk of failing to achieve this status. These RBMPS must not only be focussed on the key causes of failure, but increasingly look to deliver multiple benefits, such as flood risk reduction and improvement to biodiversity from such catchment interventions, and to involve communities and other stakeholders in restoration of their local environment. This paper reports on progress of a detailed study of the restoration of the Eddleston Water, a typical 'failing' water body in Scotland, the monitoring and governance arrangements behind this, and implications for rehabilitation of river systems elsewhere. Within UK rivers, the main causes of failure to achieve good ecological status are historical morphological changes to river courses, diffuse agricultural pollution and invasive non-native species. The Eddleston Water is a 70 sq kms sub-catchment of the Tweed, an UNESCO IHP-HELP basin in the Scottish : English borders, and is currently classified as 'bad' status, due largely to morphological changes to the course and structure of the river over the past 200 years. The main challenge therefor is physical restoration of the river to achieve functional connectivity with the flood plain. At the same time however, the two communities within the catchment suffer from flooding, so a second priority is to intervene within the catchment to reduce the risk of flooding through the use of "natural flood management" measures and, underlying both these two aspects a whole catchment approach to community participation and the achievement of a range of other ecosystem service benefits, including conservation of biodiversity. We report on the

Long term changes in the concentration of radium in discharge waters of coal mines and Upper Silesian rivers.

PubMed

Chałupnik, Stanisław; Wysocka, Małgorzata; Janson, Ewa; Chmielewska, Izabela; Wiesner, Marta

2017-05-01

According to the latest guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, 2016), coal mining is one of the most important contributors to occupational exposure. Coal mining contributes about 45% of the total annual collective dose obtained by workers due to the exposure at places of working. One of the sources of exposure in mining are formation brines with elevated concentrations of natural radionuclides, the most common are radium 226 Ra and 228 Ra. Radium isotopes often occur in formation waters in underground collieries in the Upper Silesian region (USCB) in Poland. Significant amounts of radium remain underground in the form of radioactive deposits created as a result of spontaneous deposition or water treatment. This phenomenon leads to the increase of radiation hazard for miners. The remaining activities of 226 Ra and 228 Ra are released into the rivers with mine effluents, causing the contamination of bottom sediments and river banks. The results of radioactivity monitoring of effluents and river waters are presented here to illustrate a trend of long-term changes in environmental contamination, caused by mining industry in the Upper Silesian Region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt: 1. Hydrochemical characteristics and pollutant load of the Tinto and Odiel rivers.

PubMed

Nieto, Jose M; Sarmiento, Aguasanta M; Canovas, Carlos R; Olias, Manuel; Ayora, Carlos

2013-11-01

Acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt is probably the worst case in the world of surface water pollution associated with mining of sulphide mineral deposits. The Iberian Pyrite Belt is located in SW Iberian Peninsula, and it has been mined during the last 4,500 years. The central and eastern part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt is drained by the Tinto and Odiel rivers, which receive most of the acidic leachates from the mining areas. As a result, the main channels of the Tinto and Odiel rivers are very rich in metals and highly acidic until reaching the Atlantic Ocean. A significant amount of the pollutant load transported by these two rivers is delivered during the rainy season, as is usual in rivers of Mediterranean climate regions. Therefore, in order to have an accurate estimation of the pollutant loads transported by the Tinto and Odiel rivers, a systematic sampling on a weekly basis and a high temporal resolution sampling of floods events were both performed. Results obtained show that metal fluxes are strongly dependent on the study period, highlighting the importance of inter-annual studies involving dry and wet years.

What impact might mitigation of diffuse nitrate pollution have on river water quality in a rural catchment?

PubMed

Hutchins, Michael G

2012-10-30

Observations of river flow, river quality and solar radiation were collated to assess the degree to which light and nutrients may be limiting phytoplankton growth at seven sites in the River Ouse catchment in NE England under average conditions. Hydraulic information derived from river network model applications was then used to determine where river water has sufficient residence time above the tidal limit to facilitate bloom development. A nitrate model (NALTRACES) was developed to estimate the impact of land management change on mean river nitrate concentrations. Applications of this model showed that although agricultural activity contributes substantially to nitrate loads in the Ouse it is likely to have little impact on phytoplankton growth, which could still occur extensively in its absence given favourable sunny and dry conditions. As an example of a means of controlling light availability, establishing full riparian tree cover would appear to be a considerably more effective management scenario than suppressing inputs to the river of nitrate or phosphorus. Any actions should be prioritised in headwater areas such as the upper reaches of the Swale and Ure tributaries. These conclusions are in broad agreement with those arising from more detailed simulations at daily resolution using the QUESTOR river quality model. The combination of simple modelling approaches applied here allows an initial identification of suitable spatially-targeted options for mitigating against phytoplankton blooms which can be applied more widely at a regional or national level. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hazard assessment for small torrent catchments - lessons learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisl, Julia; Huebl, Johannes

2013-04-01

The documentation of extreme events as a part of the integral risk management cycle is an important basis for the analysis and assessment of natural hazards. In July 2011 a flood event occurred in the Wölzer-valley in the province of Styria, Austria. For this event at the "Wölzerbach" a detailed event documentation was carried out, gathering data about rainfall, runoff and sediment transport as well as information on damaged objects, infrastructure or crops using various sources. The flood was triggered by heavy rainfalls in two tributaries of the Wölzer-river. Though a rain as well as a discharge gaging station exists for the Wölzer-river, the torrents affected by the high intensity rainfalls are ungaged. For these ungaged torrent catchments the common methods for hazard assessment were evaluated. The back-calculation of the rainfall event was done using a new approach for precipitation analysis. In torrent catchments especially small-scale and high-intensity rainfall events are mainly responsible for extreme events. Austria's weather surveillance radar is operated by the air traffic service "AustroControl". The usually available dataset is interpreted and shows divergences especially when it comes to high intensity rainfalls. For this study the raw data of the radar were requested and analysed. Further on the event was back-calculated with different rainfall-runoff models, hydraulic models and sediment transport models to obtain calibration parameters for future use in hazard assessment for this region. Since there are often problems with woody debris different scenarios were simulated. The calibrated and plausible results from the runoff models were used for the comparison with empirical approaches used in the practical sector. For the planning of mitigation measures of the Schöttl-torrent, which is one of the affected tributaries of the Wölzer-river, a physical scale model was used in addition to the insights of the event analysis to design a check dam

An evaluation of catchment-scale phosphorus mitigation using load apportionment modelling.

PubMed

Greene, S; Taylor, D; McElarney, Y R; Foy, R H; Jordan, P

2011-05-01

Functional relationships between phosphorus (P) discharge and concentration mechanisms were explored using a load apportionment model (LAM) developed for use in a freshwater catchment in Ireland with fourteen years of data (1995-2008). The aim of model conceptualisation was to infer changes in point and diffuse sources from catchment P loading during P mitigation, based upon a dataset comprising geospatial and water quality data from a 256km(2) lake catchment in an intensively farmed drumlin region of the midlands of Ireland. The model was calibrated using river total P (TP), molybdate reactive P (MRP) and runoff data from seven subcatchments. Temporal and spatial heterogeneity of P sources existed within and between subcatchments; these were attributed to differences in agricultural intensity, soil type and anthropogenically-sourced effluent P loading. Catchment rivers were sensitive to flow regime, which can result in eutrophication of rivers during summer and lake enrichment from frequent flood events. For one sewage impacted river, the LAM estimated that point sourced P contributed up to of 90% of annual MRP load delivered during a hydrological year and in this river point P sources dominated flows up to 92% of days. In the other rivers, despite diffuse P forming a majority of the annual P exports, point sources of P dominated flows for up to 64% of a hydrological year. The calibrated model demonstrated that lower P export rates followed specific P mitigation measures. The LAM estimated up to 80% decreases in point MRP load after enhanced P removal at waste water treatments plants in urban subcatchments and the implementation of septic tank and agricultural bye-laws in rural subcatchments. The LAM approach provides a way to assess the long-term effectiveness of further measures to reduce P loadings in EU (International) River Basin Districts and subcatchments. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Linking coral river runoff proxies with climate variability, hydrology and land-use in Madagascar catchments.

PubMed

Maina, Joseph; de Moel, Hans; Vermaat, Jan E; Bruggemann, J Henrich; Guillaume, Mireille M M; Grove, Craig A; Madin, Joshua S; Mertz-Kraus, Regina; Zinke, Jens

2012-10-01

Understanding the linkages between coastal watersheds and adjacent coral reefs is expected to lead to better coral reef conservation strategies. Our study aims to examine the main predictors of environmental proxies recorded in near shore corals and therefore how linked near shore reefs are to the catchment physical processes. To achieve these, we developed models to simulate hydrology of two watersheds in Madagascar. We examined relationships between environmental proxies derived from massive Porites spp. coral cores (spectral luminescence and barium/calcium ratios), and corresponding time-series (1950-2006) data of hydrology, climate, land use and human population growth. Results suggest regional differences in the main environmental drivers of reef sedimentation: on annual time-scales, precipitation, river flow and sediment load explained the variability in coral proxies of river discharge for the northeast region, while El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and temperature (air and sea surface) were the best predictors in the southwest region. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does river restoration affect diurnal and seasonal changes to surface water quality? A study along the Thur River, Switzerland.

PubMed

Chittoor Viswanathan, Vidhya; Molson, John; Schirmer, Mario

2015-11-01

Changes in river water quality were investigated along the lower reach of the Thur River, Switzerland, following river restoration and a summer storm event. River restoration and hydrological storm events can each cause dramatic changes to water quality by affecting various bio-geochemical processes in the river, but have to date not been well documented, especially in combination. Evaluating the success of river restoration is often restricted in large catchments due to a lack of high frequency water quality data, which are needed for process understanding. These challenges were addressed in this study by measuring water quality parameters including dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) with a high temporal frequency (15 min-1h) over selected time scales. In addition, the stable isotopes of water (δD and δ(18)O-H2O) as well as those of nitrate (δ(15)N-NO3(-) and δ(18)O-NO3(-)) were measured to follow changes in water quality in response to the hydrological changes in the river. To compare the spatial distribution of pre- and post-restoration water quality, the sampling stations were chosen upstream and downstream of the restored section. The diurnal and seasonal changes were monitored by conducting 24-hour campaigns in three seasons (winter, summer and autumn) in 2012 and 2013. The amplitude of the diurnal changes of the various observed parameters showed significant seasonal and spatial variability. Biological processes--mainly photosynthesis and respiration--were found to be the major drivers of these diurnal cycles. During low flow in autumn, a reduction of nitrate (attributed to assimilation by autotrophs) in the pre-dawn period and a production of DOC during the daytime (attributed to photosynthesis) were observed downstream of the restored site. Further, a summer storm event was found to override the influence of these biological processes that control the diurnal changes. High

Applicability of TOPMODEL in the mountainous catchments in the upper Nysa Kłodzka river basin (SW Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeziorska, Justyna; Niedzielski, Tomasz

2018-03-01

River basins located in the Central Sudetes (SW Poland) demonstrate a high vulnerability to flooding. Four mountainous basins and the corresponding outlets have been chosen for modeling the streamflow dynamics using TOPMODEL, a physically based semi-distributed topohydrological model. The model has been calibrated using the Monte Carlo approach—with discharge, rainfall, and evapotranspiration data used to estimate the parameters. The overall performance of the model was judged by interpreting the efficiency measures. TOPMODEL was able to reproduce the main pattern of the hydrograph with acceptable accuracy for two of the investigated catchments. However, it failed to simulate the hydrological response in the remaining two catchments. The best performing data set obtained Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.78. This data set was chosen to conduct a detailed analysis aiming to estimate the optimal timespan of input data for which TOPMODEL performs best. The best fit was attained for the half-year time span. The model was validated and found to reveal good skills.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: 30-Year Average Daily Minimum Temperature, 1971-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents thecatchment-average for the 30-year (1971-2000) average daily minimum temperature in Celsius multiplied by 100 compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). The source data were the United States Average Monthly or Annual Minimum Temperature, 1971 - 2000 raster data set produced by the PRISM Group at Oregon State University. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Emergency Response to Gold King Mine Release

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Description of August 5, 2015 release of contaminated waters from the Gold King Mine into Cement Creek and the Animas River, and the resulting emergency response remediation efforts, including monitoring of affected waterways.

Connecting large-scale atmospheric circulation, river flow and groundwater levels in a chalk catchment in southern England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavers, David A.; Hannah, David M.; Bradley, Chris

2015-04-01

Groundwater is an important water resource and globally it represents the largest distributed store of freshwater. In southern England, groundwater is a major source for public water supply, and many aquifers have recently experienced both extreme low and high groundwater levels. In this paper, we use observations of precipitation, river discharge and groundwater levels (1964-2010) and an atmospheric reanalysis to explore the large-scale climate patterns preceding the nine highest and lowest March river discharge and groundwater levels in the chalk catchment of the River Lambourn (Berkshire Downs, southern England). Peak monthly precipitation is shown to occur from October to January, while the highest river discharge and groundwater levels are found from February to April. For high discharge/groundwater levels, composite anomaly patterns of the mean sea level pressure show a stronger than average pressure gradient across the North Atlantic Ocean, with enhanced water vapour transport across southern England. For the lowest discharge/groundwater levels, a blocking high pressure system is found across the British Isles deflecting storms and precipitation to the north. Significantly, the intra-composite variability suggests that different sequences of atmospheric states may lead to high and low discharge/groundwater events.

Fish assemblages and environmental variables associated with hard-rock mining in the Coeur d'Alene River basin, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maret, Terry R.; MacCoy, Dorene E.

2002-01-01

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Quality Assessment Program, fish assemblages, environmental variables, and associated mine densities were evaluated at 18 test and reference sites during the summer of 2000 in the Coeur d'Alene and St. Regis river basins in Idaho and Montana. Multimetric and multivariate analyses were used to examine patterns in fish assemblages and the associated environmental variables representing a gradient of mining intensity. The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in water and streambed sediment found at test sites in watersheds where production mine densities were at least 0.2 mines/km2 (in a 500-m stream buffer) were significantly higher than the concentrations found at reference sites. Many of these metal concentrations exceeded Ambient Water Quality Criteria (AWQC) and the Canadian Probable Effect Level guidelines for streambed sediment. Regression analysis identified significant relationships between the production mine densities and the sum of Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations in water and streambed sediment (r2 = 0.69 and 0.66, respectively; P < 0.01). Zinc was identified as the primary metal contaminant in both water and streambed sediment. Eighteen fish species in the families Salmonidae, Cottidae, Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, Centrarchidae, and Ictaluridae were collected. Principal components analysis of 11 fish metrics identified two distinct groups of sites corresponding to the reference and test sites, predominantly on the basis of the inverse relationship between percent cottids and percent salmonids (r = -0.64; P < 0.05). Streams located downstream from the areas of intensive hard-rock mining in the Coeur d'Alene River basin contained fewer native fish and lower abundances as a result of metal enrichment, not physical habitat degradation. Typically, salmonids were the predominant species at test sites where Zn concentrations exceeded the acute AWQC. Cottids were absent at these sites, which

A bottom up approach for engineering catchments through sustainable runoff management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, M.; Quinn, P. F.; Jonczyk, J.; Burke, S.

2010-12-01

There is no doubt that our catchments are under great stress. There have been many accounts around the world of severe flood events and water quality issues within channels. As a result of these, ecological habitats in rivers are also under pressure. Within the United Kingdom, all these issues have been identified as key target areas for policy. Traditionally this has been managed by a policy driven top down approach which is usually ineffective. A one ‘size fits all’ attitude often does not work. This paper presents a case study in northern England whereby a bottom up approach is applied to multipurpose managing of catchments at the source (in the order of 1-10km2). This includes simultaneous tackling of water quality, flooding and ecological issues by creating sustainable runoff management solutions such as storage ponds, wetlands, beaver dams and willow riparian features. In order to identify the prevailing issues in a specific catchment, full and transparent stakeholder engagement is essential, with everybody who has a vested interest in the catchment being involved from the beginning. These problems can then be dealt with through the use of a novel catchment management toolkit, which is transferable to similar scale catchments. However, evidence collected on the ground also allows for upscaling of the toolkit. The process gathers the scientific evidence about the effectiveness of existing or new measures, which can really change the catchment functions. Still, we need to get better at communicating the science to policy makers and policy therefore must facilitate a bottom up approach to land and water management. We show a test site for this approach in the Belford burn catchment (6km2), northern England. This catchment has problems with flooding and water quality. Increased sediment loads are affecting the nearby estuary which is an important ecological zone and numerous floods have affected the local village. A catchment engineering toolkit has been

Effects of acid mine drainage on the stream ecosystem of the east fork of the Obey River, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nichols, L.E.; Bulow, F.L.

1973-01-01

The stream ecosystem of the east fork of the Obey River, Tennessee was studied from January through December 1970. Emphasis centered on water quality, macroinvertebrates, fish and aquatic flora affected by acid mine drainage. Two control stations were established within the study area, one located below the zone of pollution. A reservoir station was established to detect any neutralization occurring within Dale Hollow Reservoir below the confluence of the east fork and west fork. An area approximately 40 miles in length was found to be severely degraded by acid mine drainage. Limited macroinvertebrate populations existed within this region. Chironomus andmore » Sialis were the predominate benthic indicator organisms present in the polluted zone. Euglena mutabilis was the most abundant representative organism of the aquatic flora. This organism was found to be characteristic of acid mine pollution. Fish were recovered above and below, but not within, the zone of pollution. Fish recovered were characteristic of the type of habitat in which they were collected, being either typical stream or reservoir fish. A fish kill occurred in the east fork embayment of Dale Hollow on August 15, 1970 from acid mine drainage discharged upstream.« less

Assessment of surface water resources availability using catchment modeling and the results of tracer studies in the meso-scale Migina Catchment, Rwanda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munyaneza, O.; Mukubwa, A.; Maskey, S.; Wenninger, J.; Uhlenbrook, S.

2013-12-01

In the last couple of years, different hydrological research projects were undertaken in the Migina catchment (243.2 km2), a tributary of the Kagera river in Southern Rwanda. These projects were aimed to understand hydrological processes of the catchment using analytical and experimental approaches and to build a pilot case whose experience can be extended to other catchments in Rwanda. In the present study, we developed a hydrological model of the catchment, which can be used to inform water resources planning and decision making. The semi-distributed hydrological model HEC-HMS (version 3.5) was used with its soil moisture accounting, unit hydrograph, liner reservoir (for base flow) and Muskingum-Cunge (river routing) methods. We used rainfall data from 12 stations and streamflow data from 5 stations, which were collected as part of this study over a period of two years (May 2009 and June 2011). The catchment was divided into five sub-catchments each represented by one of the five observed streamflow gauges. The model parameters were calibrated separately for each sub-catchment using the observed streamflow data. Calibration results obtained were found acceptable at four stations with a Nash-Sutcliffe Model Efficiency of 0.65 on daily runoff at the catchment outlet. Due to the lack of sufficient and reliable data for longer periods, a model validation (split sample test) was not undertaken. However, we used results from tracer based hydrograph separation from a previous study to compare our model results in terms of the runoff components. It was shown that the model performed well in simulating the total flow volume, peak flow and timing as well as the portion of direct runoff and base flow. We observed considerable disparities in the parameters (e.g. groundwater storage) and runoff components across the five sub-catchments, that provided insights into the different hydrological processes at sub-catchment scale. We conclude that such disparities justify the need

Assessing metaldehyde concentrations in surface water catchments and implications for drinking water abstraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asfaw, Alemayehu; Shucksmith, James; Smith, Andrea; Cherry, Katherine

2015-04-01

Metaldehyde is an active ingredient in agricultural pesticides such as slug pellets, which are heavily applied to UK farmland during the autumn application season. There is current concern that existing drinking water treatment processes may be inadequate in reducing potentially high levels of metaldehyde in surface waters to below the UK drinking water quality regulation limit of 0.1 µg/l. In addition, current water quality monitoring methods can miss short term fluctuations in metaldehyde concentration caused by rainfall driven runoff, hampering prediction of the potential risk of exposure. Datasets describing levels, fate and transport of metaldehyde in river catchments are currently very scarce. This work presents results from an ongoing study to quantify the presence of metaldehyde in surface waters within a UK catchment used for drinking water abstraction. High resolution water quality data from auto-samplers installed in rivers are coupled with radar rainfall, catchment characteristics and land use data to i) understand which hydro-meteorological characteristics of the catchment trigger the peak migration of metaldehyde to surface waters; ii) assess the relationship between measured metaldehyde levels and catchment characteristics such as land use, topographic index, proximity to water bodies and runoff generation area; iii) describe the current risks to drinking water supply and discuss mitigation options based on modelling and real-time control of water abstraction. Identifying the correlation between catchment attributes and metaldehyde generation will help in the development of effective catchment management strategies, which can help to significantly reduce the amount of metaldehyde finding its way into river water. Furthermore, the effectiveness of current water quality monitoring strategy in accurately quantifying the generation of metaldehyde from the catchment and its ability to benefit the development of effective catchment management practices

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 10. Geologic influences on ground and surface waters in the lower Red River watershed, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ludington, Steve; Plumlee, Geoff; Caine, Jonathan S.; Bove, Dana; Holloway, JoAnn; Livo, Eric

2005-01-01

Introduction: This report is one in a series that presents results of an interdisciplinary U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study of ground-water quality in the lower Red River watershed prior to open-pit and underground molybdenite mining at Molycorp's Questa mine. The stretch of the Red River watershed that extends from just upstream of the town of Red River, N. Mex., to just above the town of Questa includes several mineralized areas in addition to the one mined by Molycorp. Natural erosion and weathering of pyrite-rich rocks in the mineralized areas has created a series of erosional scars along this stretch of the Red River that contribute acidic waters, as well as mineralized alluvial material and sediments, to the river. The overall goal of the USGS study is to infer the premining ground-water quality at the Molycorp mine site. An integrated geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical model for ground water in the mineralized-but unmined-Straight Creek drainage (a tributary of the Red River) is being used as an analog for the geologic, geochemical, and hydrologic conditions that influenced ground-water quality and quantity in the Red River drainage prior to mining. This report provides an overall geologic framework for the Red River watershed between Red River and Questa, in northern New Mexico, and summarizes key geologic, mineralogic, structural and other characteristics of various mineralized areas (and their associated erosional scars and debris fans) that likely influence ground- and surface-water quality and hydrology. The premining nature of the Sulphur Gulch and Goat Hill Gulch scars on the Molycorp mine site can be inferred through geologic comparisons with other unmined scars in the Red River drainage.

Effects of mining activities on the release of heavy metals(HMs) in the head water regions of the Heihe River.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, W., Sr.; Ma, R.; Sun, Z.; Bu, J.; Chang, Q.

2017-12-01

The head water regions of Heihe River were located in the Qilian orogenic belt, where belongs to the Qilian Mountains National Ecological Nature Protection and has fragile ecosystem. Previous surveys show that the regions were rich in various metal ores, and the mining activities have been intense.The environmental effect of mining activities will be going on several years, while Our field investigation show that there were 23 mines, of which 18 have been historical. This study collected water samples in main Heihe river and its tributaries, groundwaters and soil water, and the sediment samples near the ores. The concentration of HMs in both waters and sediments was measured for characterizing the spatial distribution of HMs, and determining the origin of the HMs in the river waters. Results of water quality assessment show that 67% of water samples failed to reach the Grade II environmental quality standard for surface water in China (GB3838-2002).The spatial distribution of HMs (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) is highly correlated with the geographical distribution of local mines, suggesting that various heavy metals(HMs) were released into the Heihe River via mining activities. The Be, Co, Sn, Bi, Th, U were mainly derived from aluminosilicate weathering crusts. And the acid mine wastewater was the main source for Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd. The Serpentine wreathing was the main source for Cr and Ni. Mn and Cs were enriched by agricultural activities.

Dry spells assessment with reference to the maize crop in the Luvuvhu River catchment of South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masupha, Teboho Elisa; Moeletsi, Mokhele Edmond; Tsubo, Mitsuru

2016-04-01

Agricultural productivity in South Africa is negatively affected by drought as a result of frequent periodic dry spells and increasing crop water demands resulting in poor crop development and low yields. Thus, we embarked on this study which aims at investigating dry spell occurrences in relation to growing season of maize in the Luvuvhu River Catchment. Daily rainfall data (1945-2014) from 12 stations which represent the catchment fairly well was utilized in this study. Three consecutive planting dates were staggered based on three consecutive onsets of the rainy season. Dry spells were categorized into three groups: short, medium and long dry spells. The data was then subjected to theoretical distribution fitting using the Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit test; and probabilities of occurrence were computed using a probabilistic model that best fits the data. Trend analysis was performed on the frequency of dry spells per growing period using the non-parametric Spearman's rank correlation test. Out results indicated high probabilities (≥80%) of short dry spells at all the stations irrespective of the timing of planting. Further analysis revealed that a risk of yield reduction with planting following the first onset of rains was higher than that with planting following the second and third onsets. In order to minimize this risk, farmers can be advised to plant between mid-November to mid-December. Trend analysis indicated no trend for all the various dry spell lengths except for Thohoyandou with a decreasing trend and Sigonde with a weak increasing trend in long dry spells. Such findings can be used to describe drought conditions for improvement of agricultural productivity and food security, in a given area.

Effect of mine discharge on the pattern of riverine habitat use of elephants Elephas maximus and other mammals in Singhbhum forests, Bihar, India

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, R.K.; Chowdhury, S.

The aim of this paper is to access the influence of water quality both on the occurrence of, and utilization by, elephants (Elephas maximus) in a riverine habitat. Mining operations and other anthropogenic changes to natural river systems have caused degradation of the ecosystem for elephants. A decline in their numbers has been seen throughout the Singhbhum Forests, India due to fragmentation and loss of habitat. The need to preserve and restore the habitat of the elephant is accepted, but until the factors that influence their distribution are known and understood, suitable management plans cannot be implemented. The study areamore » was the catchment of the river Koina where waste discharge from an iron oremine and processing plant impact upon water quality. The study period from April 1995 to March 1996 looked at sections of the river where unregulated mine discharge was made, and where regulation through tailing ponds controlled total suspended solids (TSS) output from the mine waste water to the river system. Various physico-chemical parameters recorded at seven sampling stations were quantified. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) segregated the key parameters in determining the discharge levels of both regulated and unregulated discharge at various sites.« less

Platinum group elements in stream sediments of mining zones: The Hex River (Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almécija, Clara; Cobelo-García, Antonio; Wepener, Victor; Prego, Ricardo

2017-05-01

Assessment of the environmental impact of platinum group elements (PGE) and other trace elements from mining activities is essential to prevent potential environmental risks. This study evaluates the concentrations of PGE in stream sediments of the Hex River, which drains the mining area of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (South Africa), at four sampling points. Major, minor and trace elements (Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, Zn, Cu, As, Co, Ni, Cd, and Pb) were analyzed by FAAS and ETAAS in suspended particulate matter and different sediment fractions (<63, 63-500 and 500-2000 μm), and Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ir were measured by ICP-MS after removal of interfering elements (cation exchange resin 50W-DOWEX-X8). Procedures were blank-corrected and accuracy checked using reference materials. Nickel, Cr, Pt, Pd, Rh and Ir show concentrations 3-, 13- 18-, 28-, 48- and 44- fold the typical upper continental crust levels, respectively, although lower than concentrations reported for the parent rocks. The highest concentrations were observed closer to the mining area, decreasing with distance and in the <63 μm fraction, probably derived from atmospheric deposition and surface runoff of PGE-rich particles released from mining activities. Thus, mining activities are causing some disturbance of the surface PGE geochemical cycle, increasing the presence of PGE in the fine fraction of river sediments. We propose that indicators such as airborne particulate matter, and soil and river sediment quality, should be added to the protocols for evaluating the sustainability of mining activities.

The reach of human health risks associated with metals/metalloids in water and vegetables along a contaminated river catchment: South Africa and Mozambique.

PubMed

Genthe, Bettina; Kapwata, Thandi; Le Roux, Wouter; Chamier, Jessica; Wright, Caradee Y

2018-05-01

Anthropogenic pollution was identified as an environmental problem of concern when, in 2008, dozens of crocodiles died in the Olifants River catchment near the border of South Africa and Mozambique. Given the close proximity of households to the river and their making use of river water, we aimed to determine to what extent water pollution has an impact on health of indigent communities in South Africa and Mozambique in the catchment area. Water and vegetable samples were collected from the study areas. Biota samples were washed with double de-ionized Milli-Q water and freeze-dried. Heavy metal analyses in water and vegetables were done by means of Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. Metal concentrations were applied in a human health risk assessment to estimate health risks. Mean concentrations of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, molybdenum, nickel and selenium in water samples from South Africa exceeded the World Health Organization guidelines for safe levels of intake. Only iron exceeded the recommended guidelines in water samples from Mozambique. Metals/metalloids were found in lower concentrations at Mozambique sites downstream of South African sites. In vegetables, uranium was between 10 and 20 times above safe guidelines in South Africa and between 3 and 6 times in Mozambique. Arsenic in water samples posed the highest cancer risk. Even with a reduction in the metal concentrations in river water from South Africa to Mozambique, the potential to cause adverse human health impacts from direct use of polluted river water is evident in both countries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Approximation and spatial regionalization of rainfall erosivity based on sparse data in a mountainous catchment of the Yangtze River in Central China.

PubMed

Schönbrodt-Stitt, Sarah; Bosch, Anna; Behrens, Thorsten; Hartmann, Heike; Shi, Xuezheng; Scholten, Thomas

2013-10-01

In densely populated countries like China, clean water is one of the most challenging issues of prospective politics and environmental planning. Water pollution and eutrophication by excessive input of nitrogen and phosphorous from nonpoint sources is mostly linked to soil erosion from agricultural land. In order to prevent such water pollution by diffuse matter fluxes, knowledge about the extent of soil loss and the spatial distribution of hot spots of soil erosion is essential. In remote areas such as the mountainous regions of the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, rainfall data are scarce. Since rainfall erosivity is one of the key factors in soil erosion modeling, e.g., expressed as R factor in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model, a methodology is needed to spatially determine rainfall erosivity. Our study aims at the approximation and spatial regionalization of rainfall erosivity from sparse data in the large (3,200 km(2)) and strongly mountainous catchment of the Xiangxi River, a first order tributary to the Yangtze River close to the Three Gorges Dam. As data on rainfall were only obtainable in daily records for one climate station in the central part of the catchment and five stations in its surrounding area, we approximated rainfall erosivity as R factors using regression analysis combined with elevation bands derived from a digital elevation model. The mean annual R factor (R a) amounts for approximately 5,222 MJ mm ha(-1) h(-1) a(-1). With increasing altitudes, R a rises up to maximum 7,547 MJ mm ha(-1) h(-1) a(-1) at an altitude of 3,078 m a.s.l. At the outlet of the Xiangxi catchment erosivity is at minimum with approximate R a=1,986 MJ mm ha(-1) h(-1) a(-1). The comparison of our results with R factors from high-resolution measurements at comparable study sites close to the Xiangxi catchment shows good consistance and allows us to calculate grid-based R a as input for a spatially high-resolution and area-specific assessment of

Benthic foraminifera (Protista) as indicators of metal pollution in areas of historic mining: examples from southwest England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, Malcolm; Smart, Christopher

2016-04-01

Southwest England has been, from Roman times, an important mining area supplying a range of important metals, including copper, tin, tungsten, arsenic, zinc, silver, etc. This mining activity virtually disappeared in the twentieth century, although one tungsten mine near Plymouth has recently re-opened. Large areas of Cornwall and West Devon are now inscribed as the 'Cornish Mining World Heritage Site' on the cultural list of UNESCO. Many of the old mines with their spoil heaps and tailings dams are now protected and, together with the mineral-rich local geology, provide many catchments with on-going metal pollution. In January 1992, after a period of prolonged, heavy rainfall Wheal Jane mine flooded and discharged heavily polluted, acidic, water into Restonguet Creek and the Fal Estuary. This event provided the setting for a detailed investigation of the immediate impact of the pollution and the resulting environmental improvements caused by engineering interventions and natural re-adjustment. Benthic foraminifera disappeared from Restronguet Creek for a number of years and while there is now an abundant, though low diversity, estuarine assemblage of foraminifera living in the creek there are still high levels (<15% in 2004) of test deformity recorded (Olugbode et al., 2005). In other parts of the Fal Estuary (a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive, 2000), deformed foraminifera are very rare and the measured levels of pollution can be used to compare with the test deformity data. In other estuarine systems in southwest England, such as the River Fowey and the River Tamar, levels of deformity are less, though still significant for areas no longer being actively mined. This demonstrates that polluted sediments in all these estuaries, which can be disturbed during floods or times of stormy weather, and the background levels of metal elements in the catchments that supply these estuaries, are sufficient to maintain these levels of deformity in

Spatial distribution of dissolved constituents in Icelandic river waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oskarsdottir, Sigrídur Magnea; Gislason, Sigurdur Reynir; Snorrason, Arni; Halldorsdottir, Stefanía Gudrún; Gisladottir, Gudrún

2011-02-01

SummaryIn this study we map the spatial distribution of selected dissolved constituents in Icelandic river waters using GIS methods to study and interpret the connection between river chemistry, bedrock, hydrology, vegetation and aquatic ecology. Five parameters were selected: alkalinity, SiO 2, Mo, F and the dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissolved inorganic phosphorus mole ratio (DIN/DIP). The highest concentrations were found in rivers draining young rocks within the volcanic rift zone and especially those draining active central volcanoes. However, several catchments on the margins of the rift zone also had high values for these parameters, due to geothermal influence or wetlands within their catchment area. The DIN/DIP mole ratio was higher than 16 in rivers draining old rocks, but lowest in rivers within the volcanic rift zone. Thus primary production in the rivers is limited by fixed dissolved nitrogen within the rift zone, but dissolved phosphorus in the old Tertiary catchments. Nitrogen fixation within the rift zone can be enhanced by high dissolved molybdenum concentrations in the vicinity of volcanoes. The river catchments in this study were subdivided into several hydrological categories. Importantly, the variation in the hydrology of the catchments cannot alone explain the variation in dissolved constituents. The presence or absence of central volcanoes, young reactive rocks, geothermal systems and wetlands is important for the chemistry of the river waters. We used too many categories within several of the river catchments to be able to determine a statistically significant connection between the chemistry of the river waters and the hydrological categories. More data are needed from rivers draining one single hydrological category. The spatial dissolved constituent distribution clearly revealed the difference between the two extremes, the young rocks of the volcanic rift zone and the old Tertiary terrain.

Catchment scale molecular composition of hydrologically mobilized dissolved organic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raeke, Julia; Lechtenfeld, Oliver J.; Oosterwoud, Marieke R.; Bornmann, Katrin; Tittel, Jörg; Reemtsma, Thorsten

2016-04-01

Increasing concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in rivers of temperate catchments in Europe and North Amerika impose new technical challenges for drinking water production. The driving factors for this decadal increase in DOM concentration are not conclusive and changes in annual temperatures, precipitation and atmospheric deposition are intensely discussed. It is known that the majority of DOM is released by few but large hydrologic events, mobilizing DOM from riparian wetlands for export by rivers and streams. The mechanisms of this mobilization and the resulting molecular composition of the released DOM may be used to infer long-term changes in the biogeochemistry of the respective catchment. Event-based samples collected over two years from streams in three temperate catchments in the German mid-range mountains were analyzed after solid-phase extraction of DOM for their molecular composition by ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Hydrologic conditions, land use and water chemistry parameters were used to complement the molecular analysis. The molecular composition of the riverine DOM was strongly dependent on the magnitude of the hydrologic events, with unsaturated, oxygen-enriched compounds being preferentially mobilized by large events. This pattern is consistent with an increase in dissolved iron and aluminum concentrations. In contrast, the relative proportions of nitrogen and sulfur bearing compounds increased with an increased agricultural land use but were less affected by the mobilization events. Co-precipitation experiments with colloidal aluminum showed that unsaturated and oxygen-rich compounds are preferentially removed from the dissolved phase. The precipitated compounds thus had similar chemical characteristics as compared to the mobilized DOM from heavy rain events. Radiocarbon analyses also indicated that this precipitated fraction of DOM was of comparably young radiocarbon age. DOM radiocarbon from field samples

An ecohydrologic framework for simulating catchment constraints on smallholder irrigation systems in drylands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gower, D.; McCord, P. F.; Caylor, K. K.; Dell'Angelo, J.; Evans, T. P.

2016-12-01

Community water projects (CWPs) in the Laikipia region of Central Kenya distribute river water to smallholder farmers who otherwise lack access to municipal systems or private water sources. Participating farmers are better able to withstand climatic conditions commonly found in drylands, including high potential evapotranspiration combined with low and variable rainfall. To provide these benefits, however, CWPs must be able to deliver water in sufficient quantities and with sufficient regularity to all farmers in the network. Factors such as variable river flow, aging infrastructure and increasing membership pose challenges to the CWP management in fulfilling this task. During the dry season, river levels typically decline, reducing water available for CWP and increasing the importance of intake position within the catchment. CWPs with intakes in upstream areas have first access to river water but rely on a smaller drainage network while those in downstream areas are affected by the opposite conditions. Such conditions have pushed CWPs to jointly regulate their water consumption by setting withdrawal limits and coordinating withdrawal schedules with one another. Regulations also ensure that river water is not completely consumed by CWPs, allowing some flow to exit the catchment for human or environmental reasons. This paper uses a simple numerical model to calculate the monetary benefit that individual farmers receive from membership in a CWP. In the model, the CWP provides water to a variable number of farmers in exchange for membership fees while farmers must grow sufficient crops to feed themselves and pay fees. The model shows that, under conditions similar to those in Laikipia, CWP can consistently provide adequate benefits to its members only with intakes at particular locations within the catchment or with specific regulations in place. Otherwise, the economic benefits of CWP membership will gradually fall below the cost of membership. This result may help

A biogeochemical comparison of two well-buffered catchments with contrasting histories of acid deposition

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shanley, J.B.; Kram, P.; Hruska, J.; Bullen, T.D.

2004-01-01

Much of the biogeochemical cycling research in catchments in the past 25 years has been driven by acid deposition research funding. This research has focused on vulnerable base-poor systems; catchments on alkaline lithologies have received little attention. In regions of high acid loadings, however, even well-buffered catchments are susceptible to forest decline and episodes of low alkalinity in streamwater. As part of a collaboration between the Czech and U.S. Geological Surveys, we compared biogeochemical patterns in two well-studied, well-buffered catchments: Pluhuv Bor in the western Czech Republic, which has received high loading of atmospheric acidity, and Sleepers River Research Watershed in Vermont, U.S.A., where acid loading has been considerably less. Despite differences in lithology, wetness, forest type, and glacial history, the catchments displayed similar patterns of solute concentrations and flow. At both catchments, base cation and alkalinity diluted with increasing flow, whereas nitrate and dissolved organic carbon increased with increasing flow. Sulfate diluted with increasing flow at Sleepers River, while at Pluhuv Bor the sulfate-flow relation shifted from positive to negative as atmospheric sulfur (S) loadings decreased and soil S pools were depleted during the 1990s. At high flow, alkalinity decreased to near 100 ??eq L-1 at Pluhuv Bor compared to 400 ??eq L-1 at Sleepers River. Despite the large amounts of S flushed from Pluhuv Bor soils, these alkalinity declines were caused solely by dilution, which was greater at Pluhuv Bor relative to Sleepers River due to greater contributions from shallow flow paths at high flow. Although the historical high S loading at Pluhuv Bor has caused soil acidification and possible forest damage, it has had little effect on the acid/base status of streamwater in this well-buffered catchment. ?? 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of nitrate fluxes in a mesoscale catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muller, C.; Musolff, A.; Strachauer, U.; Brauns, M.; Tarasova, L.; Merz, R.; Knoeller, K.

2017-12-01

Spatially and temporally variable and often superimposing processes like mobilization and turnover of N-species strongly affect nitrate fluxes at catchment outlets. It remains thus challenging to determine dominant nitrate sources to derive an effective river management. Here, we combine data sets from two spatially highly resolved key-date monitoring campaigns of nitrate fluxes along a mesoscale catchment in Germany with four years of monitoring data from two representative sites within the catchment. The study area is characterized by a strong land use gradient from pristine headwaters to lowland sub-catchments with intense agricultural land use and wastewater sources. Flow conditions were assessed by a hydrograph separation showing the clear dominance of base flow during both investigations. However, the absolute amounts of discharge differed significantly from each other (outlet: 1.42 m³ s-1 versus 0.43 m³ s-1). Nitrate concentration and flux in the headwater was found to be low. In contrast, nitrate loads further downstream originate from anthropogenic sources such as effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and agricultural land use. The agricultural contribution did not vary in terms of nitrate concentration and isotopic signature between the years but in terms of flux. The contrasting amounts of discharge between the years led to a strongly increased relative wastewater contribution with decreasing discharge. This was mainly manifested in elevated δ18O-NO3- values downstream from the wastewater discharge. The four-year monitoring at two sides clearly indicates the chemostatic character of the agricultural N-source and its distinct, yet stable isotopic fingerprint. Denitrification was found to play no dominant role only for controlling nitrate loads in the river. The spatially highly resolved monitoring approach helped to accurately define hot spots of nitrate inputs into the stream while the long-term information allowed a classification of the

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Basin Characteristics, 2002 Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents basin characteristics for the year 2002 compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). These characteristics are reach catchment shape index, stream density, sinuosity, mean elevation, mean slope and number of road-stream crossings. The source data sets are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) RF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011) and the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER/Line Files (U.S. Census Bureau,2006). The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Assessment of environmental improvement measures using a novel integrated model: a case study of the Shenzhen River catchment, China.

PubMed

Qin, Hua-Peng; Su, Qiong; Khu, Soon-Thiam

2013-01-15

Integrated water environmental management in a rapidly urbanizing area often requires combining social, economic and engineering measures in order to be effective. However, in reality, these measures are often considered independently by different planners, and decisions are made in a hierarchical manner; this has led to problems in environmental pollution control and also an inability to devise innovative solutions due to technological lock-in. In this paper, we use a novel coupled system dynamics and water environmental model (SyDWEM) to simulate the dynamic interactions between the socio-economic system, water infrastructure and receiving water in a rapidly urbanizing catchment in Shenzhen, China. The model is then applied to assess the effects of proposed socio-economic or engineering measures on environmental and development indicators in the catchment for 2011-2020. The results indicate that 1) measures to adjust industry structures have a positive effect on both water quantity and quality in the catchment; 2) measures to increase the labor productivity, the water use efficiency, the water transfer quota or the reclaimed wastewater reuse can alleviate the water shortage, but cannot improve water quality in the river; 3) measures to increase the wastewater treatment rate or the pollutant removal rate can improve water quality in the river, but have no effect on water shortage. Based on the effectiveness of the individual measures, a combination of socio-economic and engineering measures is proposed, which can achieve water environmental sustainability in the study area. Thus, we demonstrate that SyDWEM has the capacity to evaluate the effects of both socio-economic and engineering measures; it also provides a tool for integrated decision making by socio-economic and water infrastructure planners. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the impact of climate and underlying surface on runoff change within Budyko framework: a study across 224 catchments in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Q.; Cong, Z.; Lei, H.

2017-12-01

Climate change and underlying surface change are two main factors affecting the hydrological cycle. In respect of climate change, precipitation alters not only in magnitude, but also in intensity, which can be represented by the precipitation depth. To further understand the spatial variation of the impact of precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, precipitation depth as well as the water storage capacity, in this paper 224 catchments across China were analyzed applying the Choudhury-Porporato equation based on the Budyko hypothesis. The catchments distribute in 9 major basins in China and the study period is from 1960 to 2010. The results show that underlying surface is the major driving force of the change in runoff in the Songhua Basin, the Liaohe Basin and the Haihe Basin, while climate change dominates runoff change in other basins. Climate change causes runoff increase in most catchments, except for some catchments in the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin. Specifically, change in precipitation depth induces runoff increase in almost each catchment and shows a remarkable contribution rate (14.8% on average, larger than 20% in 32% catchments). The contribution of precipitation depth has little correlation with the aridity index, while positively correlates to the significance of trend in precipitation depth. This study suggests that precipitation depth is an important aspect that should be taken into consideration in attribution of runoff change. The results can give a sight for future researches in attribution analysis within the Budyko framework.

Impact of Wildfire on Solute Release in Forested Catchments, Jemez River, New Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, R. A.; Meixner, T.; McIntosh, J. C.; Chorover, J.

2017-12-01

Wildfires represent a large disturbance to the hydrology and biogeochemistry of forested catchments. The number, size and severity of wildfires have significantly increased in the western United States since 1990. Nutrients and other elements (e.g. Ca) that were taken up and stored by biomass are released from burned vegetation during forest fires and transported downgradient via overland flow, shallow subsurface flow, and/or deep groundwater flow. Ash accumulations on hillslopes may also store particulate carbon and contain elevated concentrations of elements that maybe leached into surface and ground water over extended periods of time. In 2013, the Thompson Ridge wildfire burned headwater catchments in the Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory (JRB-CZO) within the Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico USA. The burn severity and area impacted were different in the three headwater catchments. This study investigated the impact of the wildfire on surface water quality, including how the fire-induced impacts evolved with time, and how biogeochemical processes controlled post-fire solute concentrations in the surface water. Comparison of pre- and post-fire surface water solute chemistry shows increases in major cations and anions following fire. Increases in nitrate and sulfate concentrations in streams after the wildfire were likely from leaching of burned biomass. The elevated NO3- and SO42- concentrations persisted for over two years, and were even higher during spring snowmelt. Meanwhile, base cation concentrations increased immediately, within a few weeks after the fire, likely related to leaching from combusted organic matter; and, over a period of approximately two months, base cation concentrations returned to pre-fire levels. Trace element behavior was also altered by fire. For example, while pre-fire aluminum concentrations in stream flow increased significantly during the wet seasons (snowmelt and monsoons), the post-fire observations do not

Nested Tracer Studies In Catchment Hydrology: Towards A Multiscale Understanding of Runoff Generation and Catchment Funtioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soulsby, C.; Rodgers, P.; Malcolm, I. A.; Dunn, S.

Geochemical and isotopic tracers have been shown to have widespread utility in catch- ment hydrology in terms of identifying hydrological source areas and characterising residence time distributions. In many cases application of tracer techniques has pro- vided insights into catchment functioning that could not be obtained from hydromet- ric and/or modelling studies alone. This paper will show how the use of tracers has contributed to an evolving perceptual model of hydrological pathways and runoff gen- eration processes in catchments in the Scottish highlands. In particular the paper will focus on the different insights that are gained at three different scales of analysis; (a) nested sub-catchments within a mesoscale (ca. 200 square kilometers) experimen- tal catchment; (b) hillslope-riparian interactions and (c) stream bed fluxes. Nested hydrometric and hydrochemical monitoring within the mesoscale Feugh catchment identified three main hydrological response units: (i) plateau peatlands which gener- ated saturation overland flow in the catchment headwaters, (ii) steep valley hillslopes which drain from the plateaux into (iii) alluvial and drift aquifers in the valley bottoms. End Member Mixing Analysis (EMMA) in 8 nested sub-catchments indicated that that stream water tracer concentrations can be modelled in terms of 2 dominant runoff pro- cesses; overland flow from the peat and groundwater from the drift aquifers. Ground- water contributions generally increased with catchment size, though this was moder- ated by the characteristics of individual sub-basins, with drift cover being particularly important. Hillslope riparian interactions were also examined using tracers, hydromet- ric data and a semi-distributed hydrological model. This revealed that in the glaciated, drift covered terrain of the Scottish highlands, extensive valley bottom aquifers effec- tively de-couple hillslope waters from the river channel. Thus, riparian groundwater appears to significantly

Spatio-temporal patterns in land use and management affecting surface runoff response of agricultural catchments - a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiener, P.; Auerswald, K.; van Oost, K.

2009-04-01

In many landscapes, land use creates a complex pattern in addition to the patterns resulting from soil, topography and rain. Despite the static layout of fields, a spatio-temporally highly variable situation regarding the surface runoff and erosion processes results from the asynchronous seasonal variation associated with different land uses. While the behaviour of individual land-uses and their seasonal variation is analyzed in many studies, the spatio-temporal interaction related to this pattern is rarely studied despite its crucial influence on hydrological and geomorphic response of catchments. The difficulty in studying such interactions mainly results from the fact that it is impossible to set up a replicated experiment on the landscape scale. The purpose of this review is to present the advances made thus far in quantifying the effects of patchiness of land use and management on surface runoff response in agricultural catchments. We will focus on the effects of spatio-temporal patterns in land use patches on hydraulic connectivity between patches and within catchments. This will include the temporal patterns in land management affecting infiltration, surface roughness and hence runoff concentration within single fields or land use patches insofar as these effects must be known to evaluate the combined effect of patch behaviour in space and time on catchment connectivity and surface runoff. Surface runoff effects of patchiness and connectivity between patches or within a catchment, can either be addressed by modelling studies or by comprehensive catchment field measurements, e.g. paired-watershed experiments or landscape scale studies on different scales. This limits our review to studies at the scale of small catchments < 10 km², where the time constant of the network (i.e. travel time through it) is smaller than the infiltration phase. Despite this limitation, these small catchments are important as they constitute 2/3 of the total surface of large water

The Influence of Surface Coal Mining on Runoff Processes and Stream Chemistry in the Elk Valley, British Colubmbia, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carey, S. K.; Wellen, C. C.; Shatilla, N. J.

2015-12-01

Surface mining is a common method of accessing coal. In high-elevation environments, vegetation and soils are typically removed prior to the blasting of overburden rock, thereby allowing access to mineable ore. Following this, the removed overburden rock is deposited in adjacent valleys as waste rock spoils. Previous research has identified that areas downstream of surface coal mining have impaired water quality, yet there is limited information about the interaction of hydrology and geochemistry across a range of mining conditions, particularly at the headwater scale. Here, we provide an analysis of an extensive long-term data set of geochemistry and flows across a gradient of coal mining in the Elk Valley, British Columbia, Canada. This work is part of a broader R&D program examining the influence of surface coal mining on hydrological and water quality responses in the Elk Valley aimed at informing effective management responses. Results indicate that water from waste rock piles has an ionic profile distinct from unimpacted catchments. While the concentration of geochemicals increased with the degree of mine impact, the control of hydrological transport capacity over geochemical export did not vary with degree of mine impact. Geochemical export in mine-influenced catchments was limited more strongly by transport capacity than supply, implying that more water moving through the waste rock mobilized more geochemicals. Placement of waste rock within the catchment (headwaters or outlet) did not affect chemical concentrations but did alter the timing with which chemically distinct water mixed. This work advances on results reported earlier using empirical models of selenium loading and further highlights the importance of limiting water inputs into waste rock piles.

Hydrological Regimes of Small Catchments in the High Tatra Mountains Before and After Extraordinary Wind-Induced Deforestation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holko, Ladislav; Hlavata, Helena; Kostka, Zdenek; Novak, Jan

2009-01-01

The paper presents the results of rainfall-runoff data analysis for small catchments of the upper Poprad River affected by wind-induced deforestation in November 2004. Before-event and afterevent measured data were compared in order to assess the impact of deforestation on hydrological regimes. Several characteristics were used including water balance, minimum and maximum runoff, runoff thresholds, number of runoff events, selected characteristics of events, runoff coefficients, and flashiness indices. Despite increased spring runoff minima, which in one catchment (Velick Creek) exceeded previously observed values after deforestation took place, it can be generally concluded that the impact of the deforestation was not clearly manifested in the analyzed hydrological data.

The influence of sand mining towards the sustainability of power support and capacity of Lambidaro River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juniah, Restu; Rahmi, Hisni

2017-11-01

Activities of sand mining on the surface stream (river) conducted by Panji Mahakarya company potentially cause various environmental issues. These problems include the destruction of the river ecosystem, decreased the quality of river water quality, increased water pollution load, and another effect on capacity and power support river. The Lambidaro River is one of the rivers found in Palembang, where the inhabitants who live around it take advantage of the existence of this river to meet their daily needs such as bathing, washing, and latrines. The purpose of this research is to know the influence of mining activities towards sustainability of the power support and capacity of the river. The method used in this research is to compare the availability of water and water needs of the population in determining the status of environmental power support based on regulation of the state minister of the environment number 17 in 2009 about the determination of the power guidance support environment in spatial regions, as well as using the index method of pollution based on the decision of the State Minister of the environment number 115 in 2003 about the determination of the status of water quality guidelines with parameters measured are TDS, TSS, pH, DO, COD, dan BOD5. The results of the calculation of the power support river are deficit where SA (34,200,655.64 m3/year) < DA (253,105,600 m3/year). The result of pollution index calculation at 5 water sampling locations shows that the condition of a river is in good condition (uncontaminated) and mild pollutant.

Characterisation of urban catchment suspended particulate matter (Auckland region, New Zealand); a comparison with non-urban SPM.

PubMed

Bibby, Rebecca L; Webster-Brown, Jenny G

2005-05-01

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is an important transport agent for metal contaminants in streams, particularly during high flow periods such as storm events. For highly contaminated urban catchments in the greater Auckland (New Zealand) area, trace metal partitioning between the dissolved phase and SPM was determined, and SPM characterised in terms of its Si, Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, TOC, TON and PO(4) concentrations, as well as particle size, abundance, type and surface area. This data was compared to similar data from representative non-urban catchments in the Auckland region, the Kaipara River and Waikato River catchments, to identify any significant differences in the SPM and its potential trace metal adsorption capacity. Trace metal partitioning was assessed by way of a distribution coefficient: K(D)=[Me(SPM)]/[Me(DISS)]. Auckland urban SPM comprises quartz, feldspars and clay minerals, with Fe-oxides and minor Mn-oxides. No particles of anthropogenic origin, other than glass shards, were observed. No change in urban SPM particle size or SSA was observed with seasonal change in temperature, but the nature of the SPM was observed to change with flow regime. The abundance of finer particles, SSA and Al content of the SPM increased under moderate flow conditions; however, Si/Al ratios remained constant, confirming the importance of aluminosilicate detrital minerals in surface run-off. The SPM Fe content was observed to decrease with increased flow and was attributed to dilution of SPM Fe-oxide of groundwater origin. The Kaipara River SPM was found to be mineralogically, chemically and biologically similar to the urban SPM. However, major differences between urban catchment SPM and SPM from the much larger (non-urban) Waikato River were observed, and attributed to a higher abundance of diatoms. The Fe content of the Waikato River SPM was consistently lower (<5%), and the Si/Al ratio and Mn content was higher. Such differences observed between urban and non

Turbulent forces within river plumes affect spread

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Atreyee

2012-08-01

When rivers drain into oceans through narrow mouths, hydraulic forces squeeze the river water into buoyant plumes that are clearly visible in satellite images. Worldwide, river plumes not only disperse freshwater, sediments, and nutrients but also spread pollutants and organisms from estuaries into the open ocean. In the United States, the Columbia River—the largest river by volume draining into the Pacific Ocean from North America—generates a plume at its mouth that transports juvenile salmon and other fish into the ocean. Clearly, the behavior and spread of river plumes, such as the Columbia River plume, affect the nation's fishing industry as well as the global economy.

Coupling river hydrochemical information with catchment properties for multi-scale-analysis of lateral matter fluxes in the Earth system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, Jens; Lauerwald, Ronny; Moosdorf, Nils

2016-04-01

Over the last decade the number of regional to global scale studies of river chemical fluxes and their steering factors increased rapidly, entailing a growing demand for appropriate databases to calculate mass budgets, to calibrate models, or to test hypotheses [1, 2]. Research applying compilations of hydrochemical data are related to questions targeting different time and spatial scales, as for example the annual to centennial scale. In focus are often the alteration of land-ocean matter fluxes due anthropogenic disturbance, the climate sensitivity of chemical weathering fluxes [3], or nutrient fluxes and their evolution [2, 4]. We present an overview of the GLObal RIver CHemistry database GLORICH, which combines an assemblage of hydrochemical data from varying sources with catchment characteristics of the sampling locations [1]. The information provided include e.g. catchment size, lithology, soil, climate, land cover, net primary production, population density and average slope gradient. The data base comprises 1.27 million samples distributed over 17,000 sampling locations [1]. It will be shown how large assemblages of data are useful to target some major questions about the alteration of land ocean element fluxes due to climate or land use change while coupling hydrochemical data with catchment properties in a homogenized database. An extension by isotopic data will be in the focus of future work [c.f. 5]. Further, applications in climate change studies for understanding feedbacks in the Earth system will be discussed [6]. References: [1] Hartmann, J., Lauerwald, R., & Moosdorf, N. (2014). A brief overview of the GLObal RIver CHemistry Database, GLORICH. Procedia Earth and Planetary Science, 10, 23-27. [2] Hartmann, J., Levy, J., & Kempe, S. (2011). Increasing dissolved silica trends in the Rhine River: an effect of recovery from high P loads?. Limnology, 12(1), 63-73. [3] Hartmann, J., Moosdorf, N., Lauerwald, R., Hinderer, M., & West, A. J. (2014). Global

Performance of a coupled lagged ensemble weather and river runoff prediction model system for the Alpine Ammer River catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smiatek, G.; Kunstmann, H.; Werhahn, J.

2012-04-01

The Ammer River catchment located in the Bavarian Ammergau Alps and alpine forelands, Germany, represents with elevations reaching 2185 m and annual mean precipitation between1100 and 2000 mm a very demanding test ground for a river runoff prediction system. Large flooding events in 1999 and 2005 motivated the development of a physically based prediction tool in this area. Such a tool is the coupled high resolution numerical weather and river runoff forecasting system AM-POE that is being studied in several configurations in various experiments starting from the year 2005. Corner stones of the coupled system are the hydrological water balance model WaSiM-ETH run at 100 m grid resolution, the numerical weather prediction model (NWP) MM5 driven at 3.5 km grid cell resolution and the Perl Object Environment (POE) framework. POE implements the input data download from various sources, the input data provision via SOAP based WEB services as well as the runs of the hydrology model both with observed and with NWP predicted meteorology input. The one way coupled system utilizes a lagged ensemble prediction system (EPS) taking into account combination of recent and previous NWP forecasts. Results obtained in the years 2005-2011 reveal that river runoff simulations depict high correlation with observed runoff when driven with monitored observations in hindcast experiments. The ability to runoff forecasts is depending on lead times in the lagged ensemble prediction and shows still limitations resulting from errors in timing and total amount of the predicted precipitation in the complex mountainous area. The presentation describes the system implementation, and demonstrates the application of the POE framework in networking, distributed computing and in the setup of various experiments as well as long term results of the system application in the years 2005 - 2011.

Dynamic seasonal nitrogen cycling in response to anthropogenic N loading in a tropical catchment, Athi-Galana-Sabaki River, Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marwick, T. R.; Tamooh, F.; Ogwoka, B.; Teodoru, C.; Borges, A. V.; Darchambeau, F.; Bouillon, S.

2014-01-01

As part of a broader study on the riverine biogeochemistry in the Athi-Galana-Sabaki (A-G-S) River catchment (Kenya), we present data constraining the sources, transit and transformation of multiple nitrogen (N) species as they flow through the A-G-S catchment (~47 000 km2). The data set was obtained in August-September 2011, November 2011, and April-May 2012, covering the dry season, short rain season and long rain season respectively. Release of (largely untreated) wastewater from the city of Nairobi had a profound impact on the biogeochemistry of the upper Athi River, leading to low dissolved oxygen (DO) saturation levels (36-67%), high ammonium (NH4+) concentrations (123-1193 μmol L-1), and high dissolved methane (CH4) concentrations (3765-6729 nmol L-1). Riverine dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; sum of NH4+ and nitrate (NO3-); nitrite was not measured) concentration at the most upstream site on the Athi River was highest during the dry season (1195 μmol L-1), while DIN concentration was an order of magnitude lower during the short and long rain seasons (212 and 193 μmol L-1, respectively). During the rain seasons, low water residence time led to relatively minimal in-stream N cycling prior to discharge to the ocean, whereas during the dry season we speculate that prolonged residence time creates two differences comparative to wet season, where (1) intense N cycling and removal of DIN is possible in the upper to mid-catchment and leads to significantly lower concentrations at the outlet during the dry season, and (2) as a result this leads to the progressive enrichment of 15N in the particulate N (PN) pool, highlighting the dominance of untreated wastewater as the prevailing source of riverine DIN. The rapid removal of NH4+ in the upper reaches during the dry season was accompanied by a quantitatively similar production of NO3- and nitrous oxide (N2O) downstream, pointing towards strong nitrification over this reach during the dry season. Nitrous oxide

Evaluation and assessment of water quality in Likangala River and its catchment area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chidya, R. C. G.; Sajidu, S. M. I.; Mwatseteza, J. F.; Masamba, W. R. L.

Likangala is one of the perennial rivers in Malawi that flow into a closed Lake Chilwa, a designated wetland ratified by Ramsar Convention in 1997. Earlier work conducted on this river revealed considerable social-economic activities at riverbanks resulting in indiscriminate disposal of wastes. This study intended to evaluate water quality in Likangala River and its catchment area. Water samples were collected thrice (dry, early rainy and mid rainy seasons) and tested for major physico-chemical and microbiological parameters. The EC, pH, and selected ions ( NO3-, PO43-, Na +, K +, Mg 2+, and Ca 2+) were analysed in soil samples obtained in crop fields along the river banks. Elevated EC levels (>1035.00 μS/cm) were measured during mid rainy season at site S15 (Zomba Sewage Works), near and in the lake. Most of the water samples (86%, n = 28) registered phosphate levels above 1.50 mg/L during mid rainy season with a maximum value (10.70 ± 0.01 mg/L) at site S15. Lower amounts (<0.05 mg/L) of Pb 2+, Cd 2+, Cr 3+, Zn 2+ and Mn 2+ were measured at few sites, while Cu 2+ and Ni 2+ were all below detection limits. The water was classified as soft (0-75 mg/L CaCO 3) to moderately hard (75-150 mg/L CaCO 3). The total and fecal coliform counts above the World Health Organisation (2008) and Malawi Bureau of Standards (2005) limits (0 cfu/100 ml) at some sites signified that the water is unsuitable for human consumption without treatment. The study showed that the river is fairly polluted, the effects being significant in the urban area, near and in the lake. This calls for awareness campaigns aiming at behavioural change and integrated control of water, land use and waste management in order to prevent escalation of the effects.

Sediment tracing in the upper Hunter catchment using elemental and mineralogical compositions: Implications for catchment-scale suspended sediment (dis)connectivity and management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fryirs, Kirstie; Gore, Damian

2013-07-01

River bed colmation layers clog the interstices of gravel-bed rivers, impeding the vertical exchange of water and nutrients that drives ecosystem function in the hyporheic zone. In catchments where fine-grained sediment supply has increased since human disturbance, understanding sediment provenance and the (dis)connectivity of supply allows practitioners to target sediment source problems and treat them within catchment management plans. Release of alluvial fine-grained sediment from channel bank erosion since European settlement has resulted in the formation of a colmation layer along the upper Hunter River at Muswellbrook, eastern Australia. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) are used to determine the elemental and mineralogical signatures of colmation layer and floodplain sediment sources across this 4480 km2 catchment. This sediment tracing technique is used to construct a picture of how suspended sediment supply and (dis)connectivity operates in this catchment. In this system, the primary source areas are subcatchments in which sediments are stored largely in partly confined floodplain pockets, but from which sediment supply is unimpeded and directly connected to the receiving reach. Subcatchments in which alluvial sediment storage is significant — and which contain large, laterally unconfined valleys — are essentially 'switched off' or disconnected from the receiving reach. This is because large sediment sinks act to trap fine-grained sediment before it reaches the receiving reach, forming a buffer along the sediment conveyor belt. Given the age structure of floodplains in the receiving reach, this pattern of source area contributions and (dis)connectivity must have occurred throughout the Holocene.

Impact of climate change on low flow characteristics in a small catchment of central Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banasik, K.; Kaznowska, E.

2016-12-01

The Zagozdzonka catchment (left tributary of Vistula River) is a small lowland agricultural catchment, located in central Poland, about 100 km south of Warsaw. Hydrological investigations of the Zagozdzonka River at Plachty (N51°26'43.8''; E21°27'35.6''), have been carried out by the Department of River Engineering of Warsaw University of Life Science (WULS) since 1962. The catchment area is 82.4 km2 at the Plachty river gauging station. Annual data of temperature, annual and seasonal rainfall and runoff characteristics, as well as annual N-day (1-, 2-, 3-, 7-, 14- and 30-day) low flow from the catchment of the period of 53-year (1963-2015) were analysed. Mann-Kendall test was used for trend analysis. Analysis has revealed a long term decrease in annual discharge and in all of the analysed N-day low flows from the catchment, as well as a corresponding increase in annul temperature (1.61ºC/50 years) for this area of Poland. No trend was detected for annual precipitation nor summer/winter half year precipitation. There was little land use change in the catchment but remarkable increase of crop yields from the arable land in this region of Poland in the last 50 years, due to fertilisation. So the long term decrease of annual discharge and N-day low flows is assumed to be effect of higher evapotranspiration. The decrease of water resources in summer periods may cause problems when more intensive agriculture practice is planned (and water for irrigation is needed).

Demonstrating the value of community-based ('citizen science') observations for catchment modelling and characterisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starkey, Eleanor; Parkin, Geoff; Birkinshaw, Stephen; Large, Andy; Quinn, Paul; Gibson, Ceri

2017-05-01

Despite there being well-established meteorological and hydrometric monitoring networks in the UK, many smaller catchments remain ungauged. This leaves a challenge for characterisation, modelling, forecasting and management activities. Here we demonstrate the value of community-based ('citizen science') observations for modelling and understanding catchment response as a contribution to catchment science. The scheme implemented within the 42 km2 Haltwhistle Burn catchment, a tributary of the River Tyne in northeast England, has harvested and used quantitative and qualitative observations from the public in a novel way to effectively capture spatial and temporal river response. Community-based rainfall, river level and flood observations have been successfully collected and quality-checked, and used to build and run a physically-based, spatially-distributed catchment model, SHETRAN. Model performance using different combinations of observations is tested against traditionally-derived hydrographs. Our results show how the local network of community-based observations alongside traditional sources of hydro-information supports characterisation of catchment response more accurately than using traditional observations alone over both spatial and temporal scales. We demonstrate that these community-derived datasets are most valuable during local flash flood events, particularly towards peak discharge. This information is often missed or poorly represented by ground-based gauges, or significantly underestimated by rainfall radar, as this study clearly demonstrates. While community-based observations are less valuable during prolonged and widespread floods, or over longer hydrological periods of interest, they can still ground-truth existing traditional sources of catchment data to increase confidence during characterisation and management activities. Involvement of the public in data collection activities also encourages wider community engagement, and provides important

Aquatic ecosystems in Central Colorado are influenced by mineral forming processes and historical mining

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, T.S.; Church, S.E.; Clements, W.H.; Mitchell, K.A.; Fey, D. L.; Wanty, R.B.; Verplanck, P.L.; San, Juan C.A.; Klein, T.L.; deWitt, E.H.; Rockwell, B.W.

2009-01-01

Stream water and sediment toxicity to aquatic insects were quantified from central Colorado catchments to distinguish the effect of geologic processes which result in high background metals concentrations from historical mining. Our sampling design targeted small catchments underlain by rocks of a single lithology, which allowed the development of biological and geochemical baselines without the complication of multiple rock types exposed in the catchment. By accounting for geologic sources of metals to the environment, we were able to distinguish between the environmental effects caused by mining and the weathering of different mineralized areas. Elevated metal concentrations in water and sediment were not restricted to mined catchments. Impairment of aquatic communities also occurred in unmined catchments influenced by hydrothermal alteration. Hydrothermal alteration style, deposit type, and mining were important determinants of water and sediment quality and aquatic community structure. Weathering of unmined porphyry Cu-Mo occurrences resulted in water (median toxic unit (TU) = 108) and sediment quality (TU = 1.9) that exceeded concentrations thought to be safe for aquatic ecosystems (TU = 1). Metalsensitive aquatic insects were virtually absent from streams draining catchments with porphyry Cu-Mo occurrences (1.1 individuals/0.1 m2 ). However, water and sediment quality (TU = 0.1, 0.5 water and sediment, respectively) and presence of metalsensitive aquatic insects (204 individuals/0.1 m2 ) for unmined polymetallic vein occurrences were indistinguishable from that for unmined and unaltered streams (TU = 0.1, 0.5 water and sediment, respectively; 201 individuals/0.1 m2 ). In catchments with mined quartz-sericite-pyrite altered polymetallic vein deposits, water (TU = 8.4) and sediment quality (TU = 3.1) were degraded and more toxic to aquatic insects (36 individuals/0.1 m2 ) than water (TU = 0.4) and sediment quality (TU = 1.7) from mined propylitically altered

A plot tree structure to represent surface flow connectivity in rural catchments: definition and application for mining critical source areas and temporal conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gascuel-Odoux, Chantal; Cordier, Marie-Odile; Grimaldi, Catherine; Salmon-Monviola, Jordy; Masson, Veronique; Squividant, Herve; Trepos, Ronan

2013-04-01

Agricultural landscapes are structured by a mosaic of farmers'fields whose boundaries and land use change over time, and by linear elements such as hedgerows, ditches and roads, which are more or less connected to each other. Such man-made features are now well known to have an effect on catchment hydrology, erosion and water quality. In such agricultural landscapes, it is crucial to have an adequate functional representation of the flow pathways and define relevant indicators of surface flow connectivity over the catchment towards the stream, as a necessary step for improving landscape design and water protection. A new conceptual object oriented approach has been proposed by building the drainage network on the identification of the inlets and outlets for surface water flow on each farmers' field and surrounding landscape elements (Aurousseau et al., 2009 ; Gascuel-Odoux et al., 2011), then on delineating a set of elementary plot outlet trees labelled by attributes which feed the stream. This drainage network is therefore represented as a global plot outlet tree which conceptualizes the connectivity of the surface flow patterns over the catchment. This approach has been applied to different catchment areas, integrated in modelling (Gascuel-Odoux et al., 2009) and decision support tools. It provides a functional display of data for decision support which can highlight the plots of potential risk regarding the surface runoff, areas which are often shortly extended over catchments (suspended sediment application). Integrated in modelling and mining tools, it allows to catch typologies of the most spatial pattern involved in water quality degradation (herbicides transport model) (Trepos et al., 2012) and test their permanency in time regarding the variations of climate conditions and agricultural practices (Salmon-Monviola et al., 2011). This set of works joins skills in hydrology, agronomy and computer sciences. Aurousseau P., Gascuel-Odoux C., Squividant H

Sediment accumulation rates and high-resolution stratigraphy of recent fluvial suspension deposits in various fluvial settings, Morava River catchment area, Czech Republic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedláček, Jan; Bábek, Ondřej; Kielar, Ondřej

2016-02-01

We present a comprehensive study concerning sedimentary processes in fluvial sediment traps within the Morava River catchment area (Czech Republic) involving three dammed reservoirs, four meanders and oxbow lakes, and several natural floodplain sites. The objective of the study was to determine sediment accumulation rates (SAR), estimate erosion rates, calculating these using a combination of the 137Cs method and historical data. Another purpose of this study was to provide insight into changing erosion and accumulation rates over the last century. Extensive water course modifications were carried out in the Morava River catchment area during the twentieth century, which likely affected sedimentation rates along the river course. Other multiproxy stratigraphic methods (X-ray densitometry, magnetic susceptibility, and visible-light reflectance spectrometry) were applied to obtain additional information about sediment infill. Sediment stratigraphy revealed distinct distal-to-proximal patterns, especially in reservoirs. Granulometrically, silts and sandy silts prevailed in sediments. Oxbow lakes and meanders contained larger amounts of clay and organic matter, which is the main difference between them and reservoirs. Pronounced 137Cs peaks were recorded in all studied cores (maximum 377 Bq·kg- 1), thus indicating Chernobyl fallout from 1986 or older events. Calculated sediment accumulation rates were lowest in distal parts of reservoirs (0.13-0.58 cm/y) and floodplains (0.45-0.88 cm/y), moderately high rates were found in proximal parts of reservoirs and oxbow lakes (2.27-4.4 cm/y), and the highest rates in some oxbow lakes located near the river (6-8 cm/y). The frequency of the inundation still can be high in some natural areas as in the Litovelské Pomoraví protected area, whereas the decreasing frequency of the inundation in other modified parts can contribute to a lower sedimentation rate. The local effects such as difference between SARs in oxbow lakes and

Cadmium mobility in sediments and soils from a coal mining area on Tibagi River watershed: environmental risk assessment.

PubMed

Galunin, Evgeny; Ferreti, Jeferson; Zapelini, Iago; Vieira, Isadora; Ricardo Teixeira Tarley, César; Abrão, Taufik; Santos, Maria Josefa

2014-01-30

The risk of cadmium contamination in the Tibagi River watershed (Parana State, Brazil) affected by past coal mining activities was assessed through sorption-desorption modeling for sediment and soil samples. The acidic character of the samples resulted in more competition between the cadmium ions and protons, thereby influencing the cadmium sorption-desorption. The sorption isotherms were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich single models and to the dual-site Langmuir-Freundlich (or Sips) model. The single-site models indicated a low-energy character of sorption sites on the sample sorption sites, whereas the dual-site model explained the availability of higher-affinity and lower-affinity non-specific sites. The correlation of the sorption and desorption constants with the physicochemical and mineralogical characteristics of the samples showed that the cadmium sorption behavior was significantly affected by the pH, point of zero charge, and also by the magnesium, aluminum, calcium and manganese amounts. Besides, the desorption rate and hysteresis index suggested a high risk of cadmium mobilization along the Tibagi River basin. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Concentration-Discharge Relationships, Nested Reaction Fronts, and the Balance of Oxidative and Acid-Base Weathering Fluxes in an Alpine Catchment, East River, Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winnick, M.; Carroll, R. W. H.; Williams, K. H.; Maxwell, R. M.; Maher, K.

2016-12-01

Although important for solute production and transport, the varied interactions between biogeochemical processes and subsurface hydrology remain poorly characterized. We investigate these couplings in the headwaters of the East River, CO, a high-elevation shale-dominated catchment system in the Rocky Mountains, using concentration-discharge (C-Q) relationships for major cations, anions, and organic carbon. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) displays a positive C-Q relationship with well-defined clockwise hysteresis, indicating the mobilization and depletion of DOC in the upper soil horizons and highlighting the importance of shallow flowpaths through the snowmelt period. Cation and anion concentrations demonstrate that carbonate weathering, which dominates solute fluxes, is promoted by both carbonic acid and sulfuric acid derived from oxidation of pyrite in the shale bedrock. Sulfuric acid weathering in the deep subsurface dominates during base flow conditions when waters have infiltrated below the hypothesized pyrite oxidation front, whereas carbonic acid weathering plays a dominant role during the snowmelt period as a result of shallow flowpaths. Differential C-Q relationships between solutes suggest that infiltrating waters approach calcite saturation before reaching the pyrite oxidation front, after which sulfuric acid reduces carbonate alkalinity. This increase in CO2(aq) at the expense of HCO3- results in outgassing of CO2 when waters equilibrate to surface conditions, and reduces the export of carbon and alkalinity from the East River by roughly 33% annually. Future changes in snowmelt dynamics that control the balance of carbonic and sulfuric acid weathering therefore have the capacity to substantially alter the cycling of carbon in the East River catchment. Ultimately, we demonstrate that differential C-Q relationships between major solutes can provide unique insights into the complex subsurface flow and biogeochemical dynamics that operate at catchment scales.

Hydrologic responses of a tropical catchment in Thailand and two temperate/cold catchments in north America to global warming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gan, T.Y.; Ahmad, Z.

The hydrologic impact or sensitivities of three medium-sized catchments to global warming, one of tropical climate in Northern Thailand and two of temperate climate in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins of California, were investigated.