Estimated 2012 groundwater potentiometric surface and drawdown from predevelopment to 2012 in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque metropolitan area, central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powell, Rachel I.; McKean, Sarah E.

2014-01-01

Historically, the water-supply requirements of the Albuquerque metropolitan area of central New Mexico were met almost exclusively by groundwater withdrawal from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. In response to water-level declines, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began diverting water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project in December 2008 to reduce the use of groundwater to meet municipal demand. Modifications in the demand for water and the source of the supply of water for the Albuquerque metropolitan area have resulted in a variable response in the potentiometric surface of the production zone (the interval of the aquifer, from within about 200 feet below the water table to 900 feet or more, in which supply wells generally are screened) of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Analysis of the magnitude and spatial distribution of water-level change can help improve the understanding of how the groundwater system responds to withdrawals and variations in the management of the water supply and can support water-management agencies’ efforts to minimize future water-level declines and improve sustainability. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the ABCWUA, has developed an estimate of the 2012 potentiometric surface of the production zone of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. This potentiometric surface is the latest in a series of reports depicting the potentiometric surface of the area. This report presents the estimated potentiometric surface during winter (from December to March) of water year 2012 and the estimated changes in potentiometric surface between predevelopment (pre-1961) and water year 2012 for the production zone of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Hydrographs from selected piezometers are included to provide details of historical water-level changes. In general, water-level measurements used for this report were collected in small-diameter observation wells screened over short intervals near the middle of the production zone and were considered to best represent the potentiometric head in the production zone. The water-level measurements were collected by various local and Federal agencies. The water year 2012 potentiometric surface map was created in a geographic information system, and the change in water-level altitude from predevelopment to water year 2012 was calculated. The 2012 potentiometric surface indicates that the general direction of groundwater flow is from the Rio Grande towards clusters of supply wells in the east, north, and west. Water-level changes from predevelopment to 2012 were variable across the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Estimated drawdown from 2008 was spatially variable across the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Hydrographs from piezometers on the east side of the river indicate an increase in the annual highest water-level measurement from 2008 to 2012. Hydrographs from piezometers in the northwest part of the study area indicate either steady decline of the water-level altitude over the period of record or recently variable trends in which water-level altitudes increased for a number of years but have declined since water year 2012.

Pesticide mitigation strategies for surface water quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pesticide residues are being increasingly detected in surface water in agricultural and urban areas. In some cases water bodies are being listed under the Clean Water Act 303(d) as impaired and Total Maximum Daily Loads are required to address the impairments in agricultural areas. Pesticides in sur...

Quantifying area changes of internationally important wetlands due to water consumption in LCA.

PubMed

Verones, Francesca; Pfister, Stephan; Hellweg, Stefanie

2013-09-03

Wetlands harbor diverse species assemblages but are among the world's most threatened ecosystems. Half of their global area was lost during the last century. No approach currently exists in life cycle impact assessment that acknowledges the vulnerability and importance of wetlands globally and provides fate factors for water consumption. We use data from 1184 inland wetlands, all designated as sites of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, to develop regionalized fate factors (FF) for consumptive water use. FFs quantify the change of wetland area caused per m(3)/yr water consumed. We distinguish between surface water-fed and groundwater-fed wetlands and develop FFs for surface water and groundwater consumption. FFs vary over 8 (surface water-fed) and 6 (groundwater-fed) orders of magnitude as a function of the site characteristics, showing the importance of local conditions. Largest FFs for surface water-fed wetlands generally occur in hyper-arid zones and smallest in humid zones, highlighting the dependency on available surface water flows. FFs for groundwater-fed wetlands depend on hydrogeological conditions and vary largely with the total amount of water consumed from the aquifer. Our FFs translate water consumption into wetland area loss and thus become compatible with life cycle assessment methodologies of land use.

Ground-water/surface-water interaction in nearshore areas of Three Lakes on the Grand Portage Reservation, northeastern Minnesota, 2003-04

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Perry M.

2006-01-01

Knowledge of general water-flow directions in lake watersheds and how they may change seasonally can help water-quality specialists and lake managers address a variety of water-quality and aquatic habitat protection issues for lakes. Results from this study indicate that ground-water and surface-water interactions at the study lakes are complex, and the ability of the applied techniques to identify ground-water inflow and surface-water outseepage locations varied among the lakes. Measurement of lake-sediment temperatures proved to be a reliable and relatively inexpensive reconnaissance technique that lake managers may apply in complex settings to identify general areas of ground-water inflow and surface-water outseepage.

Evaluation of surface water resources from machine-processing of ERTS multispectral data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mausel, P. W.; Todd, W. J.; Baumgardner, M. F.; Mitchell, R. A.; Cook, J. P.

1976-01-01

The surface water resources of a large metropolitan area, Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana, are studied in order to assess the potential value of ERTS spectral analysis to water resources problems. The results of the research indicate that all surface water bodies over 0.5 ha were identified accurately from ERTS multispectral analysis. Five distinct classes of water were identified and correlated with parameters which included: degree of water siltiness; depth of water; presence of macro and micro biotic forms in the water; and presence of various chemical concentrations in the water. The machine processing of ERTS spectral data used alone or in conjunction with conventional sources of hydrological information can lead to the monitoring of area of surface water bodies; estimated volume of selected surface water bodies; differences in degree of silt and clay suspended in water and degree of water eutrophication related to chemical concentrations.

Hydrogeology and water quality in the Graces Quarters area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tenbus, Frederick J.; Blomquist, Joel D.

1995-01-01

Graces Quarters was used for open-air testing of chemical-warfare agents from the late 1940's until 1971. Testing and disposal activities have resulted in the contamination of ground water and surface water. The hydrogeology and water quality were examined at three test areas, four disposal sites, a bunker, and a service area on Graces Quarters. Methods of investigation included surface and borehole geophysics, water-quality sampling, water- level measurement, and hydrologic testing. The hydrogeologic framework is complex and consists of a discontinuous surficial aquifer, one or more upper confining units, and a confined aquifer system. Directions of ground-water flow vary spatially and temporally, and results of site investigations show that ground-water flow is controlled by the geology of the area. The ground water and surface water at Graces Quarters generally are unmineralized; the ground water is mildly acidic (median pH is 5.38) and poorly buffered. Inorganic constituents in excess of certain Federal drinking-water regulations and ambient water-quality criteria were detected at some sites, but they probably were present naturally. Volatile and semivolatile organic com- pounds were detected in the ground water and surface water at seven of the nine sites that were investi- gated. Concentrations of organic compounds at two of the nine sites exceeded Federal drinking-water regulations. Volatile compounds in concentrations as high as 6,000 m/L (micrograms per liter) were detected in the ground water at the site known as the primary test area. Concentrations of volatile compounds detected in the other areas ranged from 0.57 to 17 m/L.

Measured and Predicted Burial of Cylinders During the Indian Rocks Beach Experiment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

in shallow water (15-16 m) with fine-sand (133-/xm) and coarse-sand (566-/xm) sediments off Indian Rocks Beach (IRB), FL. Scour pits developed...eter) relative to the sediment- water interface, but only 20%-50% relative to surface area covered. The difference was caused by the lack of...sensors intended to indicate the surface area of the cylinder covered by sediment or water (i.e., percent surface area exposed during burial) and

Hydrogeologic data for the Big River-Mishnock River stream-aquifer system, central Rhode Island

USGS Publications Warehouse

Craft, P.A.

2001-01-01

Hydrogeology, ground-water development alternatives, and water quality in the BigMishnock stream-aquifer system in central Rhode Island are being investigated as part of a long-term cooperative program between the Rhode Island Water Resources Board and the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate the ground-water resources throughout Rhode Island. The study area includes the Big River drainage basin and that portion of the Mishnock River drainage basin upstream from the Mishnock River at State Route 3. This report presents geologic data and hydrologic and water-quality data for ground and surface water. Ground-water data were collected from July 1996 through September 1998 from a network of observation wells consisting of existing wells and wells installed for this study, which provided a broad distribution of data-collection sites throughout the study area. Streambed piezometers were used to obtain differences in head data between surface-water levels and ground-water levels to help evaluate stream-aquifer interactions throughout the study area. The types of data presented include monthly ground-water levels, average daily ground-water withdrawals, drawdown data from aquifer tests, and water-quality data. Historical water-level data from other wells within the study area also are presented in this report. Surface-water data were obtained from a network consisting of surface-water impoundments, such as ponds and reservoirs, existing and newly established partial-record stream-discharge sites, and synoptic surface-water-quality sites. Water levels were collected monthly from the surface-water impoundments. Stream-discharge measurements were made at partial-record sites to provide measurements of inflow, outflow, and internal flow throughout the study area. Specific conductance was measured monthly at partial-record sites during the study, and also during the fall and spring of 1997 and 1998 at 41 synoptic sites throughout the study area. General geologic data, such as estimates of depth to bedrock and depth to water table, as well as indications of underlying geologic structure, were obtained from geophysical surveys. Site-specific geologic data were collected during the drilling of observation wells and test holes. These data include depth to bedrock or refusal, depth to water table, and lithologic information.

Adsorption of water vapour and the specific surface area of arctic zone soils (Spitsbergen)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cieśla, Jolanta; Sokołowska, Zofia; Witkowska-Walczak, Barbara; Skic, Kamil

2018-01-01

Water vapour/nitrogen adsorption were investigated and calculated the specific surface areas of arctic-zone soil samples (Turbic Cryosols) originating from different micro-relief forms (mud boils, cell forms and sorted circles) and from different depths. For the characterisation of the isotherms obtained for arctic soils, the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller model was then compared with the two other models (Aranovich-Donohue and Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer) which were developed from Brunauer-Emmet-Teller. Specific surface area was calculated using the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller model at p p0-1 range of 0.05-0.35 for the water vapour desorption and nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The values of total specific surface area were the highest in Cryosols on mud boils, lower on cell forms, and the lowest on sorted circles. Such tendency was observed for the results obtained by both the water vapour and nitrogen adsorption. The differences in the values of specific surface area at two investigated layers were small. High determination coefficients were obtained for relationships between the specific surface areas and contents of clay and silt fraction in Cryosols. No statistically significant correlation between the total carbon amount and the values of specific surface area in Cryosols has been found.

Barley root hair growth and morphology in soil, sand, and water solution media and relationship with nickel toxicity.

PubMed

Lin, Yanqing; Allen, Herbert E; Di Toro, Dominic M

2016-08-01

Barley, Hordeum vulgare (Doyce), was grown in the 3 media of soil, hydroponic sand solution (sand), and hydroponic water solution (water) culture at the same environmental conditions for 4 d. Barley roots were scanned, and root morphology was analyzed. Plants grown in the 3 media had different root morphology and nickel (Ni) toxicity response. Root elongations and total root lengths followed the sequence soil > sand > water. Plants grown in water culture were more sensitive to Ni toxicity and had greater root hair length than those from soil and sand cultures, which increased root surface area. The unit root surface area as root surface area per centimeter of length of root followed the sequence water > sand > soil and was found to be related with root elongation. Including the unit root surface area, the difference in root elongation and 50% effective concentration were diminished, and percentage of root elongations can be improved with a root mean square error approximately 10% for plants grown in different media. Because the unit root surface area of plants in sand culture is closer to that in soil culture, the sand culture method, not water culture, is recommended for toxicity parameter estimation. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2125-2133. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Surface water polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in urban areas of Nanjing, China.

PubMed

Wang, Chunhui; Zhou, Shenglu; Wu, Shaohua; Song, Jing; Shi, Yaxing; Li, Baojie; Chen, Hao

2017-10-01

The concentration, sources and environmental risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface water in urban areas of Nanjing were investigated. The range of ∑ 16 PAHs concentration is between 4,076 and 29,455 ng/L, with a mean of 17,212 ng/L. The composition of PAHs indicated that 2- and 3-ring PAHs have the highest proportion in all PAHs, while the 5- and 6-ring PAHs were the least in proportion. By diagnostic ratio analysis, combustion and petroleum were a mixture input that contributed to the water PAH in urban areas of Nanjing. Positive matrix factorization quantitatively identified four factors, including coke oven, coal combustion, oil source, and vehicle emission, as the main sources. Toxic equivalency factors of BaP (BaP eq ) evaluate the environmental risks of PAHs and indicate the PAH concentration in surface water in urban areas of Nanjing had been polluted and might cause potential environmental risks. Therefore, the PAH contamination in surface water in urban areas of Nanjing should draw considerable attention.

Ground and surface water in the Mesabi and Iron Range area, northeastern Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cotter, R.D.; Young, H.L.; Petri, L.R.; Prior, C.H.

1965-01-01

Large uses of water in the area include: taconite processing (50 bgy), wash-ore processing (19 bgy), power plants (63 bgy), municipal water supplies (3 bgy) and paper processing (1 bgy). Optimum development of the water resources might be achieved by using streamflow in the spring and stunner and ground-water and surface-water storage in the fall and winter.

Analysis of the sorption properties of different soils using water vapour adsorption and potentiometric titration methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skic, Kamil; Boguta, Patrycja; Sokołowska, Zofia

2016-07-01

Parameters of specific surface area as well as surface charge were used to determine and compare sorption properties of soils with different physicochemical characteristics. The gravimetric method was used to obtain water vapour isotherms and then specific surface areas, whereas surface charge was estimated from potentiometric titration curves. The specific surface area varied from 12.55 to 132.69 m2 g-1 for Haplic Cambisol and Mollic Gleysol soil, respectively, and generally decreased with pH (R=0.835; α = 0.05) and when bulk density (R=-0.736; α = 0.05) as well as ash content (R=-0.751; α = 0.05) increased. In the case of surface charge, the values ranged from 63.00 to 844.67 μmol g-1 Haplic Fluvisol and Mollic Gleysol, respecively. Organic matter gave significant contributions to the specific surface area and cation exchange capacity due to the large surface area and numerous surface functional groups, containing adsorption sites for water vapour molecules and for ions. The values of cation exchange capacity and specific surface area correlated linearly at the level of R=0.985; α = 0.05.

May cause environmental damage the diversion of the Danube in the Szigetköz area, Hungary?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Brigitta

2009-04-01

Summary The floodplain area between the main channel of Danube and its branch river Mosoni-Duna is called the Szigetköz. This wetland area has special flora and fauna, and it is a natural protection area. Underneath of the Szigetköz, there are a thick (several hundreds meters) sedimentary sequence, the so called Kisalföld Quaternary Aquifer. This aquifer system is fed by the surface river system of Danube and supplies excellent quality drinking water for several hundred thousands of people in Hungary and Slovakia. The Szigetköz Monitoring Network was established in 1991 to describe the environmental effects of the Bős-Nagymaros Dam System, which was partly built in 1992 on the Slovakian part of the Danube. The dam diverts three-quarter of the Danube runoff to a 40 km long artificial concrete channel north of the original river bed. The effect of this diversion is spectacular on the wetland area. Water level in the meandering channels have decreased significantly, part of the wetland area frequently becomes dry. The natural flow pattern has disappeared. As a consequence, the channel characteristics of the river network, therefore the flow pattern, the quantity and quality of surface and subsurface water on the upper region of the Danube have significantly changed. The aim of our research is to describe the relationship between surface water and groundwater and considering the variable geology of the area, to describe trends in chemistry and to find the possible reasons for extreme values. Also to detect possible connection between the extreme values and the changes in flow pattern caused by the human intervention. Water sample pairs from surface water and shallow and deeper ground water were taken in every season at 18 locations. To sample shallow ground-water 1,5 m long, screened metal probes were derived into the sediment at the possible nearest point to the surface water. On the field pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, and in the wells redox potential were measured. Samples were taken for further laboratory analyses (major and trace components, nitrate. The chemical parameters of surface and subsurface water show seasonal changes, due to the changes of temperature, of precipitation, of biological and microbiological activity. At the monitoring points along the main channel the surface and subsurface water is closely related, and the velocity of groundwater can be calculated by the seasonal periodical dislocation. At the monitoring points on the north-western part of the study area (point 1), subsurface water replenished by the rivers, and water level in the probes follow the surface water level changes with short shift. Practically water quality is the same in the probe as in the surface. It is the same on the south-eastern part of the study area, where the diverted channel rejoins to the original river channel (point 10). The middle section (at points 4 and 5) of the study area, water level in the probes is higher than surface water level. Also concentrations of some chemical components are higher in the subsurface water here. These components are typically the results of water - sediment interaction. Based on these observations, the study area can be differentiated by the hydrochemical composition for losing and gaining sections. At the monitoring points along the meandering sub-branch system, water in the probes is reductive, the connection between surface and subsurface water is week, furthermore at some point is non-existent. At some points surface water has slow flow, or it is even stagnant. This means reductive environments, and high concentrations of some components, especially at the monitoring points of 31 and 41. For example, concentrations of ammonium, sulphate, phosphate, magnesium, iron, manganese are extremely high in the shallow groundwater. Originally the Danube supplied fresh, oxygen-rich water to the area, while nowadays at these locations surface water and subsurface water almost has no connection, and these sections of river bed already turned muddy, and organic material accumulated in the sediment, which further increase the rate of reduction and decrease the flow rate. The extreme values, and values not following the trend in the time series of chemical parameters can be explained only by further detailed examination. On the whole, it is unambiguously clear, since the diversion of Danube the water replenishment of the meandering sub-branch system is poorer, causing unfavourable changes in water chemistry both in surface and subsurface water. Other research teams of the monitoring system, studying ecology, have found that the water regulation has major adverse effects on the biology as well. The typical floodplain vegetation is changing toward species tolerating dryness. In the water flora and fauna alters gradually as well, due to the changing chemical characteristic of water and the decreasing flow. Considering that the abiotic environment react slower than the biotic to the anthropologic influence, we do not have a clear view how the water quality will deteriorate on the long run. Furthermore, the changes in flora and fauna have already caused changes in water chemistry, and these changes will persist causing a slow but continuous diversion from the original, natural values. In Szigetköz area, the decreased flow and the deteriorating quality of surface water will endanger the important subsurface drinking water aquifer on the long-term.

Hazard-Specific Vulnerability Mapping for Water Security in a Shale Gas Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, D. M.; Holding, S.; McKoen, Z.

2015-12-01

Northeast British Columbia (NEBC) is estimated to hold large reserves of unconventional natural gas and has experienced rapid growth in shale gas development activities over recent decades. Shale gas development has the potential to impact the quality and quantity of surface and ground water. Robust policies and sound water management are required to protect water security in relation to the water-energy nexus surrounding shale gas development. In this study, hazard-specific vulnerability mapping was conducted across NEBC to identify areas most vulnerable to water quality and quantity deterioration due to shale gas development. Vulnerability represents the combination of a specific hazard threat and the susceptibility of the water system to that threat. Hazard threats (i.e. potential contamination sources and water abstraction) were mapped spatially across the region. The shallow aquifer susceptibility to contamination was characterised using the DRASTIC aquifer vulnerability approach, while the aquifer susceptibility to abstraction was mapped according to aquifer productivity. Surface water susceptibility to contamination was characterised on a watershed basis to describe the propensity for overland flow (i.e. contaminant transport), while watershed discharge estimates were used to assess surface water susceptibility to water abstractions. The spatial distribution of hazard threats and susceptibility were combined to form hazard-specific vulnerability maps for groundwater quality, groundwater quantity, surface water quality and surface water quantity. The vulnerability maps identify priority areas for further research, monitoring and policy development. Priority areas regarding water quality occur where hazard threat (contamination potential) coincide with high aquifer susceptibility or high overland flow potential. Priority areas regarding water quantity occur where demand is estimated to represent a significant proportion of estimated supply. The identification of priority areas allows for characterization of the vulnerability of water security in the region. This vulnerability mapping approach, using the hazard threat and susceptibility indicators, can be applied to other shale gas areas to assess vulnerability to shale gas activities and support water security.

The Interaction of Water with Solid Surfaces: Fundamental Aspects Revisited

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

Henderson, Michael A.

2002-05-01

Water is perhaps the most important and most pervasive chemical on our planet. The influence of water permeates virtually all areas of biochemical, chemical and physical importance, and is especially evident in phenomena occurring at the interfaces of solid surfaces. Since 1987, when Thiel and Madey (TM) published their review titled "The Interaction of Water with Solid Surfaces: Fundamental Aspects" in Surface Science Reports, there has been considerable progress made in further understanding the fundamental interactions of water with solid surfaces. In the decade and a half, the increased capability of surface scientists to probe at the molecular-level has resultedmore » in more detailed information of the properties of water on progressively more complicated materials and under more stringent conditions. This progress in understanding the properties of water on solid surfaces is evident both in areas for which surface science methodology has traditionally been strong (catalysis and electronic materials) and also in new areas not traditionally studied by surface scientists, such as electrochemistry, photoconversion, mineralogy, adhesion, sensors, atmospheric chemistry, and tribology. Researchers in all these fields grapple with very basic questions regarding the interactions of water with solid surfaces, such as how is water adsorbed, what are the chemical and electrostatic forces that constitute the adsorbed layer, how is water thermally or non-thermally activated, and how do coadsorbates influence these properties of water. The attention paid to these and other fundamental questions in the past decade and a half has been immense. In this review, experimental studies published since the TM review are assimilated with those covered by TM to provide a current picture of the fundamental interactions of water with solid surfaces.« less

Map showing ground-water conditions in the Kaibito and Tuba City areas, Coconino and Navajo counties, Arizona, 1978

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrar, C.D.

1978-01-01

The Kaibito and Tuba City areas include about 2,500 square miles in north-central Arizona. Ground water is obtained from the N aquifer and from alluvium. The N aquifer consists of Navajo Sandstone, Kayenta Formation, Moenave Formation, and the Lukachukai Member of the Wingate Sandstone. The main source of ground water is the Navajo Sandstone. Ground-water development has been slight in the areas. In 1977 the estimated ground-water withdrawals were about 350 acre-feet in the Kaibito area and 650 acre-feet in the Tuba City area. Water levels ranged from flowing at the land surface to 1,360 feet below the land surface. The chemical quality of the water in the N aquifer does not vary greatly in the areas. Dissolved-solids concentrations in the water range from 101 to 669 milligrams per liter but generally are less than 300 milligrams per liter. Along some of the valleys in the Kaibito and Tuba City areas, the alluvium yields water to many shallow dug wells. The water levels generally are from 5 to 15 feet below the land surface. Dissolved-solids concentrations in water from the alluvium usually are less than 600 milligrams per liter. Information shown on the map (scale 1:125,000) includes depth to water, altitude of the water level, and specific conductance and fluoride concentrations. (Woodard-USGS)

Effects of land use on surface-water quality in the East Everglades, Dade County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waller, Bradley G.

1982-01-01

Water-quality characteristics were determined at five developed areas in the East Everglades, Dade County, Florida, during the 1978 wet season (June through October). These areas are designated as: Coopertown; Chekika Hammock State Park; residential area; rock-plowed tomato field; and Cracker Jack Slough agricultural area. Data from the developed areas were compared with data from four baseline sites in undeveloped areas to determine the effects of land use on the surface-water quality. The rock-plowed tomato field was the only area where surface-water quality was affected. Water quality at this field is affected by agricultural activities and chemical applications as indicated by increased concentrations of orthophosphate, organic nitrogen, organic carbon, copper, manganese, mercury, and potassium. The remaining four areas of land use had water-quality characteristics typical of baseline sites in nearby Northeast Shark River Slough or Taylor Slough. Chemical analyses of soil indicated chlorinated-hydrocarbon insecticide residues at Coopertown and the two agricultural areas, Cracker Jack Slough and the rock-plowed tomato field. Trace elements in concentrations greater than base level occurred at both agricultural areas (manganese), Chekika Hammock State Park (manganese), and at Coopertown (lead and zinc). (USGS)

Estimated depth to the water table and estimated rate of recharge in outcrops of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers near Houston, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Noble, J.E.; Bush, P.W.; Kasmarek, M.C.; Barbie, D.L.

1996-01-01

In 1989, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District, began a field study to determine the depth to the water table and to estimate the rate of recharge in outcrops of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers near Houston, Texas. The study area comprises about 2,000 square miles of outcrops of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in northwest Harris County, Montgomery County, and southern Walker County. Because of the scarcity of measurable water-table wells, depth to the water table below land surface was estimated using a surface geophysical technique, seismic refraction. The water table in the study area generally ranges from about 10 to 30 foot below land surface and typically is deeper in areas of relatively high land-surface altitude than in areas of relatively low land- surface altitude. The water table has demonstrated no long-term trends since ground-water development began, with the probable exception of the water table in the Katy area: There the water table is more than 75 feet deep, probably due to ground-water pumpage from deeper zones. An estimated rate of recharge in the aquifer outcrops was computed using the interface method in which environmental tritium is a ground-water tracer. The estimated average total recharge rate in the study area is 6 inches per year. This rate is an upper bound on the average recharge rate during the 37 years 1953-90 because it is based on the deepest penetration (about 80 feet) of postnuclear-testing tritium concentrations. The rate, which represents one of several components of a complex regional hydrologic budget, is considered reasonable but is not definitive because of uncertainty regarding the assumptions and parameters used in its computation.

Occurrence and behavior of the herbicide Prometon in the hydrologic system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Capel, P.D.; Spexet, A.H.; Larson, S.J.

1999-01-01

Prometon, a triazine herbicide, is used for total vegetation control on industrial sites, on noncrop areas on farms, in and under asphalt, and to a small extent by homeowners. Prometon has often been detected in surface water and groundwater in studies reported in the literature, but its presence is seldom discussed, partly because of its infrequent inclusion on lists of herbicides used in either agricultural or urban areas. In recent large-scale studies by the U.S. Geological Survey, prometon has been the most commonly detected herbicide in surface water and groundwater in urban areas and the third and fourth most commonly detected herbicide in groundwater and surface water, respectively, in agricultural areas. It also has been detected in rain. The frequent detection of prometon in the environment is discussed in relation to its use practices and predicted environmental behavior. Prometon is compared to atrazine, a structurally similar agricultural triazine herbicide that is one of the most studied and most commonly detected herbicides found in the hydrologic environment. The environmental data presented here demonstrate the wide-scale occurrence of prometon in all components of the hydrologic system, particularly in the surface water and groundwater of urban areas.Prometon, a triazine herbicide, is used for total vegetation control on industrial sites, on noncrop areas on farms, in and under asphalt, and to a small extent by homeowners. Prometon has often been detected in surface water and groundwater in studies reported in the literature, but its presence is seldom discussed, partly because of its infrequent inclusion on lists of herbicides used in either agricultural or urban areas. In recent large-scale studies by the U.S. Geological Survey, prometon has been the most commonly detected herbicide in surface water and groundwater in urban areas and the third and fourth most commonly detected herbicide in groundwater and surface water, respectively, in agricultural areas. It also has been detected in rain. The frequent detection of prometon in the environment is discussed in relation to its use practices and predicted environmental behavior. Prometon is compared to atrazine, a structurally similar agricultural triazine herbicide that is one of the most studied and most commonly detected herbicides found in the hydrologic environment. The environmental data presented here demonstrate the wide-scale occurrence of prometon in all components of the hydrologic system, particularly in the surface water and groundwater of urban areas.

Development of an Interactive Shoreline Management Tool for the Lower Wood River Valley, Oregon - Phase I: Stage-Volume and Stage-Area Relations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haluska, Tana L.; Snyder, Daniel T.

2007-01-01

This report presents the parcel and inundation area geographic information system (GIS) layers for various surface-water stages. It also presents data tables containing the water stage, inundation area, and water volume relations developed from analysis of detailed land surface elevation derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data recently collected for the Wood River Valley at the northern margin of Agency Lake in Klamath County, Oregon. Former shoreline wetlands that have been cut off from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes by dikes might in the future be reconnected to Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes by breaching the dikes. Issues of interest associated with restoring wetlands in this way include the area that will be inundated, the volume of water that may be stored, the change in wetland habitat, and the variation in these characteristics as surface-water stage is changed. Products from this analysis can assist water managers in assessing the effect of breaching dikes and changing surface-water stage. The study area is in the approximate former northern margins of Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes in the Wood River Valley.

Hydrogeology for land-use planning: the Peters Creek area, Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brunett, Jilann O.; Lee, Michael

1983-01-01

Wells currently provide all water supplies in the area. Most wells obtain enough water for individual household needs from unconsolidated, principally glacial and glacioalluvial deposits. In some places, however, wells must be drilled into the underlying bedrock to obtain adequate supplies. It may be possible to develop small community supplies--for individual trailer courts or subdivisions--in areas where yields of 20 gallons per minute or greater are reported for private, domestic wells. Peters Creek is a potential source of surface-water supply, but it would have to be treated to remove glacial silt during summer months. The chemical quality of both ground water and surface water in the area in generally acceptable for most uses. Foundation and excavation conditions, the potential for water pollution from onsite disposal of wastewater through septic tank systems, and the suitability of specific areas for certain types of development may be affected by the following factors: wetlands and areas of shallow ground water underlie about 30 percent of the study area; landslope exceeds 20 percent in about a third of the area; areas of fine-grained, low-permeability sediments are present locally; bedrock is within 25 feet of the land surface in about a third of the area. (USGS)

30 CFR 77.217 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Area-capacity curves means graphic curves which readily show the reservoir water surface area, in acres, at different elevations from the bottom of the reservoir to the maximum water surface, and the capacity or volume, in acre-feet, of the water contained in the reservoir at various elevations. (c...

30 CFR 77.217 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Area-capacity curves means graphic curves which readily show the reservoir water surface area, in acres, at different elevations from the bottom of the reservoir to the maximum water surface, and the capacity or volume, in acre-feet, of the water contained in the reservoir at various elevations. (c...

Groundwater recharge in suburban areas of Hanoi, Vietnam: effect of decreasing surface-water bodies and land-use change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, Keisuke; Hayashi, Takeshi; Do, An Thuan; Canh, Vu Duc; Nga, Tran Thi Viet; Funabiki, Ayako; Takizawa, Satoshi

2017-05-01

Over-exploited groundwater is expected to remain the predominant source of domestic water in suburban areas of Hanoi, Vietnam. In order to evaluate the effect on groundwater recharge, of decreasing surface-water bodies and land-use change caused by urbanization, the relevant groundwater systems and recharge pathways must be characterized in detail. To this end, water levels and water quality were monitored for 3 years regarding groundwater and adjacent surface-water bodies, at two typical suburban sites in Hanoi. Stable isotope (δ18O, δD of water) analysis and hydrochemical analysis showed that the water from both aquifers and aquitards, including the groundwater obtained from both the monitoring wells and the neighboring household tubewells, was largely derived from evaporation-affected surface-water bodies (e.g., ponds, irrigated farmlands) rather than from rivers. The water-level monitoring results suggested distinct local-scale flow systems for both a Holocene unconfined aquifer (HUA) and Pleistocene confined aquifer (PCA). That is, in the case of the HUA, lateral recharge through the aquifer from neighboring ponds and/or irrigated farmlands appeared to be dominant, rather than recharge by vertical rainwater infiltration. In the case of the PCA, recharge by the above-lying HUA, through areas where the aquitard separating the two aquifers was relatively thin or nonexistent, was suggested. As the decrease in the local surface-water bodies will likely reduce the groundwater recharge, maintaining and enhancing this recharge (through preservation of the surface-water bodies) is considered as essential for the sustainable use of groundwater in the area.

Integration of Palmer Drought Severity Index and remote sensing data to simulate wetland water surface from 1910 to 2009 in Cottonwood Lake area, North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huang, Shengli; Dahal, Devendra; Young, Claudia; Chander, Gyanesh; Liu, Shuguang

2011-01-01

Spatiotemporal variations of wetland water in the Prairie Pothole Region are controlled by many factors; two of them are temperature and precipitation that form the basis of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Taking the 196 km2 Cottonwood Lake area in North Dakota as our pilot study site, we integrated PDSI, Landsat images, and aerial photography records to simulate monthly water surface. First, we developed a new Wetland Water Area Index (WWAI) from PDSI to predict water surface area. Second, we developed a water allocation model to simulate the spatial distribution of water bodies at a resolution of 30 m. Third, we used an additional procedure to model the small wetlands (less than 0.8 ha) that could not be detected by Landsat. Our results showed that i) WWAI was highly correlated with water area with an R2 of 0.90, resulting in a simple regression prediction of monthly water area to capture the intra- and inter-annual water change from 1910 to 2009; ii) the spatial distribution of water bodies modeled from our approach agreed well with the water locations visually identified from the aerial photography records; and iii) the R2 between our modeled water bodies (including both large and small wetlands) and those from aerial photography records could be up to 0.83 with a mean average error of 0.64 km2 within the study area where the modeled wetland water areas ranged from about 2 to 14 km2. These results indicate that our approach holds great potential to simulate major changes in wetland water surface for ecosystem service; however, our products could capture neither the short-term water change caused by intensive rainstorm events nor the wetland change caused by human activities.

Water resources of Lincoln County coastal area, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frank, F.J.; Laenen, Antonius

1976-01-01

Water supplies for all municipalities in Lincoln County currently (1975) are obtained from surface-water sources. Because of rapid economic development of the coastal area, it is expected that additional water will be needed in the future. Additional water can be supplied (1) by reservoirs on major streams; (2) by the expansion, in some locations, of present surface-water facilities on small streams; and (3) locally, by an additional small volume of supplemental water from ground-water sources.

Effective water surface mapping in macrophyte-covered reservoirs in NE Brazil based on TerraSAR-X time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuping; Foerster, Saskia; Medeiros, Pedro; de Araújo, José Carlos; Waske, Bjoern

2018-07-01

Water supplies in northeastern Brazil strongly depend on the numerous surface water reservoirs of various sizes there. However, the seasonal and long-term water surface dynamics of these reservoirs, particularly the large number of small ones, remain inadequately known. Remote sensing techniques have shown great potentials in water bodies mapping. Yet, the widespread presence of macrophytes in most of the reservoirs often impedes the delineation of the effective water surfaces. Knowledge of the dynamics of the effective water surfaces in the reservoirs is essential for understanding, managing, and modelling the local and regional water resources. In this study, a two-year time series of TerraSAR-X (TSX) satellite data was used to monitor the effective water surface areas in nine reservoirs in NE Brazil. Calm open water surfaces were obtained by segmenting the backscattering coefficients of TSX images with minimum error thresholding. Linear unmixing was implemented on the distributions of gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) variance in the reservoirs to quantify the proportions of sub-populations dominated by different types of scattering along the TSX time series. By referring to the statistics and the seasonal proportions of the GLCM variance sub-populations the GLCM variance was segmented to map the vegetated water surfaces. The effective water surface areas that include the vegetation-covered waters as well as calm open water in the reservoirs were mapped with accuracies >77%. The temporal and spatial change patterns of water surfaces in the nine reservoirs over a period of two consecutive dry and wet seasons were derived. Precipitation-related soil moisture changes, topography and the dense macrophyte canopies are the main sources of errors in the such-derived effective water surfaces. Independent from in-situ data, the approach employed in this study shows great potential in monitoring water surfaces of different complexity and macrophyte coverage. The effective water surface areas obtained for the reservoirs can provide valuable input for efficient water management and improve the hydrological modelling in this region.

On the origin of saline soils at Blackspring Ridge, Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, Richard; Schwartz, Franklin W.

1990-09-01

Problems of soil salinity occur at Blackspring Ridge, Alberta, in four different settings. The most seriously affected area is at the base of the ridge where salinity appears as severe salt crusting on the surface, salt-tolerant vegetation, and areas of poor or no crop production. Blackspring Ridge is a structural bedrock high that is underlain by Upper Cretaceous sediment of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. Bedrock is overlain by fluvial, glacial, lacustrine, and aeolian sediment. Piezometric data indicate that groundwater is recharged on and along the upper flanks of Blackspring Ridge and discharges in southern parts of a lacustrine plain that surrounds the ridge. Hydraulic conductivity data, water-level fluctuations, stable isotopes, and hydrochemical data indicate that the fractured near-surface bedrock and overlying thin-drift sediment constitute a zone of active groundwater flow within which salts are generated and transported. Water discharging from this shallow system evaporates and forms saline areas at the base of the ridge. The most seriously affected areas on the lacustrine plain coincide with places where the water table is less than 1.5m from the ground surface. A high water table occurs locally because of the changing topology of geologic units, and lows in the topographic surface that focus groundwater and surface water flows. Some proportion of the shallow groundwater salinized by evaporation is also transported down the flow system where it mixes with unevaporated water. Surface water, from snowmelt and precipitation events, dissolves salt that was deposited at the surface by evaporating groundwater and redistributes the salt to areas of lower elevation.

40 CFR 230.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... of a bottom surface area and any overlying volume of water. In the case of wetlands on which surface water is not present, the disposal site consists of the wetland surface area. (j) [Reserved] (k) The... available and capable of being done after taking into consideration cost, existing technology, and logistics...

40 CFR 230.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... of a bottom surface area and any overlying volume of water. In the case of wetlands on which surface water is not present, the disposal site consists of the wetland surface area. (j) [Reserved] (k) The... available and capable of being done after taking into consideration cost, existing technology, and logistics...

40 CFR 230.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... of a bottom surface area and any overlying volume of water. In the case of wetlands on which surface water is not present, the disposal site consists of the wetland surface area. (j) [Reserved] (k) The... available and capable of being done after taking into consideration cost, existing technology, and logistics...

40 CFR 230.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... of a bottom surface area and any overlying volume of water. In the case of wetlands on which surface water is not present, the disposal site consists of the wetland surface area. (j) [Reserved] (k) The... available and capable of being done after taking into consideration cost, existing technology, and logistics...

Quantifying Ground-Water and Surface-Water Discharge from Evapotranspiration Processes in 12 Hydrographic Areas of the Colorado Regional Ground-Water Flow System, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeMeo, Guy A.; Smith, J. LaRue; Damar, Nancy A.; Darnell, Jon

2008-01-01

Rapid population growth in southern Nevada has increased the demand for additional water supplies from rural areas of northern Clark and southern Lincoln counties to meet projected water-supply needs. Springs and rivers in these undeveloped areas sustain fragile riparian habitat and may be susceptible to ground-water withdrawals. Most natural ground-water and surface-water discharge from these basins occurs by evapotranspiration (ET) along narrow riparian corridors that encompassed about 45,000 acres or about 1 percent of the study area. This report presents estimates of ground- and surface-water discharge from ET across 3.5 million acres in 12 hydrographic areas of the Colorado Regional Ground-Water Flow System. Ground-and surface-water discharge from ET were determined by identifying areas of ground- and surface-water ET, delineating areas of similar vegetation and soil conditions (ET units), and computing ET rates for each of these ET units. Eight ET units were identified using spectral-reflectance characteristics determined from 2003 satellite imagery, high-resolution aerial photography, and land classification cover. These ET units are dense meadowland vegetation (200 acres), dense woodland vegetation (7,200 acres), moderate woodland vegetation (6,100 acres), dense shrubland vegetation (5,800 acres), moderate shrubland vegetation (22,600 acres), agricultural fields (3,100 acres), non-phreatophytic areas (3,400,000 acres), and open water (300 acres). ET from diffuse ground-water and channelized surface-water is expressed as ETgs and is equal to the difference between total annual ET and precipitation. Total annual ET rates were calculated by the Bowen ratio and eddy covariance methods using micrometeorological data collected from four sites and estimated at 3.9 ft at a dense woodland site (February 2003 to March 2005), 3.6 ft at a moderate woodland site (July 2003 to October 2006), 2.8 ft at a dense shrubland site (June 2005 to October 2006), and 1.5 ft at a moderate shrubland site (April 2006 to October 2006). Annual ETgs rates were 3.4 ft for dense woodland vegetation, 3.2 ft for moderate woodland vegetation, 2.2 ft for dense shrubland vegetation, and 1.0 ft for moderate shrubland vegetation. Published annual rates of ETgs were used for the other ET units found in the study area. These rates were 3.4 ft for dense meadowland vegetation, 5.2 ft for agricultural fields, and 4.9 ft for open water. For the non-phreatophytic ET unit, ETgs was assumed to be zero. Estimated ground- and surface-water discharge from ET was calculated by multiplying the ETgs by the ET-unit acreage and equaled 24,480 acre-ft for dense woodland vegetation, 19,520 acre-ft for moderate woodland vegetation, 12,760 acre-ft for dense shrubland vegetation, 22,600 acre-ft for moderate shrubland vegetation, 680 acre-ft for dense meadowland vegetation, 16,120 acre-ft for agricultural fields, 1,440 acre-ft for open water, and 0 acre-ft for the non-phreatophytic ET unit. Estimated ground-water and surface-water discharge from ET from each hydrographic area was calculated by summing the total annual ETgs rate for ET units found within each hydrographic area and equaled 1,952 acre-ft for the Black Mountains Area, 6,080 acre-ft for California Wash, 4,090 acre-ft for the Muddy River Springs Area, 11,510 acre-ft for Lower Moapa Valley, 51,960 acre-ft for the Virgin River Valley, 16,168 acre-ft for Lower Meadow Valley Wash, 5,840 acre-ft for Clover Valley, and 0 acre-ft for Coyote Spring Valley, Kane Springs Valley, Tule Desert, Hidden Valley (North), and Garnet Valley. The annual discharge from ETgs for the study area totals about 98,000 acre-ft.

Water-quality assessment of south-central Texas: Occurrence and distribution of volatile organic compounds in surface water and ground water, 1983-94, and implications for future monitoring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ging, P.B.; Judd, L.J.; Wynn, K.H.

1997-01-01

The study area of the South-Central Texas study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program comprises the Edwards aquifer in the San Antonio region and its catchment area. The first phase of the assessment includes evaluation of existing water-quality data for surface water and ground water, including volatile organic compounds, to determine the scope of planned monitoring. Most analyses of volatile organic compounds in surface water are from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System sites in San Antonio, Texas. Nine volatile organic compounds were detected at the six sites. The three compounds with the most detections at National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System sites are 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene. Analysis of volatile organic compounds in ground water was limited to Edwards aquifer wells. Twenty-eight volatile organic compounds were detected in samples from 89 wells. The five most commonly detected compounds in samples from wells, in descending order, are tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, bromoform, chloroform, and dibromochloromethane. Detections of volatile organic compounds in surface water and ground water within the South-Central Texas study area are limited to site-specific sources associated with development; therefore, planned monitoring for possible detections of volatile organic compounds as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program will emphasize areas of expanding population and development. Monitoring of volatile organic compounds is planned at National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System sites, at basic fixed surface-water sites, and in the ground-water study-unit surveys.

Hydrogeology and Migration of Septic-Tank Effluent in the Surficial Aquifer System in the Northern Midlands Area, Palm Beach County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Wesley L.

1992-01-01

The northern Midlands area in Palm Beach County is an area of expected residential growth, but its flat topography, poor drainage, and near-surface marl layers retard rainfall infiltration and cause frequent flooding. Public water supplies and sewer services are not planned for the area, thus, residents must rely on domestic wells and septic tanks. The water table in the northern Midlands area is seldom more than 5 feet below land surface, and regional ground-water flows are east, southwest, and south from the north-central part of the area where ground-water levels are highest. Ground-water quality in the western part of the area and in the Loxahatchee Slough is greatly influenced by residual seawater emplaced during the Pleistocene Epoch. Chloride and dissolved-solids concentrations of ground water in the surficial aquifer system in these areas often exceed secondary drinking-water standards. Residual seawater has been more effectively flushed from the more permeable sediments elsewhere in the eastern and southwestern parts of the study area. Test at three septic-tank sites showed traces of effluent in ground water (38-92 feet from the septic tank outlets) and that near-surface marl layers greatly impede the downward migration of the effluent in the surficial aquifer system throughout the northern midlands.

Annual subsurface transport of a red tide dinoflagellate to its bloom area: Water circulation patterns and organism distributions in the Chesapeake Bay

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

Tyler, M.A.; Seliger, H.H.

1978-03-01

An annual, long range, subsurface transport of Prorocentrum mariae-lebouriae, from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to its bloom area in the upper bay, a distance of 240 km, is described and completely documented. Prorocentrum in surface outflowing waters at the mouth of the bay is recruited in late winter into more dense inflowing coastal waters. Strong stratification produced by late winter--early spring surface runoff results in the development of a stable pycnocline. Prorocentrum, now in northward-flowing bottom waters, is retained in these bottom waters. It accumulates in a subsurface concentration maximum below the pycnocline and is transported northward tomore » reach its bloom area in the Patapsco River and north of the Bay Bridge by late spring. The rapidly decreasing depth of the upper bay causes the pycnocline to rise, mixing the previously light-limited Prorocentrum and its nutrient-rich bottom waters to the surface, where rapid growth ensues. Once the dinoflagellate is in surface waters, positive phototaxis, combined with both wind- and tide-driven surface convergences, produce dense surface patches or red tides. Prorocentrum is effectively retained in the bay until late winter by sequential inoculation into the tributary estuaries on the western shore, which exchange relatively slowly with bay waters. By late winter the annual cycle is complete. Prorocentrum is again in surface waters at the mouth of the bay where it is reintroduced into northward-flowing bottom waters. The mechanisms described provide a key to understanding the origins of subsurface chlorophyll maxima and the delivery of toxic dinoflagellates to coastal bloom areas.« less

Assessment of Surface Water Storage trends for increasing groundwater areas in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Chandan; Kumar, D. Nagesh

2018-07-01

Recent studies based on Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission suggested that groundwater has increased in central and southern parts of India. However, surface water, which is an equally important source of water in these semi-arid areas has not been studied yet. In the present study, the study areas were outlined based on trends in GRACE data followed by trend identification in surface water storages and checking the hypothesis of causality. Surface Water Extent (SWE) and Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) derived from Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) respectively, are selected as proxies of surface water storage (SWS). Besides SWE and SSM, trend test was performed for GRACE derived terrestrial water storage (TWS) for the study areas named as R1, R2, GOR1 and KOR1. Granger-causality test is used to test the hypothesis that rainfall is a causal factor of the inter-annual variability of SWE, SSM and TWS. Positive trends were observed in TWS for R1, R2 and GOR1 whereas SWE and SSM show increasing trends for all the study regions. Results suggest that rainfall is the granger-causal of all the storage variables for R1 and R2, the regions exhibiting the most significant positive trends in TWS.

Monitoring monthly surface water dynamics of Dongting Lake using Sentinel-1 data at 10 m.

PubMed

Xing, Liwei; Tang, Xinming; Wang, Huabin; Fan, Wenfeng; Wang, Guanghui

2018-01-01

High temporal resolution water distribution maps are essential for surface water monitoring because surface water exhibits significant inner-annual variation. Therefore, high-frequency remote sensing data are needed for surface water mapping. Dongting Lake, the second-largest freshwater lake in China, is famous for the seasonal fluctuations of its inundation extents in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It is also greatly affected by the Three Gorges Project. In this study, we used Sentinel-1 data to generate surface water maps of Dongting Lake at 10 m resolution. First, we generated the Sentinel-1 time series backscattering coefficient for VH and VV polarizations at 10 m resolution by using a monthly composition method. Second, we generated the thresholds for mapping surface water at 10 m resolution with monthly frequencies using Sentinel-1 data. Then, we derived the monthly surface water distribution product of Dongting Lake in 2016, and finally, we analyzed the inner-annual surface water dynamics. The results showed that: (1) The thresholds were -21.56 and -15.82 dB for the backscattering coefficients for VH and VV, respectively, and the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficients were above 95.50% and 0.90, respectively, for the VH backscattering coefficient, and above 94.50% and 0.88, respectively, for the VV backscattering coefficient. The VV backscattering coefficient achieved lower accuracy due to the effect of the wind causing roughness on the surface of the water. (2) The maximum and minimum areas of surface water were 2040.33 km 2 in July, and 738.89 km 2 in December. The surface water area of Dongting Lake varied most significantly in April and August. The permanent water acreage in 2016 was 556.35 km 2 , accounting for 19.65% of the total area of Dongting Lake, and the acreage of seasonal water was 1525.21 km 2 . This study proposed a method to automatically generate monthly surface water at 10 m resolution, which may contribute to monitoring surface water in a timely manner.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, May 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.

2006-01-01

INTRODUCTION This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for May 2005. Potentiometric contours are based on water level measurements collected at 598 wens during the period May 5 - 31, near the end of the dry season. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground water withdrawals. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, May 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.

2006-01-01

Introduction: This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for May 2006. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 599 wells during the period May 14-31, near the end of the dry season. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals and springflow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River water management district and vicinity, Florida, September 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.

2006-01-01

This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for September 2005. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 643 wells during the period September 12-28, near the end of the wet season. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals and springflow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, September 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.; Dixon, Joann F.

2007-01-01

Introduction This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for September 2006. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 571 wells during the period September 11-29, near the end of the wet season. Some contours are inferred from previouspotentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals and spring flow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, September 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.; Dixon, Joann F.

2009-01-01

This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for September 2008. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 589 wells during the period September 15-25, near the end of the wet season. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals and spring flow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, September 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.; Dixon, Joann F.

2008-01-01

This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for September 2007. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 554 wells during the period September 15-27, near the end of the wet season. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals and spring flow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

The Shoreline Management Tool - an ArcMap tool for analyzing water depth, inundated area, volume, and selected habitats, with an example for the lower Wood River Valley, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snyder, Daniel T.; Haluska, Tana L.; Respini-Irwin, Darius

2013-01-01

The Shoreline Management Tool is a geographic information system (GIS) based program developed to assist water- and land-resource managers in assessing the benefits and effects of changes in surface-water stage on water depth, inundated area, and water volume. Additionally, the Shoreline Management Tool can be used to identify aquatic or terrestrial habitat areas where conditions may be suitable for specific plants or animals as defined by user-specified criteria including water depth, land-surface slope, and land-surface aspect. The tool can also be used to delineate areas for use in determining a variety of hydrologic budget components such as surface-water storage, precipitation, runoff, or evapotranspiration. The Shoreline Management Tool consists of two parts, a graphical user interface for use with Esri™ ArcMap™ GIS software to interact with the user to define scenarios and map results, and a spreadsheet in Microsoft® Excel® developed to display tables and graphs of the results. The graphical user interface allows the user to define a scenario consisting of an inundation level (stage), land areas (parcels), and habitats (areas meeting user-specified conditions) based on water depth, slope, and aspect criteria. The tool uses data consisting of land-surface elevation, tables of stage/volume and stage/area, and delineated parcel boundaries to produce maps (data layers) of inundated areas and areas that meet the habitat criteria. The tool can be run in a Single-Time Scenario mode or in a Time-Series Scenario mode, which uses an input file of dates and associated stages. The spreadsheet part of the tool uses a macro to process the results from the graphical user interface to create tables and graphs of inundated water volume, inundated area, dry area, and mean water depth for each land parcel based on the user-specified stage. The macro also creates tables and graphs of the area, perimeter, and number of polygons comprising the user-specified habitat areas within each parcel. The Shoreline Management Tool is highly transferable, using easily generated or readily available data. The capabilities of the tool are demonstrated using data from the lower Wood River Valley adjacent to Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes in southern Oregon.

Analysis of environmental setting, surface-water and groundwater data, and data gaps for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma, through 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Andrews, William J.; Harich, Christopher R.; Smith, S. Jerrod; Lewis, Jason M.; Shivers, Molly J.; Seger, Christian H.; Becker, Carol J.

2013-01-01

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, consisting of approximately 960 square miles in parts of three counties in central Oklahoma, has an abundance of water resources, being underlain by three principal aquifers (alluvial/terrace, Central Oklahoma, and Vamoosa-Ada), bordered by two major rivers (North Canadian and Canadian), and has several smaller drainages. The Central Oklahoma aquifer (also referred to as the Garber-Wellington aquifer) underlies approximately 3,000 square miles in central Oklahoma in parts of Cleveland, Logan, Lincoln, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie Counties and much of the tribal jurisdictional area. Water from these aquifers is used for municipal, industrial, commercial, agricultural, and domestic supplies. The approximately 115,000 people living in this area used an estimated 4.41 million gallons of fresh groundwater, 12.12 million gallons of fresh surface water, and 8.15 million gallons of saline groundwater per day in 2005. Approximately 8.48, 2.65, 2.24, 1.55, 0.83, and 0.81 million gallons per day of that water were used for domestic, livestock, commercial, industrial, crop irrigation, and thermoelectric purposes, respectively. Approximately one-third of the water used in 2005 was saline water produced during petroleum production. Future changes in use of freshwater in this area will be affected primarily by changes in population and agricultural practices. Future changes in saline water use will be affected substantially by changes in petroleum production. Parts of the area periodically are subject to flooding and severe droughts that can limit available water resources, particularly during summers, when water use increases and streamflows substantially decrease. Most of the area is characterized by rural types of land cover such as grassland, pasture/hay fields, and deciduous forest, which may limit negative effects on water quality by human activities because of lesser emissions of man-made chemicals on such areas than in more urbanized areas. Much of the water in the area is of good quality, though some parts of this area have water quality impaired by very hard surface water and groundwater; large chloride concentrations in some smaller streams; relatively large concentrations of nutrients and counts of fecal-indicator bacteria in the North Canadian River; and chloride, iron, manganese, and uranium concentrations that exceed primary or secondary drinking-water standards in water samples collected from small numbers of wells. Substantial amounts of hydrologic and water-quality data have been collected in much of this area, but there are gaps in those data caused by relatively few streamflow-gaging stations, uneven distribution of surface-water quality sampling sites, lack of surface-water quality sampling at high-flow and low-flow conditions, and lack of a regularly measured and sampled groundwater network. This report summarizes existing water-use, climatic, geographic, hydrologic, and water-quality data and describes several means of filling gaps in hydrologic data for this area.

Selected field and analytical methods and analytical results in the Dutch Flats area, western Nebraska, 1995-99

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verstraeten, Ingrid M.; Steele, G.V.; Cannia, J.C.; Bohlke, J.K.; Kraemer, T.E.; Hitch, D.E.; Wilson, K.E.; Carnes, A.E.

2001-01-01

A study of the water resources of the Dutch Flats area in the western part of the North Platte Natural Resources District, western Nebraska, was conducted from 1995 through 1999 to describe the surface water and hydrogeology, the spatial distribution of selected water-quality constituents in surface and ground water, and the surface-water/ground-water interaction in selected areas. This report describes the selected field and analytical methods used in the study and selected analytical results from the study not previously published. Specifically, dissolved gases, age-dating data, and other isotopes collected as part of an intensive sampling effort in August and November 1998 and all uranium and uranium isotope data collected through the course of this study are included in the report.

Water-elevation, stream-discharge, and ground-water quality data in the Alaska Railroad Industrial Area, Fairbanks, Alaska, May 1993 to May 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kriegler, A.T.; Lilly, M.R.

1995-01-01

From May 1993 to May 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining and Water Management collected data on ground-water and surface-water elevations, stream discharge, and ground-water quality in the Alaska Railroad Industrial area in Fairbanks, Alaska. The data- collection efforts were coordinated with environmental efforts being made in the study area by the Alaska Railroad Corporation. These data were collected as part of an effort to characterize the hydrogeology of the Alaska Railroad Industrial area and to define the extent of petroleum hydrocarbons in the area. Ground-water data were collected at 52 observation wells, surface-water data at 12 sites, stream discharge data at 9 sites, and chemical water-quality data at 32 observation wells.

Impact of war, precipitation, and water management on quantity of water resources in the Tigris/Euphrates area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Mejs; Moody, Aaron

2017-04-01

The fast-paced conflicts in the Middle East have the potential to disrupt management and supply of water resources in the region. In this research, we use the normalized difference water index (NDWI) in order to monitor changes in the extent of various water bodies over the time span of the Landsat 4, 5, 7, and 8 satellites (1984-present). We focused on Mosul and Haditha dam lakes, located on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, respectively, each of which has experienced changes in sovereignty over the last few years of conflict. We established two areas, one land and one water, on each image, plotted the distributions of all NDWI values for each area, and used the number of standard deviations between the two distributions in order to set a dynamic NDWI threshold for each image. Using this threshold, we determined water pixels and lake surface area, and computed daily percent change in lake extent between images. Furthermore, we took account of explanatory water resource variables, such as upstream dam management (via surface extent of upstream Turkish dams), precipitation (via globally-compiled databases), evaporation (based on surface area decreases during non-rainy months), and irrigation withdrawals (based on MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Indices). We used these explanatory variables in order to build a general model of expected dam lake surface extent, and we looked to see if anomalies from expected surface area corresponded with periods of conflict. We found that the recent years of conflict do not appear to have had as much impact on the Mosul and Haditha dam lakes as did the conflicts related to the earlier Gulf Wars. The dam lakes have recorded an overall decrease in surface area simultaneous to increases of upstream dams. A strong seasonal signal driven by springtime Turkish snowmelt and summer evaporation is also evident.

Shallow Alluvial Aquifer Ground Water System and Surface Water/Ground Water Interaction, Boulder Creek, Boulder, Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babcock, K. P.; Ge, S.; Crifasi, R. R.

2006-12-01

Water chemistry in Boulder Creek, Colorado, shows significant variation as the Creek flows through the City of Boulder [Barber et al., 2006]. This variation is partially due to ground water inputs, which are not quantitatively understood. The purpose of this study is (1) to understand ground water movement in a shallow alluvial aquifer system and (2) to assess surface water/ground water interaction. The study area, encompassing an area of 1 mi2, is located at the Sawhill and Walden Ponds area in Boulder. This area was reclaimed by the City of Boulder and Boulder County after gravel mining operations ceased in the 1970's. Consequently, ground water has filled in the numerous gravel pits allowing riparian vegetation regrowth and replanting. An integrated approach is used to examine the shallow ground water and surface water of the study area through field measurements, water table mapping, graphical data analysis, and numerical modeling. Collected field data suggest that lateral heterogeneity exists throughout the unconsolidated sediment. Alluvial hydraulic conductivities range from 1 to 24 ft/day and flow rates range from 0.01 to 2 ft/day. Preliminary data analysis suggests that ground water movement parallels surface topography and does not noticeably vary with season. Recharge via infiltrating precipitation is dependent on evapotranspiration (ET) demands and is influenced by preferential flow paths. During the growing season when ET demand exceeds precipitation rates, there is little recharge; however recharge occurs during cooler months when ET demand is insignificant. Preliminary data suggest that the Boulder Creek is gaining ground water as it traverses the study area. Stream flow influences the water table for distances up to 400 feet. The influence of stream flow is reflected in the zones relatively low total dissolved solids concentration. A modeling study is being conducted to synthesize aquifer test data, ground water levels, and stream flow data. The model will quantitatively assess the interaction between surface water and ground water, particularly the amount of exchange between the creek and ground water and to what extent these systems influence each other. Model sensitivity study will help identify important system parameters. A comprehensive model of the study area will serve as a tool for efficiently allocating water throughout the study area (from Boulder Creek). Water allocation is needed to prevent the eutrophication of the ponds, improve fishery management, and efficiently meet the water rights obligations in the watershed.

Acidification of lake water due to drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosley, L. M.; Zammit, B.; Jolley, A. M.; Barnett, L.

2014-04-01

Droughts are predicted to increase in many river systems due to increased demand on water resources and climate variability. A severe drought in the Murray-Darling Basin of Australia from 2007 to 2009 resulted in unprecedented declines in water levels in the Lower Lakes (Ramsar-listed ecosystem of international importance) at the end of the river system. The receding water exposed large areas (>200 km2) of sediments on the lake margins. The pyrite (FeS2) in these sediments oxidised and generated high concentrations of acidity. Upon rewetting of the exposed sediments, by rainfall or lake refill, surface water acidification (pH 2-3) occurred in several locations (total area of 21.7 km2). High concentrations of dissolved metals (Al, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn), which greatly exceeded aquatic ecosystem protection guidelines, were mobilised in the acidic conditions. In many areas neutralisation of the surface water acidity occurred naturally during lake refill, but aerial limestone dosing was required in two areas to assist in restoring alkalinity. However acidity persists in the submerged lake sediment and groundwater several years after surface water neutralisation. The surface water acidification proved costly to manage and improved water management in the Murray-Darling Basin is required to prevent similar events occurring in the future.

76 FR 69720 - Don Pedro Hydro, LLC; Moccasin Pumped Storage, LLC; Notice of Competing Preliminary Permit...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-09

... storage capacity of 25,000 acre-feet and a surface area of 241 acres at maximum normal water surface... penstocks; (4) a powerhouse with four 250 MW pump/turbines having an installed capacity of approximately... capacity of 25,000 acre-feet and a surface area of 240 acres at maximum normal water surface elevation of 1...

Using thermal-infrared imagery to delineate ground-water discharge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Banks, W.S.L.; Paylor, R.L.; Hughes, W.B.

1996-01-01

On March 8 and 9, 1992, a thermal-infrared-multispectral scanner (TIMS) was flown over two military ordnance disposal facilities at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The data, collected bythe National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in cooperation with the U.S. Army and the U.S. Geological Survey, were used to locate ground-water discharge zones in surface water. The images from the flight show areas where ground-water discharge is concentrated, as well as areas of diffuse discharge. Concentrated discharge is predominant in isolated or nearly isolated ponds and creeks in the study area. Diffuse dicharge is found near parts of the shoreline where the study area meets the surrounding estuaries of the Chesapeake Bay and the Gunpowder River. The average temperature for surface water, measured directly in the field, and the average temperature, calculated from atmospherically corrected TIMS images, was 10.6??C (Celsius) at the first of two sites. Potentiometric surface maps of both field sites show discharge toward the nontidal marshes, the estuaries which surround the field sites, and creeks which drain into the estuaries. The average measured temperature of ground water at both sites was 10.7??C. The calculated temperature from the TIMS imagery at both sites where ground-water discharge is concentrated within a surface-water body is 10.4??C. In the estuaries which surround the field sites, field measurements of temperature were made resulting in an average temperature of 9.0??C. The average calculated TIMS temperature from the estuaries was 9.3??C. Along the shoreline at the first site and within 40 to 80 meters of the western and southern shores of the second site, water was 1?? to 2??C warmer than water more than 80 meters away. The pattern of warmer water grading to cooler water in an offshore direction could result from diffuse ground-water discharge. Tonal differences in the TIMS imagery could indicate changes in surface-water temperatures. These tonal differences can be interpreted to delineate the location and extent of ground-water discharge to bodies of surface water.

Potentiometric surface of the upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns Water Management District and vicinity, Florida, May 1984

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schiner, George R.; Hayes, Eugene C.

1984-01-01

This map shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for May 1984. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of potable water in the area. Water-level measurements were made on approximately 1,000 wells and on several springs. The potentiometric surface is shown mostly by 5-foot contour intervals. In the Fernandina Beach area a 40-foot interval is used to show a deep cone of depression. The potentiometric surface ranged from 126 feet above sea level in Polk County to 84 feet below sea level in Nassau County. Water levels in key wells were mostly above, or less frequently, slightly below averages for May in response to diverse area rainfall patterns. Most levels in the district were about the same, or more commonly, 1 to 2 feet lower than May 1983 levels. (USGS)

Hydrology of Area 61, Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Coal Provinces, Colorado and New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Abbott, P.O.; Geldon, Arthur L.; Cain, Doug; Hall, Alan P.; Edelmann, Patrick

1983-01-01

Area 61 is located on the Colorado-New Mexico boundary in Huerfano and Las Animas Counties, Colorado, and Colfax County, New Mexico, and includes the Raton Mesa coal region. The 5 ,900-square-mile area is an asymmetrical structural trough bounded by the Rocky Mountains on the west and the Great Plains on the east. The area is drained by the Huerfano, Apishapa, Purgatoire, and Canadian Rivers (and their tributaries), all tributary to the Arkansas River. The principal coal-bearing formations are the Vermejo Formation of Late Cretaceous age and the Raton Formation of Late Cretaceous and Paleocene age. Much of the coal in the area is of coking quality, important to the metallurgical industry. Topographic relief in the area is greater than 8,700 feet, and this influences the climate which in turn affects the runoff pattern of area streams. Summer thunderstorms often result in flash floods. Virtually all geologic units in the region yield water. Depth to ground water ranges from land surface to 400 feet. Surface and ground water in the area contain mostly bicarbonate and sulfate ions; locally in the ground water, chloride ions predominate. Potential hydrologic problems associated with surface coal mining in the area are water-quality degradation, water-table decline, and increased erosion and sedimentation.

Hydrogeologic characteristics of four public drinking-water supply springs in northern Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Galloway, Joel M.

2004-01-01

In October 2000, a study was undertaken by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Health to determine the hydrogeologic characteristics, including the extent of the recharge areas, for Hughes Spring, Stark Spring, Evening Shade Spring, and Roaring Spring, which are used for public-water supply in northern Arkansas. Information pertaining to each spring can be used to enable development of effective management plans to protect these water resources and public health. An integrated approach to determine the ground-water characteristics and the extent of the local recharge areas of the four springs incorporated tools and methods of hydrology, structural geology, geomorphology, geophysics, and geochemistry. Analyses of discharge, temperature, and water quality were completed to describe ground-water flow characteristics, source-water characteristics, and connectivity of the ground-water system with surface runoff. Water-level contour maps were constructed to determine ground-water flow directions and ground-water tracer tests were conducted to determine the extent of the recharge areas and ground-water flow velocities. Hughes Spring supplies water for the city of Marshall, Arkansas, and the surrounding area. The mean annual discharge for Hughes Spring was 2.9 and 5.2 cubic feet per second for water years 2001 and 2002, respectively. Recharge to the spring occurs mainly from the Boone Formation (Springfield Plateau aquifer). Ground-water tracer tests indicate the recharge area for Hughes Spring generally coincides with the surface drainage area (15.8 square miles) and that Hughes Spring is connected directly to the surface flow in Brush Creek. The geochemistry of Hughes Spring demonstrated variations with flow conditions and the influence of surface-runoff in the recharge area. Calcite saturation indices, total dissolved solids concentrations, and hardness demonstrate noticeable differences with flow conditions reflecting the reduced residence time and interaction of water with the source rock within the ground-water system at higher discharges for Hughes Spring. Concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria also demonstrated a substantial increase during high-flow conditions, suggesting that a non-point source of bacteria possibly from livestock may enter the system. Conversely, nutrient concentrations did not vary with flow and were similar to concentrations reported for undeveloped sites in the Springfield Plateau and Ozark aquifers in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. Deuterium and oxygen-18 data show that the Hughes Spring discharge is representative of direct precipitation and not influenced by water enriched in oxygen-18 through evaporation. Discharge data show that Hughes Spring is dominated by conduit type ground-water flow, but a considerable component of diffuse flow also exists in the ground-water system. Carbon-13 data indicate a substantial component of the recharge water interacts with the surface material (soil and regolith) in the recharge area before entering the ground-water system for Hughes Spring. Tritium data for Hughes Spring indicate that the discharge water is a mixture of recent recharge and sub-modern water (recharged prior to 1952). Stark Spring supplies water for the city of Cushman, Arkansas, and the surrounding area. 2 Hydrogeologic Characteristics of Four Public Drinking-Water Supply Springs in Northern Arkansas The mean annual discharge for Stark Spring was 0.5 and 1.5 cubic feet per second for water years 2001 and 2002, respectively. The discharge and water-quality data show the ground-water system for Stark Spring is dominated by rapid recharge from surface runoff and mainly consists of a conduit- type flow system with little diffuse-type flow. Analyses of discharge data show that the estimated recharge area (0.79 square mile) is larger than the surface drainage area (0.34 square mile). Ground-water tracer tests and the outcrop of the

Summary of pesticide data from streams and wells in the Potomac River Basin, 1993-96

USGS Publications Warehouse

Donnelly, Colleen A.; Ferrari, Matthew J.

1998-01-01

Eighty-five water-soluble pesticides and pesticide degradation products were analyzed in 384 surface-water and ground-water samples collected from the Potomac River Basin during March 1993 through September 1996. Thirty-nine of these compounds were detected in surface-water samples and 16 were detected in ground-water samples. At least one pesticide was detected in 86 percent of the streams sampled and 45 percent of the wells sampled. Pesticides were detected more frequently and at higher concentrations in surface water than in ground water. The following four herbicides and one degradation product were the most frequently detected pesticides in both surface water and ground water: atrazine and metolachlor, which are used primarily on corn and soybean crops; prometon, which is used primarily in nonagricultural (urban and suburban) areas; simazine, which is used in both agricultural and nonagricultural areas, and desethylatrazine, which is one of the degradation products of atrazine. Insecticides were detected more frequently in surface water than in ground water. Diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and gamma-HCH (Undone) were found in more than 10 percent of surface-water samples, but in none of the ground-water samples.

Estimation of small reservoir storage capacities in the São Francisco, Limpopo, Bandama and Volta river basins using remotely sensed surface areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Lineu; Senzanje, Aidan; Cecchi, Philippe; Liebe, Jens

2010-05-01

People living in areas with highly variable rainfall, experience droughts and floods and often have insecure livelihoods. Small multi-purpose reservoirs (SR) are a widely used form of infrastructures to provide people in such areas with water during the dry season, e.g. in the basins of São Francisco, Brazil, Limpopo, Zimbabwe, Bandama, Ivory Coast and Volta, Ghana. In these areas, the available natural flow in the streams is sometimes less than the flow required for water supply or irrigation, however water can be stored in times of surplus, for example, from a wet season to a dry season. Efficient water management and sound reservoir planning are hindered by the lack of information about the functioning of these reservoirs. Reservoirs in these regions were constructed in a series of projects funded by different agencies, at different times, with little or no coordination among the implementing partners. Poor record keeping and the lack of appropriate institutional support result in deficiencies of information on the capacity, operation, and maintenance of these structures. Estimating the storage capacity of dams is essential to the responsible management of water diversion. Most of SR in these basins have never been evaluated, possibly because the tools currently used for such measurement are labor-intensive, costly and time-consuming. The objective of this research was to develop methodology to estimate small reservoir capacities as a function of their remotely sensed surface areas in the São Francisco, Limpopo, Bandama and Volta basins, as a way to contribute to improve the water resource management in those catchments. Remote sensing was used to identify, localize and characterize small reservoirs. The surface area of each was calculated from satellite images. A sub-set of reservoirs was selected. For each reservoir in the sub-set, the surface area was estimated from field surveys, and storage capacity was estimated using information on reservoir surface area, depth and shape. Depth was measured using a stadia rod or a manual echosounder. For reservoirs in the sub-set, estimated surface area was used as an input into the triangulated irregular network model. With the surface area and depth, measured volume was calculated. Comparisons were made between estimates of surface area from field surveys and estimates of surface area from remote sensing. A linear regression analysis was carried out to establish the relationship between surface area and storage capacities. Within geomorphologically homogenous regions, one may expect a good correlation between the surface area, which may be determined through satellite observations, and the stored volume. Such a relation depends on the general shape of the slopes (convex, through straight, to concave). The power relationships between remotely sensed surface areas (m^2) and storage capacities of reservoirs (m^3) obtained were - Limpopo basin (Lower Mzingwane sub-catchment): Volume = 0.023083 x Area^1.3272 (R2 = 95%); Bandama basin (North of the basin in Ivory Coast): Volume = 0.00405 x Area^1.4953 (R2 = 88.9%); Volta basin (Upper East region of the Volta Basin in Ghana): Volume = 0.00857 × Area^1.43 (R2 = 97.5%); São Francisco basin (Preto river sub-catchment): Volume = 0.2643 x Area^1.1632 (R2 = 92.1%). Remote sensing was found to be a suitable means to detect small reservoirs and accurately measure their surface areas. The general relationship between measured reservoir volumes and their remotely sensed surface areas showed good accuracy for all four basins. Combining such relationships with periodical satellite-based reservoir area measurements may allow hydrologists and planners to have clear picture of water resource system in the Basins, especially in ungauged sub-basins.

Map showing general chemical quality of surface water in the Richfield Quadrangle, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Price, Don

1980-01-01

This is one of a series of maps that describe the geology and related natural resources of the Richfield 2° quadrangle, Utah. The purpose of this map is to show the general chemical quality of surface water in the area by ranges of dissolved-solids concentrations.Data used to compile this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. In those areas where little or no surface-water-quality data are available, ranges of dissolved-solids concentrations of the water are inferred on the basis of such factors as geology (Stokes, 1964), precipitation, topography, known ground-water quality, and water uses – all of which affect the chemical quality of surface water.Additional information about the chemical quality of surface water in various parts of the Richfield 2° quadrangle may be found in the following reports: Hahl and Cabell (1965), Hahl and Mundorff (1968), Stephens (1974, 1976), Cruff and Mower (1976), and Cruff(1977)

Water-Table Levels and Gradients, Nevada, 1947-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lopes, Thomas J.; Buto, Susan G.; Smith, J. LaRue; Welborn, Toby L.

2006-01-01

In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began a program to protect the quality of ground water in areas other than ground-water protection areas. These other sensitive ground water areas (OSGWA) are areas that are not currently, but could eventually be, used as a source of drinking water. The OSGWA program specifically addresses existing wells that are used for underground injection of motor-vehicle waste. To help determine whether a well is in an OSGWA, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection needs statewide information on depth to water and the water table, which partly control the susceptibility of ground water to contamination and contaminant transport. This report describes a study that used available maps and data to create statewide maps of water-table and depth-to-water contours and surfaces, assessed temporal changes in water-table levels, and characterized water-table gradients in selected areas of Nevada. A literature search of published water-table and depth-to-water contours produced maps of varying detail and scope in 104 reports published from 1948 to 2004. Where multiple maps covered the same area, criteria were used to select the most recent, detailed maps that covered the largest area and had plotted control points. These selection criteria resulted in water-table and depth-to-water contours that are based on data collected from 1947 to 2004 being selected from 39 reports. If not already available digitally, contours and control points were digitized from selected maps, entered into a geographic information system, and combined to make a statewide map of water-table contours. Water-table surfaces were made by using inverse distance weighting to estimate the water table between contours and then gridding the estimates. Depth-to-water surfaces were made by subtracting the water-table altitude from the land-surface altitude. Water-table and depth-to-water surfaces were made for only 21 percent of Nevada because of a lack of information for 49 of 232 basins and for most consolidated-rock hydrogeologic units. Depth to water is commonly less than 50 feet beneath valley floors, 50 to 500 feet beneath alluvial fans, and more than 500 feet in some areas such as north-central and southern Nevada. In areas without water-table information, greasewood and mapped ground-water discharge areas are good indicators of depth to water less than 100 feet. The average difference between measured depth to water and depth to water estimated from surfaces was 90 feet. More recent and detailed information may be needed than that presented in this report to evaluate a specific site. Temporal changes in water-table levels were evaluated for 1,981 wells with 10 or more years between the first depth-to-water measurement and last measurement made since 1990. The greatest increases in depth to water occurred where the first measurement was less than 200 feet, where the time between first and last measurements was 40 years or less, and for wells between 100 and 600 feet deep. These characteristics describe production wells where ground water is fairly shallow in recently developing areas such as the Las Vegas and Reno metropolitan areas. In basins with little pumping, 90 percent of the changes during the past 100 years are within ?20 feet, which is about the natural variation in the water table due to changes in the climate and recharge. Gradients in unconsolidated sediments of the Great Basin are generally steep near mountain fronts, shallow beneath valley floors, and depend on variables such as the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of adjacent consolidated rocks and recharge. Gradients beneath alluvial fans and valley floors at 58 sites were correlated with selected variables to identify those variables that are statistically related. Water-table measurements at three sites were used to characterize the water table between the valley floor and consolidated rock. Water-table gradients beneath alluvial fan

Surface area-volume ratios in insects.

PubMed

Kühsel, Sara; Brückner, Adrian; Schmelzle, Sebastian; Heethoff, Michael; Blüthgen, Nico

2017-10-01

Body mass, volume and surface area are important for many aspects of the physiology and performance of species. Whereas body mass scaling received a lot of attention in the literature, surface areas of animals have not been measured explicitly in this context. We quantified surface area-volume (SA/V) ratios for the first time using 3D surface models based on a structured light scanning method for 126 species of pollinating insects from 4 orders (Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera). Water loss of 67 species was measured gravimetrically at very dry conditions for 2 h at 15 and 30 °C to demonstrate the applicability of the new 3D surface measurements and relevance for predicting the performance of insects. Quantified SA/V ratios significantly explained the variation in water loss across species, both directly or after accounting for isometric scaling (residuals of the SA/V ∼ mass 2/3 relationship). Small insects with a proportionally larger surface area had the highest water loss rates. Surface scans of insects to quantify allometric SA/V ratios thus provide a promising method to predict physiological responses, improving the potential of body mass isometry alone that assume geometric similarity. © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Concentrations of asbestos fibers and metals in drinking water caused by natural crocidolite asbestos in the soil from a rural area.

PubMed

Wei, Binggan; Ye, Bingxiong; Yu, Jiangping; Jia, Xianjie; Zhang, Biao; Zhang, Xiuwu; Lu, Rongan; Dong, Tingrong; Yang, Linsheng

2013-04-01

Asbestos fibers and metals in drinking water are of significant importance to the field of asbestos toxicology. However, little is known about asbestos fibers and metals in drinking water caused by naturally occurring asbestos. Therefore, concentrations of asbestos fibers and metals in well and surface waters from asbestos and control areas were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectrometer, and ICP-mass spectrometry in this study. The results indicated that the mean concentration of asbestos fibers was 42.34 millions of fibers per liter by SEM, which was much higher than the permission exposure level. The main compositions of both asbestos fibers in crocidolite mineral and in drinking water were Na, Mg, Fe, and Si based on energy dispersive X-ray analysis. This revealed that the drinking water has been contaminated by asbestos fibers from crocidolite mineral in soil and rock. Except for Cr, Pb, Zn, and Mn, the mean concentrations of Ni, Na, Mg, K, Fe, Ca, and SiO2 were much higher in both surface water and well waters from the asbestos area than in well water from the control area. The results of principal component and cluster analyses indicated that the metals in surface and well waters from the asbestos area were significantly influenced by crocidolite mineral in soil and rock. In the asbestos area, the mean concentrations of asbestos fibers and Ni, Na, Mg, K, Fe, Ca, and SiO2 were higher in surface and well waters, indicating that asbestos fibers and the metals were significantly influenced by crocidolite in soil and rock.

Area G perimeter surface-soil and single-stage water sampling: Environmental surveillance for fiscal year 95. Progress report

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

Childs, M.; Conrad, R.

1997-09-01

ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) during FY 95 to characterize possible radionuclide movement out of Area G through surface water and entrained sediment runoff. Soil samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. The single-stage water samples were analyzed for tritium and plutonium isotopes. All radiochemical data was compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and 94 and reported in LA-12986 and LA-13165-PR. Six surface soils were also submitted for metal analyses. These data were included with similar data generatedmore » for soil samples collected during FY 94 and compared with metals in background samples collected at the Area G expansion area.« less

Hydrology of area 4, Eastern Coal Province, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roth, Donald K.; Engelke, Morris J.; ,

1981-01-01

Area 4 (one of the 24 hydrologic areas defining the Eastern Coal Province) is located at the northern end of the Eastern Coal Province in eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. It is part of the upper Ohio River basin, which includes the Beaver, Mahoning, and Shenango Rivers. The area is underlain by rocks of the Pottsville, Allegheny, Conemaugh, Monongahela Groups (or Formations) and Dunkard Group. Area 4 has a temperate climate with an annual average rainfall of 38 to 42 inches, most of its area is covered by forest. The soils have a high erosion potential where the vegetation cover is removed. In response to Public Law 95-87, 132 sites were added to the existing surface-water data-collection network in area 4. At these added sites, collected data includes discharge, water quality, sediment, and biology. The data are available from computer storage through the National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX) or the published annual Water Resources Data reports for Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Hydrologic problems related to mining are: (1) Erosion and increased sedimentation, and (2) degradation of water quality. Erosion and sedimentation are associated chiefly with surface mining. Sediment yields increase drastically when vegetation is removed from the highly erosive soils. Degradation of water quality can be caused by acid-mine drainage from underground and surface mining. More than half the acid-mine drainage effluent in area 4 comes from underground mines. The rest seeps from abandoned surface mines. Usually in reclaimed surface mines the overburden is replaced in such a short time after the coal is taken out that oxidation of acid-forming minerals, commonly pyrite or marcasite, is not complete or is neutralized by the buffering action of calcareous minerals in the soils. (USGS)

Potentiometric surface of the Ozark aquifer in northern Arkansas, 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Czarnecki, John B.; Pugh, Aaron L.; Blackstock, Joshua M.

2014-01-01

The Ozark aquifer in northern Arkansas is composed of dolomite, limestone, sandstone, and shale of Late Cambrian to Middle Devonian age and ranges in thickness from approximately 1,100 feet to more than 4,000 feet. Hydrologically, the aquifer is complex, characterized by discrete and discontinuous flow components with large variations in permeability. The potentiometric-surface map, based on 56 well and 5 spring water-level measurements made in 2010 in Arkansas and Missouri, has a maximum water-level altitude measurement of 1,174 feet in Carroll County and a minimum water-level altitude measurement of 120 feet in Randolph County. Regionally, the flow within the aquifer is to the south and southeast in the eastern and central part of the study area and to the west, northwest, and north in the western part of the study area. Water-level altitudes changed 0.5 feet or less in 31 out of 56 wells measured between 2007 and 2010. Despite rapidly increasing population within the study area, the increase appears to have minimal effect on groundwater levels, although the effect may have been minimized by the development and use of surface-water distribution infrastructure, suggesting that most of the incoming populations are fulfilling their water needs from surface-water sources. The conversion of some users from groundwater to surface water may be allowing water levels in some wells to recover (rise) or decline at a slower rate in some areas such as in Benton, Carroll, and Washington Counties.

Characterization of surface-water resources in the Great Basin National Park area and their susceptibility to ground-water withdrawals in adjacent valleys, White Pine County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elliott, Peggy E.; Beck, David A.; Prudic, David E.

2006-01-01

Eight drainage basins and one spring within the Great Basin National Park area were monitored continually from October 2002 to September 2004 to quantify stream discharge and assess the natural variability in flow. Mean annual discharge for the stream drainages ranged from 0 cubic feet per second at Decathon Canyon to 9.08 cubic feet per second at Baker Creek. Seasonal variability in streamflow generally was uniform throughout the network. Minimum and maximum mean monthly discharges occurred in February and June, respectively, at all but one of the perennial streamflow sites. Synoptic-discharge, specific-conductance, and water- and air-temperature measurements were collected during the spring, summer, and autumn of 2003 along selected reaches of Strawberry, Shingle, Lehman, Baker, and Snake Creeks, and Big Wash to determine areas where surface-water resources would be susceptible to ground-water withdrawals in adjacent valleys. Comparison of streamflow and water-property data to the geology along each stream indicated areas where surface-water resources likely or potentially would be susceptible to ground-water withdrawals. These areas consist of reaches where streams (1) are in contact with permeable rocks or sediments, or (2) receive water from either spring discharge or ground-water inflow.

Simulated effects of development on regional ground-water/surface-water interactions in the northern Coastal Plain of New Jersey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pucci, Amleto A.; Pope, Daryll A.

1995-05-01

Stream flow in the Coastal Plain of New Jersey is primarily controlled by ground-water discharge. Ground-water flow in a 400 square mile area (1035 km 2) of the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system (PRMA) in the northern Coastal Plain of New Jersey was simulated to examine development effects on water resources. Simulations showed that historical development caused significant capture of regional ground-water discharge to streams and wetlands. The Cretaceous PRMA primarily is composed of fine to coarse sand, clays and silts which form the Upper and Middle aquifers and their confining units. The aquifer outcrops are the principal areas of recharge and discharge for the regional flow system and have many traversing streams and surface-water bodies. A quasi-three-dimensional numerical model that incorporated ground-water/surface-water interactions and boundary flows from a larger regional model was used to represent the PRMA. To evaluate the influence of ground-water development on interactions in different areas, hydrogeologically similar and contiguous model stream cells were aggregated as 'stream zones'. The model representation of surface-water and ground-water interaction was limited in the areas of confining unit outcrops and because of this, simulated ground-water discharge could not be directly compared with base flow. Significant differences in simulated ground-water and surface-water interactions between the predevelopment and developed system, include; (1) redistribution of recharge and discharge areas; (2) reduced ground-water discharge to streams. In predevelopment, the primary discharge for the Upper and Middle aquifers is to low-lying streams and wetlands; in the developed system, the primary discharge is to ground-water withdrawals. Development reduces simulated ground-water discharge to streams in the Upper Aquifer from 61.4 to 10% of the Upper Aquifer hydrologic budget (28.9%, if impounded stream flow is included). Ground-water discharge to streams in the Middle Aquifer decreases from 80.0 to 22% of the Middle Aquifer hydrologic budget. The utility of assessing ground-water/surface-water interaction in a regional hydrogeologic system by simulation responses to development is demonstrated and which can compensate for lack of long-term stream-gaging data in determining management decisions.

Interaction of poly(ethylene-glycols) with air-water interfaces and lipid monolayers: investigations on surface pressure and surface potential.

PubMed Central

Winterhalter, M; Bürner, H; Marzinka, S; Benz, R; Kasianowicz, J J

1995-01-01

We have characterized the surface activity of different-sized poly(ethylene-glycols) (PEG; M(r) 200-100,000 Da) in the presence or absence of lipid monolayers and over a wide range of bulk PEG concentrations (10(-8)-10% w/v). Measurements of the surface potential and surface pressure demonstrate that PEGs interact with the air-water and lipid-water interfaces. Without lipid, PEG added either to the subphase or to the air-water interface forms relatively stable monolayers. Except for very low molecular weight polymers (PEGs < 1000 Da), low concentrations of PEG in the subphase (between 10(-5) and 10(-4)% w/v) increase the surface potential from zero (with respect to the potential of a pure air-water interface) to a plateau value of approximately 440 mV. At much higher polymer concentrations, > 10(-1)% (w/v), depending on the molecular weight of the PEG and corresponding to the concentration at which the polymers in solution are likely to overlap, the surface potential decreases. High concentrations of PEG in the subphase cause a similar decrease in the surface potential of densely packed lipid monolayers spread from either diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPhPC), dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), or dioleoyl phosphatidylserine (DOPS). Adding PEG as a monolayer at the air-water interface also affects the surface activity of DPhPC or DPPC monolayers. At low lipid concentration, the surface pressure and potential are determined by the polymer. For intermediate lipid concentrations, the surface pressure-area and surface potential-area isotherms show that the effects due to lipid and PEG are not always additive and that the polymer's effect is distinct for the two lipids. When PEG-lipid-mixed monolayers are compressed to surface pressures greater than the collapse pressure for a PEG monolayer, the surface pressure-area and surface potential-area isotherms approach that of the lipid alone, suggesting that for this experimental condition PEG is expelled from the interface. PMID:8534807

The scaling of urban surface water abundance and impairment with city size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steele, M. K.

2018-03-01

Urbanization alters surface water compared to nonurban landscapes, yet little is known regarding how basic aquatic ecosystem characteristics, such as the abundance and impairment of surface water, differ with population size or regional context. This study examined the abundance, scaling, and impairment of surface water by quantifying the stream length, water body area, and impaired stream length for 3520 cities in the United States with populations from 2500 to 18 million. Stream length, water body area, and impaired stream length were quantified using the National Hydrography Dataset and the EPA's 303(d) list. These metrics were scaled with population and city area using single and piecewise power-law models and related to biophysical factors (precipitation, topography) and land cover. Results show that abundance of stream length and water body area in cities actually increases with city area; however, the per person abundance decreases with population size. Relative to population, impaired stream length did not increase until city populations were > 25,000 people, then scaled linearly with population. Some variation in abundance and impairment was explained by biophysical context and land cover. Development intensity correlated with stream density and impairment; however, those relationships depended on the orientation of the land covers. When high intensity development occupied the local elevation highs (+ 15 m) and undeveloped land the elevation lows, the percentage of impaired streams was less than the opposite land cover orientation (- 15 m) or very flat land. These results show that surface water abundance and impairment across contiguous US cities are influenced by city size and by biophysical setting interacting with land cover intensity.

Monitoring of Water-Level Fluctuation of Lake Nasser Using Altimetry Satellite Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Shirbeny, Mohammed A.; Abutaleb, Khaled A.

2018-05-01

Apart from the Renaissance Dam and other constructed dams on the River Nile tributaries, Egypt is classified globally as a state of scarce water. Egypt's water resources are very limited and do not contribute a significant amount to its water share except the River Nile (55.5 billion m3/year). While the number of population increases every year, putting more stress on these limited resources. This study aims to use remote-sensing data to assess the change in surface area and water-level variation in Lake Nasser using remote-sensing data from Landsat-8 and altimetry data. In addition, it investigates the use of thermal data from Landsat-8 to calculate water loss based on evaporation from Lake Nasser. The eight Landsat-8 satellite images were used to study the change in surface area of Lake Nasser representing winter (January) and summer (June/July) seasons in two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). Time series analyses for 10-day temporal resolution water-level data from Jason-2/OSTM and Jason-3 altimetry was carried out to investigate water-level trends over the long term (1993 and 2016) and short term (2015-2016) in correspondence with the change of the surface area. Results indicated a shrink in the lake surface area in 2016 of approximately 14% compared to the 2015 area. In addition, the evaporation rate in the lake is very high causing a loss of approximately 20% of the total water share from the river Nile.

A review of the bioretention system for sustainable storm water management in urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafique, Muhammad

2016-10-01

Bioretention basins/rain garden is a very suitable low-impact development (LID) practice for storm water management around the globe. By using this practice in urban areas, flash flooding problems can be decreased and the environment of an area can be improved. The concept of bioretention was introduced a few decades ago and has been proven to be the best management practice (BMP) for storm water in urban areas. Due to urbanisation, natural surface areas are converted into hard surfaces such as roads, through which water cannot infiltrate into the ground. Due to this, infiltration decreases and surface run-off increases, which causes depletion of ground water continuously. In this study, we mainly explain the bioretention concept and its function as derived from different studies. This review includes different scientists' results for the performance of the bioretention system at different locations. A summary of the research findings by different scientists on the performance of bioretention systems is also provided, including the hydrologic and water quality performances. Finally, future work necessary to enhance the performance and widespread use of bioretention systems is also explained.

30 CFR 48.28 - Annual refresher training of miners; minimum courses of instruction; hours of instruction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Retraining of Miners Working at Surface Mines and Surface Areas of Underground Mines § 48.28 Annual refresher...) Ground control; working in areas of highwalls, water hazards, pits, and spoil banks; illumination and... ground control plans in effect at the mine; procedures for working safely in areas of highwalls, water...

Potentiometric Surfaces in the Springfield Plateau and Ozark Aquifers of Northwestern Arkansas, Southeastern Kansas, Southwestern Missouri, and Northeastern Oklahoma, 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gillip, Jonathan A.; Czarnecki, John B.; Mugel, Douglas N.

2008-01-01

The Springfield Plateau and Ozark aquifers are important sources of ground water in the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system. Water from these aquifers is used for agricultural, domestic, industrial, and municipal water sources. Changing water use over time in these aquifers presents a need for updated potentiometric-surface maps of the Springfield Plateau and Ozark aquifers. The Springfield Plateau aquifer consists of water-bearing Mississippian-age limestone and chert. The Ozark aquifer consists of Late Cambrian to Middle Devonian age water-bearing rocks consisting of dolostone, limestone, and sandstone. Both aquifers are complex with areally varying lithologies, discrete hydrologic units, varying permeabilities, and secondary permeabilities related to fractures and karst features. During the spring of 2006, ground-water levels were measured in 285 wells. These data, and water levels from selected lakes, rivers, and springs, were used to create potentiometric-surface maps for the Springfield Plateau and Ozark aquifers. Linear kriging was used initially to construct the water-level contours on the maps; the contours were subsequently modified using hydrologic judgment. The potentiometric-surface maps presented in this report represent ground-water conditions during the spring of 2006. During the spring of 2006, the region received less than average rainfall. Dry conditions prior to the spring of 2006 could have contributed to the observed water levels as well. The potentiometric-surface map of the Springfield Plateau aquifer shows a maximum measured water-level altitude within the study area of about 1,450 feet at a spring in Barry County, Missouri, and a minimum measured water-level altitude of 579 feet at a well in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. Cones of depression occur in Dade, Lawrence and Newton Counties in Missouri and Delaware and Ottawa Counties in Oklahoma. These cones of depression are associated with private wells. Ground water in the Springfield Plateau aquifer generally flows to the west in the study area, and to surface features (lakes, rivers, and springs) particularly in the south and east of the study area where the Springfield Plateau aquifer is closest to land surface. The potentiometric-surface map of the Ozark aquifer indicates a maximum measured water-level altitude of 1,303 feet in the study area at a well in Washington County, Arkansas, and a minimum measured water-level altitude of 390 feet in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The water in the Ozark aquifer generally flows to the northwest in the northern part of the study area and to the west in the remaining study area. Cones of depression occur in Barry, Barton, Cedar, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, and Vernon Counties in Missouri, Cherokee and Crawford Counties in Kansas, and Craig and Ottawa Counties in Oklahoma. These cones of depression are associated with municipal supply wells. The flow directions, based on both potentiometric-surface maps, generally agree with flow directions indicated by previous studies.

Towards spatially smart abatement of human pharmaceuticals in surface waters: Defining impact of sewage treatment plants on susceptible functions.

PubMed

Coppens, Lieke J C; van Gils, Jos A G; Ter Laak, Thomas L; Raterman, Bernard W; van Wezel, Annemarie P

2015-09-15

For human pharmaceuticals, sewage treatment plants (STPs) are a major point of entry to surface waters. The receiving waters provide vital functions. Modeling the impact of STPs on susceptible functions of the surface water system allows for a spatially smart implementation of abatement options at, or in the service area of, STPs. This study was performed on a nation-wide scale for the Netherlands. Point source emissions included were 345 Dutch STPs and nine rivers from neighboring countries. The Dutch surface waters were represented by 2511 surface water units. Modeling was performed for two extreme discharge conditions. Monitoring data of 7 locations along the rivers Rhine and Meuse fall mostly within the range of modeled concentrations. Half of the abstracted volumes of raw water for drinking water production, and a quarter of the Natura 2000 areas (European Union nature protection areas) hosted by the surface waters, are influenced by STPs at low discharge. The vast majority of the total impact of all Dutch STPs during both discharge conditions can be attributed to only 19% of the STPs with regard to the drinking water function, and to 39% of the STPs with regard to the Natura 2000 function. Attributing water treatment technologies to STPs as one of the possible measures to improve water quality and protect susceptible functions can be done in a spatially smart and cost-effective way, using consumption-based detailed hydrological and water quality modeling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variable exchange between a stream and an aquifer in the Rio Grande Project Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Z.; Abudu, S.; Michelsen, A.; King, P.

2016-12-01

Both surface water and groundwater in the Rio Grande Project area in southern New Mexico and Far West Texas have been stressed by natural conditions such as droughts and human activities, including urban development and agricultural irrigation. In some area pumping stress in the aquifer becomes so great that it depletes the river flow especially during the irrigation season, typically from March through October. Therefore understanding such relationship between surface water and groundwater becomes more important in regional water resources planning and management. In this area, stream flows are highly regulated by the upstream reservoirs during the irrigation season and greatly influenced by return flows during non-irrigation season. During a drought additional groundwater pumping to supplement surface water shortage further complicates the surface water and groundwater interaction. In this paper the authors will use observation data and results of numerical models (MODFLOW) to characterize and quantify hydrological exchange fluxes between groundwater in the aquifers and surface water as well as impacts of groundwater pumping. The interaction shows a very interesting seasonal variation (irrigation vs. non-irrigation) as well as impact of a drought. Groundwater has been pumped for both municipal supplies and agricultural irrigation, which has imposed stresses toward both stream flows and aquifer storage. The results clearly show that historic groundwater pumping has caused some reaches of the river change from gaining stream to losing stream. Beyond the exchange between surface water and groundwater in the shallow aquifer, groundwater pumping in a deep aquifer could also enhance the exchanges between different aquifers through leaky confining layers. In the earlier history of pumping, pumping from the shallow aquifer is compensated by simple depletion of surface water, while deep aquifer tends to use the aquifer storage. With continued pumping, the cumulative stresses from deeper aquifers migrate upward, resulting in additional depletion of surface water. Eventually such impacts turn some reaches of a gaining river into a losing stream. The research finding provides information needed for future regional water planning and conjunctive management of surface water and groundwater resources.

Hydrogeology and ground-water/surface water interactions in the Des Moines River valley, southwestern Minnesota, 1997-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cowdery, Timothy K.

2005-01-01

Long-term withdrawals of water for public supplies may cause a net decrease in ground-water discharge to surface water. Water that does not evaporate, or that is not exported, is discharged to the Des Moines River but with changed water quality. Because ground-water and surface-water qualities in the study area are similar, the ground-water discharge probably has little effect on river water quality.

Contamination of ground water, surface water, and soil, and evaluation of selected ground-water pumping alternatives in the Canal Creek area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lorah, Michelle M.; Clark, Jeffrey S.

1996-01-01

Chemical manufacturing, munitions filling, and other military-support activities have resulted in the contamination of ground water, surface water, and soil in the Canal Creek area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Chlorinated volatile organic compounds, including 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane and trichloroethylene, are widespread ground-water contaminants in two aquifers that are composed of unconsolidated sand and gravel. Distribution and fate of chlorinated organic compounds in the ground water has been affected by the movement and dissolution of solvents in their dense immiscible phase and by microbial degradation under anaerobic conditions. Detection of volatile organic contaminants in adjacent surface water indicates that shallow contaminated ground water discharges to surface water. Semivolatile organic compounds, especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are the most prevalent organic contaminants in soils. Various trace elements, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc, were found in elevated concentrations in ground water, surface water, and soil. Simulations with a ground-water-flow model and particle tracker postprocessor show that, without remedial pumpage, the contaminants will eventually migrate to Canal Creek and Gunpowder River. Simulations indicate that remedial pumpage of 2.0 million gallons per day from existing wells is needed to capture all particles originating in the contaminant plumes. Simulated pumpage from offsite wells screened in a lower confined aquifer does not affect the flow of contaminated ground water in the Canal Creek area.

Potentiometric surface of the upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity, Florida, September, 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.

2005-01-01

Introduction: This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity in September 2004. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 608 wells during the period September 14-October 1, near the end of the wet season. The shapes of some contours have been inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, May, 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.; Knowles, Leel

2004-01-01

INTRODUCTION This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity in May 2001. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 684 wells during the period May 2 - 30, near the end of the dry season. The shapes of some contours have been inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Case Studies of Water Vapor and Surface Liquid Water from AVIRIS Data Measured Over Denver, CO and Death Valley, CA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, B.-C.; Kierein-Young, K. S.; Goetz, A. F. H.; Westwater, E. R.; Stankov, B. B.; Birkenheuer, D.

1991-01-01

High spatial resolution column atmospheric water vapor amounts and equivalent liquid water thicknesses of surface targets are retrieved from spectral data collected by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). The retrievals are made using a nonlinear least squares curve fitting technique. Two case studies from AVIRIS data acquired over Denver-Platteville area, Colorado and over Death Valley, California are presented. The column water vapor values derived from AVIRIS data over the Denver-Platteville area are compared with those obtained from radiosondes, ground level upward-looking microwave radiometers, and geostationary satellite measurements. The column water vapor image shows spatial variation patterns related to the passage of a weather front system. The column water vapor amounts derived from AVIRIS data over Death Valley decrease with increasing surface elevation. The derived liquid water image clearly shows surface drainage patterns.

Remote Sensing for Hydrology: Surface Water Dynamics from Three Decades of Landsat Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tulbure, M. G.; Broich, M.; Kingsford, R.; Lucas, R.; Keith, D.

2014-12-01

Surface water is a vital resource affected by changes in climate and anthropogenic factors. Knowledge of surface water dynamics provides critical information for flood and drought management. Here we focused on the on the entire Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) of Australia, a large semi-arid region with scarce water resources, high hydroclimatic variability and competing water demands, impacted by climate change, altered flow regimes and land use changes. The MDB is also an area where substantial investment in environmental water allocation of large volumes of environmental flow was made. We used Landsat TM and ETM+ time series to synoptically map the dynamic of surface water extent with an internally consistent algorithm (Tulbure and Broich, 2013) over decades (1986-2011). We used a subset of Landsat path/rows for image training in both wet and dry years. Results show high interannual variability in number and size of flooded areas, with flooded areas during the Millennium Drought (until 2009) being substantially smaller than during the excessive 2010-2011 La Nina flooding. Flooding frequency in 2006, a very dry year was lower than in 2010, the La Nina year when extensive floods occurred. More developed areas of the basin showed different inter-annual patterns from natural areas of the basin. At Barmah-Millewa, the largest river red gum forest in the world, we also mapped flooded forest and tracked changes in NDVI. Higher NDVI values were found in areas more frequently flooded. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal dynamics of flooding and the response of riparian vegetation communities to flooding is important for management of floodplain wetlands and vegetation communities and for investigating effectiveness of environmental flows and flow regimes in the MDB. Existing maps of inundated areas are linked with river flow to quantify the relationship between river flow and inundated area in the MDB. Historic flood inundation extent mapped via remote sensing can be used to quantify spatially explicit changes in surface water dynamics and vegetation communities as outcomes of management scenarios in response to water management decisions. This methodology is globally applicable and relevant to areas prone to flooding with competing water demands and can be used for mapping water availability in data scarce regions.

Water-level conditions in the Black Creek and upper Cape Fear aquifers, 1992, in parts of Bladen and Robeson counties, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strickland, Alfred Gerald

1994-01-01

Water-level measurements were made in 68 wells throughout an area of about 860 square miles in Bladen and Robeson Counties, North Carolina, during September and October 1992. Water levels from 58 wells were used to determine the configuration of the potentiometric surface of the Black Creek aquifer. A map of the potentiometric surface shows the potential for ground water to flow from recharge areas in the local uplands to discharge areas, such as local streams and wells. Pumping from wells at major pumping centers, such as Elizabethtown in Bladen County and Lumberton in Robeson County, where water-level declines of more than 12 feet were recorded from 1988 to 1992, has resulted in cones of depression in the potentiometric surface. The cones were about 4 and 6 miles long across the major axes beneath the Elizabethtown and Lumberton areas, respectively, in 1992. Water levels measured in eight wells in 1988 and 1992, supplemented with water levels in two additional wells from driller's well- construction records, were used to estimate average yearly rates of ground-water change for the upper Cape Fear aquifer for part of the study area. During 1988-92, water-level declines occurred in the aquifer throughout much of the area as a result of pumping. The greatest decline, an average of 4.1 feet per year, was in Bladen County.

Potential effects of surface coal mining on the hydrology of the Greenleaf-Miller area, Ashland coal field, southeastern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Levings, G.W.

1982-01-01

The Greenleaf-Miller area of the Ashland coal field contains reserves of Federal coal that have been identified for potential lease sale. A hydrologic study was conducted in the potential lease area in 1981 to describe the existing hydrologic system and to assess potential impacts of surface coal mining on local water resources. The hydrologic data collected from wells, test holes, and springs were used to identify aquifers in the alluvium (Pleistocene and Holocene age) and the Tongue River member of the Fort Union Formation (Paleocene age). Coal, clinker, and sandstone beds comprise the aquifers in the Tongue River Member. Most streams are ephemeral and flow only as a result of precipitation. The only perennial surface-water flow in the study area is along short reaches downstream from springs. A mine plan for the area is not available; thus, the location of mine cuts, direction and rate of the mine expansion, and duration of mining are unknown. The mining of the Sawyer and Knoblock coal beds in the Tonge River Member would effect ground-water flow in the area. Declines in the potentiometric surface would be caused by dewatering where the mine pits intersect the water table. Wells and springs would be removed in the mine area; however, deeper aquifers are available as replacement sources of water. The chemical quality of the ground water would change after moving through the spoils. The change would be an increase in the concentration of dissolved solids. (USGS)

Ground-water flow patterns and water budget of a bottomland forested wetland, Black Swamp, eastern Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gonthier, G.J.; Kleiss, B.A.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, working in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, collected surface-water and ground-water data from 119 wells and 13 staff gages from September 1989 to September 1992 to describe ground-water flow patterns and water budget in the Black Swamp, a bottomland forested wetland in eastern Arkansas. The study area was between two streamflow gaging stations located about 30.5 river miles apart on the Cache River. Ground-water flow was from northwest to southeast with some diversion toward the Cache River. Hydraulic connection between the surface water and the alluvial aquifer is indicated by nearly equal changes in surface-water and ground-water levels near the Cache River. Diurnal fluctuations of hydraulic head ranged from more than 0 to 0.38 feet and were caused by evapotranspiration. Changes in hydraulic head of the alluvial aquifer beneath the wetland lagged behind stage fluctuations and created the potential for changes in ground-water movement. Differences between surface-water levels in the wetland and stage of the Cache River created a frequently occurring local ground-water flow condition in which surface water in the wetland seeped into the upper part of the alluvial aquifer and then seeped into the Cache River. When the Cache River flooded the wetland, ground water consistently seeped to the surface during falling surface-water stage and surface water seeped into the ground during rising surface-water stage. Ground-water flow was a minor component of the water budget, accounting for less than 1 percent of both inflow and outflow. Surface-water drainage from the study area through diversion canals was not accounted for in the water budget and may be the reason for a surplus of water in the budget. Even though ground-water flow volume is small compared to other water budget components, ground-water seepage to the wetland surface may still be vital to some wetland functions.

Hydrology of Area 62, Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Coal Provinces, New Mexico and Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roybal, F.E.; Wells, J.G.; Gold, R.L.; Flager, J.V.

1984-01-01

This report summarizes available hydrologic data for Area 62 and will aid leasing decisions, and the preparation and appraisal of environmental impact studies and mine-permit applications. Area 62 is located at the southern end of the Rocky Mountain Coal Province in parts of New Mexico and Arizona and includes approximately 9,500 square miles. Surface mining alters, at least temporarily, the environment; if the areas are unreclaimed, there can be long-term environmental consequences. The land-ownership pattern in Area 62 is complicated. The checkerboard pattern created by several types of ownership makes effective management of these lands difficult. The climate generally is semiarid with average annual precipitation ranging from 10 to 20 inches. Pinons, junipers, and grasslands cover most of the area, and much of it is used for grazing by livestock. Soils vary with landscape, differing from flood plains and hillslopes to mountain slopes. The major structural features of this area were largely developed during middle Tertiary time. The main structural features are the southern San Juan Basin and the Mogollon slope. Coal-bearing rocks are present in four Cretaceous rock units of the Mesaverde Group: the Gallup Sandstone, the Dileo Coal Member, and the Gibson Coal Member of the Crevasse Canyon Formation, and the Cleary Coal Member of the Menefee Formation. Area 62 is drained by Black Creek, the Puerco River, the Zuni River, Carrizo Wash-Largo Creek, and the Rio San Jose. Only at the headwaters of the Zuni River is the flow perennial. The streamflow-gaging station network consists of 25 stations operated for a variety of needs. Streamflow changes throughout the year with variation related directly to rainfall and snowmelt. Base flow in Area 62 is zero indicating no significant ground-water discharge. Mountainous areas contribute the highest mean annual runoff of 1.0 inch. Very few water-quality data are available for the surface-water stations. Of the nine surface-water stations that have water-quality data, only one has chemical analyses from more than 10 samples. Therefore, sufficient data to characterize the area in detail are not available. Suspended sediment data are available only for a few surface- water stations in the area. Erosion rates generally are less than 1 acre-foot per square mile per year. Greater erosion rates are found within the badland areas. Water levels are periodically measured at 21 selected wells in Area 62. These observation wells are located mostly along the Rio San Jose and northeast of Gallup, New Mexico. The recharge to ground-water aquifers generally coincide with areas of greater precipitation in the mountainous areas. Depth to water below land surface is generally less than 200 feet. Well yields of 100 gallons per minute are common in most of the area. Ground-water quality is variable both within each aquifer and between aquifers. Water quality generally is best near recharge areas. Historical and current data related to stream discharge, water quality, and suspended sediment are available from computer files in the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE) and through the National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX).

Physical and hydrologic environments of the Mulberry coal reserves in eastern Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenny, J.F.; Bevans, H.E.; Diaz, A.M.

1982-01-01

Strippable reserves of Mulberry coal underlie an area of approximately 300 square miles of Miami, Linn, and Bourbon Counties of eastern Kansas. Although subject to State reclamation law, current and projected strip mining of this relatively thin coal seam could alter and hydrologic environment of the study area. Drained by the Marais des Cygnes and Little Osage Rivers and their tributaries, this area is characterized by low relief and moderately impermeable soils. Streamflows are poorly sustained by ground-water discharge and fluctuate widely due to climatic extremes and usage of surface-water supplies. Because ground-water supplies are generally unreliable in quantity and quality, surface water is used to meet most water requirements in the study area. Primary used of surface waters are for domestic supplies, maintenance of wildlife and recreational areas, and cooling needs at LaCygne Power Plant. The prevailing chemical type of the natural streamflow is calcium bicarbonate, with concentrations of dissolved solids generally less than 500 milligrams per liter and pH near neutral. Additional streamflow and water-quality data are needed to evaluate the premining characteristics of and the anticipated changes in the hydrologic environment as strip mining proceeds within the study area. A network of data-collection stations and a sampling scheme have been established to acquire this additional information. (USGS)

Gill area, permeability and Na+ ,K+ -ATPase activity as a function of size and salinity in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.

PubMed

Li, Tiandao; Roer, Robert; Vana, Matthew; Pate, Susan; Check, Jennifer

2006-03-01

Juvenile blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, extensively utilize oligohaline and freshwater regions of the estuary. With a presumptively larger surface-area-to-body weight ratio, juvenile crabs could experience osmo- and ionoregulatory costs well in excess of that of adults. To test this hypothesis, crabs ranging over three orders of magnitude in body weight were acclimated to either sea water (1,000 mOsm) or dilute sea water (150 mOsm), and gill surface area, water and sodium permeabilities (calculated from the passive efflux of 3H2O and 22Na+), gill Na+, K+ -ATPase activity and expression were measured. Juveniles had a relatively larger gill surface area; weight-specific gill surface area decreased with body weight. Weight-specific water and sodium fluxes also decreased with weight, but not to the same extent as gill surface area; thus juveniles were able to decrease gill permeability slightly more than adults upon acclimation to dilute media. Crabs < 5 g in body weight had markedly higher activities of gill Na+ ,K+ -ATPase than crabs > 5 g in both posterior and anterior gills. Acclimation to dilute medium induced increased expression of Na+, K+ -ATPase and enzyme activity, but the increase was not as great in juveniles as in larger crabs. The increased weight-specific surface area for water gain and salt loss for small crabs in dilute media presents a challenge that is incompletely compensated by reduced permeability and increased affinity of gill Na+, K+ -ATPase for Na+. Juveniles maintain osmotic and ionic homeostasis by the expression and utilization of extremely high levels of gill Na+, K+ -ATPase, in posterior, as well as in anterior, gills. Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Water temperature differences by plant community and location in re-established wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, July 2005 to February 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crepeau, Kathryn L.; Miller, Robin L.

2014-01-01

Rates of carbon storage in wetlands are determined by the balance of its inputs and losses, both of which are affected by environmental factors such as water temperature and depth. In the autumn of 1997, the U.S. Geological Survey re-established two wetlands with different shallow water depths—about 25 and 55 centimeters deep—to investigate the potential to reverse subsidence of delta islands by preserving and accumulating organic substrates derived from plant biomass inputs over time. Because cooler water temperatures can slow decomposition rates and increase accretion of plant biomass, water temperature was recorded from July 2005 to February 2008 in the deeper of the two wetlands, where areas of emergent and submerged vegetation persisted throughout the study, to assess differences in water temperature between the two vegetation types. Water temperature was compared at three depths in the water column between areas of emergent and submerged vegetation and between areas near the water inflow and in the wetland interior in both vegetation types. The latter comparison was a way of evaluating the effect of the length of time water had resided in the wetland on water temperatures. There were statistically significant differences in water temperature at all depths between the two vegetation types. Overall, in areas of emergent marsh vegetation, the mean water temperature at the surface was 1.4 degrees Celsius (°C) less than it was in areas of submerged vegetation; however, when analyses accounted for the changes in temperature due to seasonal and diurnal cycles, differences in the mean water temperature between the vegetation types were even greater than this. For example, in the spring, the mean temperatures in areas of emergent marsh vegetation at the surface, mid-point, and near the sediment in the water column were 2.0, 2.3, and 2.1 °C less, respectively, than water temperatures in areas of submerged vegetation. When diurnal changes in temperature were accounted for by comparing temperatures in mid-afternoon (at 3 p.m.), water-temperature differences were even greater than the seasonal means indicated. In areas of emergent vegetation, the mean temperatures were cooler than temperatures in areas of submerged vegetation at the surface, the mid-point, and near the sediment in the water column by 3.9, 3.6, and 2.3 °C, respectively. Furthermore, from July 2005 through December 2006, water temperatures at the surface in the interior of the wetland were significantly cooler than in areas near the inflow supplying water from the San Joaquin River by 1.0 °C in areas of submerged vegetation and by 1.1 °C in areas of emergent vegetation.

40 CFR 149.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... significant amount of water to a well or spring. (b) Recharge means a process, natural or artificial, by which water is added to the saturated zone of an aquifer. (c) Recharge Area means an area in which water reaches the zone of saturation (ground water) by surface infiltration; in addition, a major recharge area...

40 CFR 149.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... significant amount of water to a well or spring. (b) Recharge means a process, natural or artificial, by which water is added to the saturated zone of an aquifer. (c) Recharge Area means an area in which water reaches the zone of saturation (ground water) by surface infiltration; in addition, a major recharge area...

Spatial variability of surface-sediment porewater pH and related water-column characteristics in deep waters of the northern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Changgao; Sui, Yi; Tang, Danling; Legendre, Louis

2016-12-01

This study analyzes the pH of surface-sediment porewater (i.e. 2-3 cm below the water-sediment interface), and concentrations of CaCO3 and organic carbon (OC) in 1192 sediment cores from the northern South China Sea, in water depths ranging from 137 to 3702 m. This is the first study in the literature to analyze the large-scale spatial variability of deep-water surface-sediment pH over a large ocean basin. The data showed strong spatial variations in pH. The lowest pH values (<7.3) were observed south of Hainan Island, an area that is affected by summer upwelling and freshwater runoff from the Pearl and Red Rivers. Moderately low pH values (generally 7.3-7.5) occurred in two other areas: a submarine canyon, where sediments originated partly from the Pearl River and correspond to a paleo-delta front during the last glacial period; and southwest of Taiwan Island, where waters are affected by the northern branch of the Kuroshio intrusion current (KIC) and runoff from Taiwan rivers. The surface sediments with the highest pH (⩾7.5, and up to 8.3) were located in a fourth area, which corresponded to the western branch of the KIC where sediments have been intensively eroded by bottom currents. The pH of surface-sediment porewater was significantly linearly related to water depth, bottom-water temperature, and CaCO3 concentration (p < 0.05 for the whole sampling area). This study shows that the pH of surface-sediment porewater can be sensitive to characteristics of the overlying water column, and suggests that it will respond to global warming as changes in surface-ocean temperature and pH progressively reach deeper waters.

Water-quality conditions and an evaluation of ground- and surface-water sampling programs in the Livermore-Amador Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sorenson, S.K.; Cascos, P.V.; Glass, R.L.

1984-01-01

A program to monitor the ground- and surface water quality in the Livermore-Amador Valley has been operated since 1976. As of 1982, this monitoring network consisted of approximately 130 wells, about 100 of which were constructed specifically for this program, and 9 surface water stations. Increased demand on the groundwater for municipal and industrial water supply in the past has caused a decline in water levels and a gradual buildup of salts from natural surface-water recharge and land disposal of treated wastewater from waste treatment plants. Results of this study identify the salt buildup to be the major problem with the groundwater quality. Established water quality objectives for dissolved solids are exceeded in 52 of 130 wells. Concentrations of dissolved nitrate are also in excess of basin objectives and health standards. Water quality in both surface and groundwater is highly variable areally. Magnesium to calcium magnesium bicarbonate groundwater are found in the areas where most of the high volume municipal wells are located. Large areas of sodium bicarbonate water occur in the northern part of the valley. Except for two stations on Arroyo Las Positas which has sodium chloride water, surface water is mixed-cation bicarbonate water. (USGS)

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, May 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.; Dixon, Joann F.

2007-01-01

Introduction This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for May 2007. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 566 wells during the period May 4-June 11 near the end of the dry season, however most of the water level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period May 21-25, 2007. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to ground-water withdrawals and spring flow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Ground-water withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Environmental monitoring of water resources around a municipal landfill of the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.

PubMed

de Medeiros Engelmann, Pâmela; Dos Santos, Victor Hugo Jacks Mendes; Moser, Letícia Isabela; do Canto Bruzza, Eduardo; Barbieri, Cristina Barazzetti; Barela, Pâmela Susin; de Moraes, Diogo Pompéu; Augustin, Adolpho Herbert; Goudinho, Flávio Soares; Melo, Clarissa Lovato; Ketzer, João Marcelo Medina; Rodrigues, Luiz Frederico

2017-09-01

In Brazil, landfills are commonly used as a method for the final disposal of waste that is compliant with the legislation. This technique, however, presents a risk to surface water and groundwater resources, owing to the leakage of metals, anions, and organic compounds. The geochemical monitoring of water resources is therefore extremely important, since the leachate can compromise the quality and use of surface water and groundwater close to landfills. In this paper, the results of analyses of metals, anions, ammonia, and physicochemical parameters were used to identify possible contamination of surface water and groundwater in a landfill area. A statistical multivariate approach was used. The values found for alkali metals, nitrate, and chloride indicate contamination in the regional groundwater and, moreover, surface waters also show variation when compared to the other background points, mainly for ammonia. Thus, the results of this study evidence the landfill leachate influence on the quality of groundwater and surface water in the study area.

Potentiometric surface map of the Floridan Aquifer in the St Johns River Water Management District and vicinity, Florida, September, 1977

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watkins, F.A.; Laughlin, C.P.; Hayes, E.C.

1977-01-01

This map presents the potentiometric surface of the Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for September 1977. The Floridan aquifer is the principal source of potable water in the area. Water-level measurements were made on approximately 900 wells and springs. The potentiometric surface is shown by 5-foot contours except in the Fernandina Beach area where 10- and 20-foot contours are used to show the deep cone of depression. This is the first map covering the entire St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for September, a high water-level period. The potentiometric surface ranged from 130 feet above mean sea level in Polk County to 131 feet below sea level in Nassau County. (Woodard-USGS)

A global, 30-m resolution land-surface water body dataset for 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, M.; Sexton, J. O.; Huang, C.; Song, D. X.; Song, X. P.; Channan, S.; Townshend, J. R.

2014-12-01

Inland surface water is essential to terrestrial ecosystems and human civilization. The distribution of surface water in space and its change over time are related to many agricultural, environmental and ecological issues, and are important factors that must be considered in human socioeconomic development. Accurate mapping of surface water is essential for both scientific research and policy-driven applications. Satellite-based remote sensing provides snapshots of Earth's surface and can be used as the main input for water mapping, especially in large areas. Global water areas have been mapped with coarse resolution remotely sensed data (e.g., the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)). However, most inland rivers and water bodies, as well as their changes, are too small to map at such coarse resolutions. Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) and ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) imagery has a 30m spatial resolution and provides decades of records (~40 years). Since 2008, the opening of the Landsat archive, coupled with relatively lower costs associated with computing and data storage, has made comprehensive study of the dynamic changes of surface water over large even global areas more feasible. Although Landsat images have been used for regional and even global water mapping, the method can hardly be automated due to the difficulties on distinguishing inland surface water with variant degrees of impurities and mixing of soil background with only Landsat data. The spectral similarities to other land cover types, e.g., shadow and glacier remnants, also cause misidentification. We have developed a probabilistic based automatic approach for mapping inland surface water bodies. Landsat surface reflectance in multiple bands, derived water indices, and data from other sources are integrated to maximize the ability of identifying water without human interference. The approach has been implemented with open-source libraries to facilitate processing large amounts of Landsat images on high-performance computing machines. It has been applied to the ~9,000 Landsat scenes of the Global Land Survey (GLS) 2000 data collection to produce a global, 30m resolution inland surface water body data set, which will be made available on the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) website (http://www.landcover.org).

Base of brackish-water mud as key regional stratigraphic marker of mid-Holocene marine flooding of the Baltic Sea Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtasalo, Joonas J.; Endler, Michael; Moros, Matthias; Jokinen, Sami A.; Hämäläinen, Jyrki; Kotilainen, Aarno T.

2016-12-01

Many modern epicontinental seas were dry land before their marine flooding by the mid-Holocene glacioeustatic sea-level rise, whereas the Baltic Sea Basin was covered by a huge postglacial lake. This change from a postglacial lake to the present-day semi-enclosed brackish-water sea is studied here in sediment cores and acoustic profiles from the Baltic Sea major sub-basins, based on novel datasets combined with information extracted from earlier publications. In shallow areas (<50m water depth), the base of the brackish-water mud is erosional and covered by a patchy, thin, transgressive silt-sand sheet resulting from decreased sediment supply, winnowing and the redistribution of material from local coarse-grained deposits during transgression. This erosional marine flooding surface becomes sharp and possibly erosional in deep areas (>50m water depth), where it may be locally less clearly expressed due to reworking and bioturbation. Both in the shallow and deep areas, the brackish-water mud is strongly enriched in organic matter compared to underlying sediments. Bioturbation type changes at the flooding surface in response to the increased sedimentary organic content, but no firm-ground ichnofacies were developed because of low erosion. It is concluded that the base of the brackish-water mud is a robust allostratigraphic bounding surface that is identifiable by the lithologic examination of cores over the Baltic Sea. The surface is a distinct reflector in seismic-acoustic profiles, which facilitates mapping and basin-wide stratigraphic subdivision. Detailed geochronologic studies are required to confirm if sediments immediately overlying the erosional flooding surface in shallow areas are younger than the basal part of the brackish-water mud in deep areas that is predicted to be time-equivalent to the erosion.

Hydrogeology of the Seldovia area, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Gordon L.; Danskin, Wesley R.

1980-01-01

Surficial materials in the Seldovia area, Alaska, are mapped as glacial drift over sedimentary bedrock, glacial drift over igneous and metamorphic bedrock, valley-bottom, alluvium, alluvial fan deposits, beach and intertidal deposits, and peat. Unconsolidated materials are generally less than 10 feet thick except in well-drained glacial deposits along the Seldovia-Jakolof Bay Road and in depressions in the bedrock surface. These depressions are poorly drained and commonly contain peat bogs. Development of domestic wells (1-15 gallons per minute) may be possible from unconsolidated materials and sedimentary bedrock, but larger water requirements must be met from surface-water sources. In areas having the water table or top of bedrock at shallow depths, effluent from sewage disposal systems may cause pollution of the land surface and nearby surface water. Seepage from hillside aquifers and unstable land along the coast of Kachemak Bay may adversely affect roads and structures. (USGS)

Appraisal of water resources in the Hackensack River basin, New Jersey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carswell, L.D.

1976-01-01

The Hackensack River basin, in the northern part of the New Jersey-New York metropolitan area, includes some of the most highly urbanized areas in the United States as well as a largely undeveloped 23.4 square mile area of tidal marsh referred to as the Hackensack Meadows. Bedrock in the Hackensack River basin, consisting of the Newark Group of Triassic age, is composed of diabase dikes and sills and gently westward dipping sandstone, conglomerate, and shale. The Brunswick Formation of the Newark Group is the only important bedrock aquifer in the basin. Water occurs in this aquifer in joints and fractures. The zone of most abundant and largest water-bearing joints and fractures occurs generally within 200 feet of land surface in lowland areas of major streams and within 400 to 500 feet of land surface in upland areas. Reported yields of industrial and public-supply wells tapping the Brunswick are as much as 600 gpm (gallons per minute): the median yield is 100 gpm. The formation is anisotropic; the greatest permeability and thus the movement of water in response to pumping are parallel to the strike of bedding. Therefore, wells in well fields alined perpendicular to strike have minimum interference. The Newark Group is overlain by unconsolidated deposits of till, varved silt and clay, alluvium, and sand and gravel of Quaternary age. Sand and gravel aquifers consist of (1) deltaic deposits formed at the mouths of streams that entered ancient Lake Hackensack in the western part of the basin and (2) valley-fill deposits along the eastern side of the basin. These aquifers locally yield large quantities of water (greater than 300 gpm) to wells. The chemical quality of water in the Brunswick Formation is generally good, and the water is relatively low in dissolved mineral matter in the upper area of the Hackensack River basin. In the lower area of the basin, water in the Brunswick is highly mineralized: specific conductance ranges from 579 to 3,480 micromhos per centimeter at 25 °C; chloride content ranges from 19 to 755 mg/L (milligrams per liter); and sufate content ranges from 87 to 966 mg/L. Chemical quality in both the Brunswick Formation and the unconsolidated deposits in the lower area is affected by induced recharge of poor quality surface water from the Hackensack River and Newark Bay. Water quality in these surface water bodies is influenced by tidal flooding and by the disposal of an average of 57 mgd (million gallons per day) of sewage and industrial wastes in the Hackensack Meadows. Future development of ground-water supplies in the upper area of the basin is restricted, because such development would decrease surface-water supplies which are almost entirely utilized for water supply. Additional development of ground water in the lower area of the basin is limited by the small amount of ground water in the basin and by the intrusion of highly mineralized surface water into the aquifers.

An analytical framework for extracting hydrological information from time series of small reservoirs in a semi-arid region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annor, Frank; van de Giesen, Nick; Bogaard, Thom; Eilander, Dirk

2013-04-01

Small water reservoirs for water resources management have as important socio-economic advantage that they bring water close to villages and households. This proximity allows for many water uses in addition to irrigation, such as fisheries, household water, building materials (loam, reeds), tourism and recreation, and cattle watering. These positive aspects are offset by the relatively large evaporative losses in comparison to larger reservoirs, although, it is not exactly known how large these losses are. For decision makers, investors and donors, the decision to construct a small reservoir should be multifactored; and based on economic, socio-cultural and environmental factors. For the latter, getting the water balance and the energy budget of small reservoirs right is key for any environmental impact analyses. For Northern Ghana, the relation between volume of a small reservoir and its' surface area has been established in a robust equation as: Volume = 0.00857Area1.4367 with the surface area explaining more than 95% of the variation in water volume of the reservoirs. This allows the use of remote sensing observations for estimating water volume of small reservoirs in northern Ghana. Hydrological analyses of time series of small reservoir areas comprises estimates of evaporation fluxes and cumulative surface runoff curves. Once the reservoirs are full, spillage will occur and volumes and surface areas remain stable at their maximum extents. This implies that the time series of reservoir surface area contains information concerning the on-set of downstream surface runoff. This on-set does not coincide with the on-set of the rainy season but largely depends on the distribution of rainfall events and storage capacity in the subsurface. The main requirement for this analysis is that the reservoir has negligible seepage losses or water influx from the underlying subsurface. In our research, we carried out a time series analysis of surface area extent for about 45 small reservoirs in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Reservoirs without obvious large seepage losses (field survey) were selected. To verify this, stable water isotopic samples are collected from groundwater upstream and downstream from the reservoir. By looking at possible enrichment of downstream groundwater, a good estimate of seepage can be made in addition to estimates on evaporation. We estimated the evaporative losses and compared those with field measurements using eddy correlation measurements. Lastly, we determined the cumulative surface runoff curves for the small reservoirs .We will present this analytical framework for extracting hydrological information from time series of small reservoirs and show the first results for our study region of northern Ghana.

Internal Waves, Western Indian Ocean

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-12-01

STS044-79-077 (24 Nov.-1 Dec. 1991) --- This photograph, captured from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis, shows sunglint pattern in the western tropical Indian Ocean. Several large internal waves reflect around a shallow area on the sea floor. NASA scientists studying the STS-44 photography believe the shallow area to be a sediment (a submerged mountain) on top of the Mascarene Plateau, located northeast of Madagascar at approximately 5.6 degrees south latitude and 55.7 degrees east longitude. Internal waves are similar to surface ocean waves, except that they travel inside the water column along the boundary between water layers of different density. At the surface, their passage is marked on the sea surface by bands of smooth and rough water. These bands appear in the sunglint pattern as areas of brighter or darker water. NASA scientists point out that, when the waves encounter an obstacle, such as a near-surface seamount, they bend or refract around the obstacle in the same manner as surface waves bend around an island or headland.

Hydrology Prior to Wetland and Prairie Restoration in and around the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, Northwestern Minnesota, 2002-5

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cowdery, Timothy K.; Lorenz, David L.; Arntson, Allan D.

2008-01-01

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) owned and managed 24,795 acres of mixed wetland, native prairie, farmland and woods east of Crookston, in northwestern Minnesota. The original wetlands and prairies that once occupied this land are being restored by TNC in cooperation with many partners and are becoming part of the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. Results of this study indicate that these restorations are likely to have a substantial effect on the local hydrology. Water occurs within the study area on the land surface, in surficial aquifers, and in buried aquifers of various depths, the tops of which are 50 to several hundred feet below the land surface. Surficial aquifers are generally thin (about 20 feet), narrow (several hundred feet), and long (tens of miles). Estimates of the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of surficial aquifers were 2.7?300 feet per day. Buried aquifers underlie much of the study area, but interact with surficial aquifers only in isolated areas. In these areas, water flows directly from buried to surficial aquifers and forms a single aquifer as much as 78 feet thick. The surface?water channel network is modified by several manmade ditches that were installed to remove excess water seasonally and to drain wetlands. The channels of the network lie primarily parallel to the beach ridges but cut through them in places. Back?beach basin wetlands delay and reduce direct runoff to ditches. Recharge to the surficial aquifers (10.97?25.08 inches per year during 2003?5) is from vertical infiltration of rainfall and snowmelt (areal recharge); from surface waters (particularly ephemeral wetlands); and from upward leakage of water from buried aquifers through till confining units (estimated at about 1 inch per year). Areal recharge is highly variable in space and time. Water leaves (discharges from) the surficial aquifers as flow to surface waters (closed basins and ditches), evapotranspiration, and withdrawals from wells. Unmeasured losses (primarily discharge to ungaged (closed) basins) were 53?115 percent of areal recharge during 2003?5, while discharge to ditches that leave the study area was 17?41 percent. Discharge over 100 percent of areal recharge indicates a loss in ground?water storage. During the dry year of 2003, substantial ground water (about one?third of annual areal recharge) was released from aquifer storage but was replenished quickly during the subsequent normal year. Shallow ground?water flow is complex, with water in surficial aquifers, ditches, and wetlands part of a single hydrologic system. The ages determined for surficial ground?water samples were less than 15 years old, and one?third (8 of 24) were less than 5 years old, substantiating the close connection of surficial ground water to the land surface. During the study, 68?81 percent of water left the area through unmeasured surface?water losses (primarily evapotranspiration), which is 2? to 4?times that leaving through the ditch system. Base flow in ditches (ground?water discharge) was 30 to 71 percent of all ditch flow. Mean annual runoff in all gaged basins except SW3 (2.26 inches per year) was similar (3.69?4.12 inches per year). The quality of water samples from surficial aquifers and surface water collected in the study area was generally suitable for most uses but was variable. Most ground? and surface?water samples were dominated by calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate ions. About one?quarter of surficial ground?water samples contained nitrate at concentrations greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level for human consumption. The median concentration of dissolved phosphorus ranged from 0.0108 milligrams per liter as phosphorus (mg/L?P) to 0.0293 mg/L?P. Nutrient concentrations in ditches were generally above the USEPA nutrient guidelines for reference streams in the area. Water samples contained detectable concentrations of atrazine, acetachlor, metolachlor, pendimethalin

Hydrology, nutrient concentrations, and nutrient yields in nearshore areas of four lakes in northern Wisconsin, 1999-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Graczyk, David J.; Hunt, Randall J.; Greb, Steven R.; Buchwald, Cheryl A.; Krohelski, James T.

2003-01-01

The effects of shoreline development on water quality and nutrient yields in nearshore areas of four lakes in northern Wisconsin were investigated from October 1999 through September 2001. The study measured surface runoff and ground-water flows from paired developed (sites containing lawn, rooftops, sidewalks, and driveways) and undeveloped (mature and immature woods) catchments adjacent to four lakes in northern Wisconsin. Water samples from surface runoff and ground water were collected and analyzed for nutrients. Coupled with water volumes, loads and subsequent yields of selected constituents were computed for developed and undeveloped catchments. The median runoff from lawn surfaces ranged from 0.0019 to 0.059 inch over the catchment area. Median surface runoff estimates from the wooded catchments were an order of magnitude less than those from the lawn catchments. The increased water volumes from the lawn catchments resulted in greater nutrient loads and subsequent annual nutrient yields from the developed sites. Soil temperature and soil moisture were measured at two sites with mixed lawn and wooded areas. At both of these sites, the area covered with a lawn commonly was warmer than the wooded area. No consistent differences in soil moisture were found. A ground-water model was constructed to simulate the local flow systems at two of the paired catchments. Model simulations showed that much of the ground water delivered to the lake originated from distant areas that did not contribute runoff directly to the lake. Surface runoff and ground-water nutrient concentrations from the lawn and wooded catchments did not have apparent patterns. Some of the median concentrations from lawns were significantly different (at the 0.05 significance level) from those at wooded catchments. Water wells and piezometers were sampled for chemical analyses three times during the study period. Variability in the shallow ground-water chemistry over time in the lawn samples was larger than samples from the wooded areas and upgradient wells. Median nutrient yields in surface runoff from lawns always were greater than those from the wooded catchments. Runoff volumes were the most important factor in determining whether lawns or wooded catchments contribute more nutrients to the lake. The ground-water system had appreciable nutrient concentrations, and are likely an important pathway for nutrient transport to the lake. The nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen and total phosphorus yields to the ground-water system from a lawn catchment were approximately 3 to 4 times greater than those from the wooded catchment. There was no difference in the yields of dissolved inorganic phosphorus to the ground-water system from the lawn and wooded catchments. Study results demonstrate that choosing the appropriate landscape position for locating lawns in sloped areas (specifically, slopes that do not terminate at the lake or areas with intervening flat or buffer zones between lawn and lake) can help reduce the adverse effect of lawns on the shallow ground water and, ultimately, the lake. Additional information would be needed to extrapolate these results to a large drainage area of a lake.

Determination of Large-Scale Cloud Ice Water Concentration by Combining Surface Radar and Satellite Data in Support of ARM SCM Activities

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

Liu, Guosheng

2013-03-15

Single-column modeling (SCM) is one of the key elements of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) research initiatives for the development and testing of various physical parameterizations to be used in general circulation models (GCMs). The data required for use with an SCM include observed vertical profiles of temperature, water vapor, and condensed water, as well as the large-scale vertical motion and tendencies of temperature, water vapor, and condensed water due to horizontal advection. Surface-based measurements operated at ARM sites and upper-air sounding networks supply most of the required variables for model inputs, but do not provide the horizontal advection term ofmore » condensed water. Since surface cloud radar and microwave radiometer observations at ARM sites are single-point measurements, they can provide the amount of condensed water at the location of observation sites, but not a horizontal distribution of condensed water contents. Consequently, observational data for the large-scale advection tendencies of condensed water have not been available to the ARM cloud modeling community based on surface observations alone. This lack of advection data of water condensate could cause large uncertainties in SCM simulations. Additionally, to evaluate GCMs cloud physical parameterization, we need to compare GCM results with observed cloud water amounts over a scale that is large enough to be comparable to what a GCM grid represents. To this end, the point-measurements at ARM surface sites are again not adequate. Therefore, cloud water observations over a large area are needed. The main goal of this project is to retrieve ice water contents over an area of 10 x 10 deg. surrounding the ARM sites by combining surface and satellite observations. Built on the progress made during previous ARM research, we have conducted the retrievals of 3-dimensional ice water content by combining surface radar/radiometer and satellite measurements, and have produced 3-D cloud ice water contents in support of cloud modeling activities. The approach of the study is to expand a (surface) point measurement to an (satellite) area measurement. That is, the study takes the advantage of the high quality cloud measurements (particularly cloud radar and microwave radiometer measurements) at the point of the ARM sites. We use the cloud ice water characteristics derived from the point measurement to guide/constrain a satellite retrieval algorithm, then use the satellite algorithm to derive the 3-D cloud ice water distributions within an 10° (latitude) x 10° (longitude) area. During the research period, we have developed, validated and improved our cloud ice water retrievals, and have produced and archived at ARM website as a PI-product of the 3-D cloud ice water contents using combined satellite high-frequency microwave and surface radar observations for SGP March 2000 IOP and TWP-ICE 2006 IOP over 10 deg. x 10 deg. area centered at ARM SGP central facility and Darwin sites. We have also worked on validation of the 3-D ice water product by CloudSat data, synergy with visible/infrared cloud ice water retrievals for better results at low ice water conditions, and created a long-term (several years) of ice water climatology in 10 x 10 deg. area of ARM SGP and TWP sites and then compared it with GCMs.« less

Linking seasonal surface water dynamics with methane emissions and export from small, forested wetlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hondula, K. L.; Palmer, M.

2017-12-01

One of the biggest uncertainties about global methane sources and sinks is attributed to uncertainties regarding wetland area and its dynamics. This is exacerbated by confusion over the role of small, shallow water bodies like Delmarva bay wetlands that could be categorized as both wetlands and ponds. These small inland water bodies are often poorly quantified due to their size, closed forest canopies, and inter- and intra-annual variability in surface water extent. We are studying wetland-rich areas on the Delmarva Peninsula in the U.S. mid-Atlantic to address this uncertainty at the scale of individual wetland ecosystems (<1000 m2). We present data linking measurements of hydrologic regime and methane gas fluxes in Delmarva bay wetlands to explore how water level, wetland storage capacity, and water residence time influence the magnitude, source area, and fate of wetland methane emissions. We measured air-water and soil-air gas fluxes using transects of chamber measurements spanning from wetland center to upland, in order to quantify the areal extent of the methane emissions source area throughout seasonal changes in surface water inundation (water level 0 to > 1m depth). We estimated the size and temporal variability of the methane emissions source area by combining these measurements with daily estimates of the extent of surface water inundation derived from water level monitoring and a high-resolution digital elevation model. This knowledge is critical for informing land use decisions (e.g. restoring wetlands specifically for climate mitigation), the jurisdiction of environmental policies in the US, and for resolving major outstanding discrepancies in our understanding of the global methane budget.

Quantity and quality of ground-water discharge to the South Platte River, Denver to Fort Lupton, Colorado, August 1992 through July 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

McMahon, P.B.; Lull, K.J.; Dennehy, K.F.; Collins, J.A.

1995-01-01

Water-quality studies conducted by the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District have indicated that during low flow in segments of the South Platte River between Denver and Fort Lupton, concentrations of dissolved oxygen are less than minimum concen- trations set by the State of Colorado. Low dissolved-oxygen concentrations are observed in two reaches of the river-they are about 3.3 to 6.4 miles and 17 to 25 miles downstream from the Metro Waste- water Reclamation District effluent outfalls. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen recover between these two reaches. Studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey have indicated that ground-water discharge to the river may contribute to these low dissolved-oxygen concentrations. As a result, an assessment was made of the quantity and quality of ground-water discharge to the South Platte River from Denver to Fort Lupton. Measurements of surface- water and ground-water discharge and collections of surface water and ground water for water-quality analyses were made from August 1992 through January 1993 and in May and July 1993. The quantity of ground-water discharge to the South Platte River was determined indirectly by mass balance of surface-water inflows and outflows and directly by instantaneous measurements of ground-water discharge across the sediment/water interface in the river channel. The quality of surface water and ground water was determined by sampling and analysis of water from the river and monitoring wells screened in the alluvial aquifer adjacent to the river and by sampling and analysis of water from piezometers screened in sediments underlying the river channel. The ground-water flow system was subdivided into a large-area and a small-area flow system. The precise boundaries of the two flow systems are not known. However, the large-area flow system is considered to incorporate all alluvial sediments in hydrologic connection with the South Platte River. The small- area flow system is considered to incorporate the alluvial aquifer in the vicinity of the river. Flow-path lengths in the large-area flow system were considered to be on the order of hundreds of feet to more than a mile, whereas in the small-area flow system, they were considered to be on the order of feet to hundreds of feet. Mass-balance estimates of incremental ground-water discharge from the large- area flow system ranged from -27 to 17 cubic feet per second per mile in three reaches of the river; the median rate was 4.6 cubic feet per second per mile. The median percentage of surface-water discharge derived from ground-water discharge in the river reaches studied was 13 percent. Instantaneous measurements of ground-water discharge from the small-area flow system ranged from -1,360 to 1,000 cubic feet per second per mile, with a median value of -5.8 cubic feet per second per mile. Hourly measurements of discharge from the small-area flow system indicated that the high rates of discharge were transient and may have been caused by daily fluctuations in river stage due to changing effluent-discharge rates from the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District treatment plant. Higher river stages caused surface water to infiltrate bed sediments underlying the river channel, and lower river stages allowed ground water to discharge into the river. Although stage changes apparently cycled large quantities of water in and out of the small- area flow system, the process probably provided no net gain or loss of water to the river. In general, mass balance and instantaneous measurements of ground-water discharge indicated that the ground- water flow system in the vicinity of the river consisted of a large-area flow system that provided a net addition of water to the river and a small- area flow system that cycled water in and out of the riverbed sediments, but provided no net addition of water to the river. The small-area flow system was superimposed on the large-area flow system. The median values of pH and dissolved oxygen

Flood recovery maps for the White River in Bethel, Stockbridge, and Rochester, Vermont, and the Tweed River in Stockbridge and Pittsfield, Vermont, 2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, Scott A.

2015-01-01

Eighteen high-water marks from Tropical Storm Irene were available along the studied reaches. The discharges in the Tropical Storm Irene HEC–RAS model were adjusted so that the resulting water-surface elevations matched the high-water mark elevations along the study reaches. This allowed for an estimation of the water-surface profile throughout the study area resulting from Tropical Storm Irene. From a comparison of the estimated water-surface profile of Tropical Storm Irene to the water-surface profiles of the 1- and 0.2-percent AEP floods, it was determined that the high-water elevations resulting from Tropical Storm Irene exceeded the estimated 1-percent AEP flood throughout the White River and Tweed River study reaches and exceeded the estimated 0.2-percent AEP flood in 16.7 of the 28.6 study reach miles. The simulated water-surface profiles were then combined with a geographic information system digital elevation model derived from light detection and ranging (lidar) data having a 18.2-centimeter vertical accuracy at the 95-percent confidence level and 1-meter horizontal resolution to delineate the area flooded for each water-surface profile.

Water resources of the Prairie Island Indian Reservation, Minnesota, 1994-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cowdery, Timothy K.

1999-01-01

The only surface-water constituents exceeding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards was coliform or fecal streptococci bacteria, which was exceeded in all samples. Thirteen percent of ground-water samples exceeded the nitrate maximum contaminant level (MCL), but this is probably higher than the percentage of the aquifer exceeding the nitrate MCL because most of the wells sampled were shallow. Surface-water recharge to and ground-water discharge from the surficial aquifer influence the water quality in both the aquifer and the surrounding surface water. However, surface water probably influences ground-water quality more because of the greater amount of surface water flowing through the study area.

Base of Principal Aquifer for the Elkhorn-Loup Model Area, North-Central Nebraska

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGuire, V.L.; Peterson, Steven M.

2008-01-01

In Nebraska, the water managers in the Natural Resources Districts and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources are concerned with the effect of ground-water withdrawal on the availability of surface water and the long-term effects of ground-water withdrawal on ground- and surface-water resources. In north-central Nebraska, in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, ground water is used for irrigation, domestic supply, and public supply; surface water is used in this area for irrigation, recreation, and hydropower production. In recognition of these sometimes competing ground- and surface-water uses in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, the Lower Loup Natural Resources District, the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District, the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District, the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District, the Upper Elkhorn Natural Resources District, and the Upper Loup Natural Resources District agreed to cooperatively study water resources in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins. The goals of the overall study were to construct and calibrate a regional ground-water flow model of the area and to use that flow model as a tool to assess current and future effects of ground-water irrigation on stream base flow and to help develop long-term water-resource management strategies for this area, hereafter referred to as the Elkhorn-Loup model area. The Elkhorn-Loup model area covers approximately 30,800 square miles, and extends from the Niobrara River in the north to the Platte River in the south. The western boundary of the Elkhorn-Loup model area coincides with the western boundary of the Middle Niobrara, Twin Platte, and Upper Loup Natural Resources Districts; the eastern boundary coincides with the approximate location of the western extent of glacial till in eastern Nebraska. The principal aquifer in most of the Elkhorn-Loup model area is the High Plains aquifer; the principal aquifer in the remaining part of the Elkhorn-Loup model area is an unnamed alluvial aquifer. The upper surface of the geologic units that directly underlie the aquifer is called the 'base of aquifer' in this report. The geologic unit that forms the base of aquifer in the Elkhorn-Loup model area varies by location. The Tertiary-age Brule Formation generally is the base of aquifer in the west; the Cretaceous-age Pierre Shale generally is the base of aquifer in the east. The purpose of this report is to update the altitude and configuration of the base of the principal aquifer in the Elkhorn-Loup model area and a 2-mile buffer area around the Elkhorn-Loup model area, using base-of-aquifer data from test holes, registered water wells, and oil and gas wells within the Elkhorn-Loup model area and a 20-mile buffer area around the Elkhorn-Loup model area that have become available since the publication of earlier maps of the base of aquifer for this area. The base-of-aquifer map is important for the Elkhorn-Loup ground-water flow model because it defines the model's lower boundary. The accuracy of the Elkhorn-Loup ground-water flow model and the accuracy of the model's predictions about the effects of ground-water irrigation on stream base flow are directly related to the accuracy of the model's lower boundary.

Water quality in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, drinking-water source area, 2005-8

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Kirk P.; Waldron, Marcus C.

2015-01-01

During 2005-8, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Cambridge, Massachusetts, Water Department, measured concentrations of sodium and chloride, plant nutrients, commonly used pesticides, and caffeine in base-flow and stormwater samples collected from 11 tributaries in the Cambridge drinking-water source area. These data were used to characterize current water-quality conditions, to establish a baseline for future comparisons, and to describe trends in surface-water quality. The data also were used to assess the effects of watershed characteristics on surface-water quality and to inform future watershed management.

Urban Heat Island ın Ankara

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yılmaz, Erkan

2016-04-01

In this study, the seasonal variation of the surface temperature of Ankara urban area and its enviroment have been analyzed by using Landsat 7 image. The Landsat 7 images of each month from 2007 to 2011 have been used to analyze the annually changes of the surface temperature. The land cover of the research area was defined with supervised classification method on the basis of the satellite image belonging to 2008 July. After determining the surface temperatures from 6-1 bands of satellite images, the monthly mean surface temperatures were calculated for land cover classification for the period between 2007 and 2011. According to the results obtained, the surface temperatures are high in summer and low in winter from the airtemperatures. all satellite images were taken at 10:00 am, it is found that urban areas are cooler than rural areas at 10:00 am. Regarding the land cover classification, the water surfaces are the coolest surfaces during the whole year.The warmest areas are the grasslands and dry farming areas. While the parks are warmer than the urban areas during the winter, during the summer they are cooler than artificial land covers. The urban areas with higher building density are the cooler surfaces after water bodies.

Water-level data for the industrial area northwest of Delaware City, Delaware, 1993-94

USGS Publications Warehouse

Donnelly, C.A.; Hinaman, K.C.

1996-01-01

Water-level data for 171 wells and one surface-water site on Red Lion Creek in the industrial area northwest of Delaware City, Delaware, are presented for 1993 and 1994. Eight sets of synoptic ground- water-level measurements collected between April 1993 and September 1994, and locations and field notes for the 171 wells are presented. A hydrograph from December 19, 1993 through November 8, 1994 is presented for one surface-water site on Red Lion Creek in the industrial area. Hydrographs from October 15, 1993 through November 8, 1994 are presented for eight wells screened in the water- table aquifer. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected the synoptic ground-water-level measurements. The U.S. Geological Survey collected the continuously recorded water-level data.

Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow near the Lantana Landfill, Palm Beach County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Russell, G.M.; Wexler, E.J.

1993-01-01

The Lantana landfill in Palm Beach County has a surface that is 40 to 50 feet above original ground level and consists of about 250 acres of compacted garbage and trash. Parts of the landfill are below the water table. Surface-resistivity measurements and water-quality analyses indicate that leachate-enriched ground water along the eastern perimeter of the landfill has moved about 500 feet eastward toward an adjacent lake. Concentrations of chloride and nutrients within the leachate-enriched ground water were greater than background concentrations. The surficial aquifer system in the area of the landfill consists primarily of sand of moderate permeability, from land surface to a depth of about 68 feet deep, and consists of sand interbedded with sandstone and limestone of high permeability from a depth of about 68 feet to a depth of 200 feet. The potentiometric surface in the landfill is higher than that in adjacent areas to the east, indicating ground-water movement from the landfill toward a lake to the east. Steady-state simulation of ground-water flow was made using a telescoping-grid technique where a model covering a large area is used to determine boundaries and fluxes for a finer scale model. A regional flow model encompassing a 500-square mile area in southeastern Palm Beach County was used to calculate ground-water fluxes in a 126.5-square mile subregional area. Boundary fluxes calculated by the subregional model were then used to calculate boundary fluxes for a local model of the 3.75-square mile area representing the Lantana landfill site and vicinity. Input data required for simulating ground-water flow in the study area were obtained from the regional flow models, thus, effectively coupling the models. Additional simulations were made using the local flow model to predict effects of possible remedial actions on the movement of solutes in the ground-water system. Possible remedial actions simulated included capping the landfill with an impermeable layer and pumping five leachate recovery wells. Results of the flow analysis indicate that the telescoping grid modeling approach can be used to simulate ground-water flow in small areas such as the Lantana landfill site and to simulate the effects of possible remedial actions. Water-quality data indicate the leachate-enriched ground water is divided vertically into two parts by a fine sand layer at about 40 to 50 feet below land surface. Data also indicate the extent of the leachate-enriched ground-water contamination and concentrations of constituents seem to be decreasing over time.

The paradoxical distribution of a shallow-rooted keystone species away from surface water, near the water-limited edge of its range in the Sonoran Desert: Seed-seedling conflicts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drezner, Taly Dawn

2013-02-01

Species distributions reflect limiting factors, particularly near the margins of their range where density and abundance decrease as environmental factors decrease or increase to non-optimal conditions. I test whether the keystone saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), a shallow-rooted species, is indeed distributed disproportionately in areas of concentrated drainage (runnels) in a water-limited population. Carnegiea and a common nurse were sampled at a marginal site in and out of areas with concentrated surface water and chi-square analysis was used to determine the pattern of distribution. In this study I found that, surprisingly, near the hot, water-limited edge of their range, C. gigantea are found significantly less often in areas where more water would be available to them. For example, while only 20% of nurses were on interfluves, half of Carnegiea protégé were there. One possible explanation is that the subsequent redistribution of seeds by water away from preferred microsites may be important in shaping the final pattern of successful establishment. The shallow-rooted Carnegiea relies entirely on surface water for its moisture; it is thus paradoxical that the surface water so fundamentally essential to its survival throughout its life appears to hinder its establishment in precisely those sites where the greatest surface water would be available, particularly near the water-limited edge of its range.

Mapping the environmental risk potential on surface water of pesticide contamination in the Prosecco's vineyard terraced landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pizarro, Patricia; Ferrarese, Francesco; Loddo, Donato; Eugenio Pappalardo, Salvatore; Varotto, Mauro

2016-04-01

Intensive cropping systems today represent a paramount issue in terms of environmental impacts, since agricultural pollutants can constitute a potential threat to surface water, non-target organisms and aquatic ecosystems. Levels of pesticide concentrations in surface waters are indeed unquestionably correlated to crop and soil management practices at field-scale. Due to the numerous applications of pesticides required, orchards and vineyards can represent relevant non-point sources for pesticide contamination of water bodies, mainly prompted by soil erosion, surface runoff and spray drift. To reduce risks of pesticide contamination of surface water, the Directive 2009/128/CET imposed the local implementation of agricultural good practices and mitigation actions such as the use of vegetative buffer filter strips and hedgerows along river and pond banks. However, implementation of mitigation actions is often difficult, especially in extremely fragmented agricultural landscapes characterized by a complex territorial matrix set up on urban sprawling, frequent surface water bodies, important geomorphological processes and protected natural areas. Typically, such landscape matrix is well represented by the, Prosecco-DOCG vineyards area (NE of Italy, Province of Treviso) which lays on hogback hills of conglomerate, marls and sandstone that ranges between 50 and 500 m asl. Moreover such vineyards landscape is characterized by traditional and non-traditional agricultural terraces The general aim of this paper is to identify areas of surface water bodies with high potential risk of pesticide contamination from surrounding vineyards in the 735 ha of Lierza river basin (Refrontolo, TV), one of the most representative terraced landscape of the Prosecco-DOCG area. Specific aims are i) mapping terraced Prosecco-DOCG vineyards, ii) classifying potential risk from pesticide of the different areas. Remote sensing technologies such as four bands aerial photos (RGB+NIR) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) have been used to map vineyards and to evaluate slope and drainage systems. All the data and statistics analyses have been performed in GIS environment. The areas of surface water located within a buffer zone of 20 linear meters from vineyard perimeter were considered at risk of pesticide contamination, according to European guidelines and on-site experimental results about the pesticide drift effect. Preliminary results show that 26 ha of the total vineyards within the river basin can potentially affect surface water bodies, highlighting that 19,410 m of perimeter is within 20 m from water courses. Moreover, vineyard classification based on proximity analysis indicates that 6.8 ha are at very high potential risk (<1m from water courses), 8.6 ha are at high risk level (from 1 to 5 m); 4.3 ha are at medium level (from 5 to 10 m), while 8.6 ha are at low level (>10 m).

Aerodynamic method for obtaining the soil water retention curve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, V. V.; Maksimov, I. I.

2013-07-01

A new method for the rapid plotting of the soil water retention curve (SWRC) has been proposed that considers the soil water as an environment limited by the soil solid phase on one side and by the soil air on the other side. Both contact surfaces have surface energies, which play the main role in water retention. The use of an idealized soil model with consideration for the nonequilibrium thermodynamic laws and the aerodynamic similarity principles allows us to estimate the volumetric specific surface areas of soils and, using the proposed pedotransfer function (PTF), to plot the SWRC. The volumetric specific surface area of the solid phase, the porosity, and the specific free surface energy at the water-air interface are used as the SWRC parameters. Devices for measuring the parameters are briefly described. The differences between the proposed PTF and the experimental data have been analyzed using the statistical processing of the data.

GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION POTENTIAL FROM STORMWATER INFILTRATION

EPA Science Inventory

Prior to urbanization, ground water recharge resulted from infiltration of precipitation through pervious surfaces, including grasslands and woods. This infiltration water was relatively uncontaminated. With urbanization, the permeable soil surface area through which recharge by...

Antimicrobial Resistance in Enterococcus spp. Isolated from Environmental Samples in an Area of Intensive Poultry Production

PubMed Central

Furtula, Vesna; Jackson, Charlene R.; Farrell, Erin Gwenn; Barrett, John B.; Hiott, Lari M.; Chambers, Patricia A.

2013-01-01

Enterococcus spp. from two poultry farms and proximate surface and ground water sites in an area of intensive poultry production were tested for resistance to 16 clinical antibiotics. Resistance patterns were compared to assess trends and possible correlations for specific antimicrobials and levels of resistance. Enterococci were detected at all 12 surface water sites and three of 28 ground water sites. Resistance to lincomycin, tetracycline, penicillin and ciprofloxacin in poultry litter isolates was high (80.3%, 65.3%, 61.1% and 49.6%, respectively). Resistance in the surface water to the same antibiotics was 87.1%, 24.1%, 7.6% and 12.9%, respectively. Overall, 86% of litter isolates, 58% of surface water isolates and 100% of ground water isolates were resistant to more than one antibiotic. Fifty-four different resistance patterns were recognised in isolates obtained from litter and environmental samples and several E. faecium and E. faecalis isolates from litter and environment samples shared the same resistance pattern. Multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) indices calculated to assess health risks due to the presence of resistant enterococci suggested an increased presence of antibiotics in surface water, likely from poultry sources as no other wastewater contributions in the area were documented. PMID:23481592

Recent advances based on the synergetic effect of adsorption for removal of dyes from waste water using photocatalytic process.

PubMed

Natarajan, Subramanian; Bajaj, Hari C; Tayade, Rajesh J

2018-03-01

The problem of textile dye pollution has been addressed by various methods, mainly physical, chemical, biological, and acoustical. These methods mainly separate and/or remove the dye present in water. Recently, advanced oxidation processes (AOP) have been focused for removal of dye from waste water due to their advantages such as ecofriendly, economic and capable to degrade many dyes or organic pollutant present in water. Photocatalysis is one of the advance oxidation processes, mainly carried out under irradiation of light and suitable photocatalytic materials. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalytic materials mainly depends on the band gap, surface area, and generation of electron-hole pair for degradation dyes present in water. It has been observed that the surface area plays a major role in photocatalytic degradation of dyes, by providing higher surface area, which leads to the higher adsorption of dye molecule on the surface of photocatalyst and enhances the photocatalytic activity. This present review discusses the synergic effect of adsorption of dyes on the photocatalytic efficiency of various nanostructured high surface area photocatalysts. In addition, it also provides the properties of the water polluting dyes, their mechanism and various photocatalytic materials; and their morphology used for the dye degradation under irradiation of light along with the future prospects of highly adsorptive photocatalytic material and their application in photocatalytic removal of dye from waste water. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Pacific Dictates Droughts and Drenchings

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-30

The latest remote sensing data from NASA's Jason satellite show that the equatorial Pacific sea surface levels are higher, indicating warmer sea surface temperatures in the central and west Pacific Ocean. This pattern has the appearance of La Niña rather than El Niño. This contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and U.S. West Coast where lower-than-normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue (indicated by blue and purple areas). The image above is a global map of sea surface height, accurate to within 30 millimeters. The image represents data collected and composited over a 10-day period, ending on Jan 23, 2004. The height of the water relates to the temperature of the water. As the ocean warms, its level rises; and as it cools, its level falls. Yellow and red areas indicate where the waters are relatively warmer and have expanded above sea level, green indicates near normal sea level, and blue and purple areas show where the waters are relatively colder and the surface is lower than sea level. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05071

Estimated 2008 groundwater potentiometric surface and predevelopment to 2008 water-level change in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque area, central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Falk, Sarah E.; Bexfield, Laura M.; Anderholm, Scott K.

2011-01-01

The water-supply requirements of the Albuquerque metropolitan area of central New Mexico have historically been met almost exclusively by groundwater withdrawal from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Previous studies have indicated that the large quantity of groundwater withdrawal relative to recharge has resulted in water-level declines in the aquifer system throughout the metropolitan area. Analysis of the magnitude and pattern of water-level change can help improve understanding of how the groundwater system responds to withdrawals and variations in the management of the water supply and can support water-management agencies' efforts to minimize future water-level declines and improve sustainability. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, presents the estimated groundwater potentiometric surface during winter (from December to March) of the 2008 water year and the estimated changes in water levels between predevelopment and water year 2008 for the production zone of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque and surrounding metropolitan and military areas. Hydrographs from selected wells are included to provide details of historical water-level changes. In general, water-level measurements used for this report were measured in small-diameter observation wells screened over short intervals and were considered to best represent the potentiometric head in the production zone-the interval of the aquifer, about 300 feet below land surface to 1,100 feet or more below land surface, in which production wells generally are screened. Water-level measurements were collected by various local and Federal agencies. The 2008 water year potentiometric surface map was created in a geographic information system, and the change in water-level elevation from predevelopment to water year 2008 was calculated. The 2008 water-level contours indicate that the general direction of groundwater flow is from the Rio Grande towards clusters of production wells in the east, north, and west. Water-level changes from predevelopment to 2008 are variable across the area. Hydrographs from piezometers on the east side of the river generally indicate a trend of decline in the annual highest water level through most of the period of record. Hydrographs from piezometers in the valley near the river and on the west side of the river indicate spatial variability in water-level trends.

Interaction between surface water areas and groundwater in Hanoi city, Viet Nam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, T.; Kuroda, K.; Do Thuan, A.; Tran Thi Viet, N.; Takizawa, S.

2012-12-01

Hanoi is the capital of Viet Nam and the second largest city in this country (population: 6.45 million in 2009). Hanoi city has developed along the Red River and has many lakes, ponds and canals. However, recent rapid urbanization of this city has reduced number of natural water areas such as ponds and lakes by reclamation not only in the central area but the suburban area. Canals also have been reclaimed or cut into pieces. Contrary, number of artificial water areas such as fish cultivation pond has rapidly increased. On the other hand, various kind of waste water flows into these natural and artificial water areas and induces pollution and eutrophication. These waste waters also have possibility of pollution of groundwater that is one of major water resources in this city. In addition, groundwater in this area has high concentrations of Arsenic, Fe and NH4. Thus, groundwater use may causes re-circulation of Arsenic. However, studies on the interaction between surface water areas and groundwater and on the role of surface water areas for solute transport with water cycle are a few. Therefore, we focused on these points and took water samples of river, pond and groundwater from four communities in suburban areas: two communities are located near the Red River and other two are far from the River. Also, columnar sediment samples of these ponds were taken and pore water was abstracted. Major dissolved ions, metals and stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen of water samples were analyzed. As for water cycle, from the correlation between δ18O and δD, the Red River water (after GNIR) were distributed along the LMWL (δD=8.2δ18O+14.1, calculated from precipitation (after GNIP)). On the other hand, although the pond waters in rainy season were distributed along the LMWL, that in dry season were distributed along the local evaporation line (LEL, slope=5.6). The LEL crossed with the LMWL at around the point of weighted mean values of precipitation in rainy season and of the Red river. Groundwater samples were also distributed along the LEL and there was no seasonal change. Thus, groundwater in these communities was mainly recharged by mixing of precipitation/the Red River and evaporated water bodies. Considering the land use in these communities, evaporated water bodies were considered to be not only ponds but also paddy fields. As for solute transport, concentration of dissolved Arsenic (filtered by 0.45μm) of the pond water (3 - 10 μg/L) was slightly higher than the Red River (~ 3 μg/L) and was much lower than that of groundwater (~ 60 μg/L). On the other hand, concentration of dissolved Arsenic in the pore water of sediments (10 - 85 μg/L) was close to groundwater. Also, other metal elements showed the same trend. Therefore, Arsenic and other metal elements recharged to these ponds were considered to be adsorbed by sediments (including organic matters). That is, pond sediments played an important role as a filter of metal elements. The results of this study strongly suggested that the surface water areas such as ponds and paddy fields are one of main groundwater sources. Also, ponds play important role for solute transport of metal elements. Therefore, management of these surface water areas is important to conserve groundwater environment.

Water resources of the New Orleans area, Louisiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eddards, Miles LeRoy; Kister, L.R.; Scarcia, Glenn

1956-01-01

Industry, commerce, and public utilities in 1954 withdrew about 1,500 mgd from surface- and groundwater sources in the New Orleans area. Most of the withdrawal was made from the Mississippi River. However, some withdrawal of surface water was made from Lake Pontchartrain. A large part of the withdrawal from both ground- and surface-water sources is available for reuse. Ground-water withdrawal amounts to about 100 mgd and is primarily for industrial and commercial uses. The average flow of the Mississippi River for the 23-year period, 1931--54, amounted to 309,000 mgd, and the approximate average flow of all the tributaries to Lake Pontchartrain is about 4,000 mgd. The flow of the Pearl River, which adjoins the tributary drainage area of Lake Pontchartrain, averages about 8,000 mgd. Total withdrawal of ground and surface waters amounts to less than 3 percent of the recorded minimum flow of the Mississippi River or less than 1 percent of the average flow. Although large quantities of water are always available in the Mississippi River the quality of the Water is not suitable for all uses. Streams from the north that drain into Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, and the aquifers in that area, offer one of the best sources of fresh water in the State. Industry, if located on the northern shores of Lake Maurepas or Lake Pontchartrain near the mouths of these tributaries, would be assured of an ample supply of either ground or surface water of excellent quality. All the tributaries north of Lake Pontchartrain have dry-weather flows which are dependable. The Pearl River above Bogalusa also is a good source of fresh water of excellent quality. At present it serves to dilute the tidal flow of salt water into Lake Pontchartrain through the Rigolets, the principal outlet of the lake. In the area north of Lake Pontchartrain, wells 60 to 2,000 feet deep yield fresh water. There are no known wells tapping sands below 2,000 feet. However, electrical logs of. oil-test wells show that fresh water is available to a maximum depth of 3,000 feet. In the area south of Lake Pontchartrain, there is no withdrawal of ground water for public water supplies because of the saline content of the water. Three principal water-bearing sands, the '200-foot, ' '400-foot, ' and '700-foot'sands, are tapped in the New Orleans area south of Lake Pontchartrain for industrial and commercial use. In this area all deeper sands yield salt water. In some areas the '200-foot' sand contains saline water of the sodium chloride type. Consequently, this sand is not developed extensively. Water from the 200-foot' sand is relatively fresh north of the Mississippi River and becomes increasingly saline to the south and west. The 400-foot' sand is the second most highly developed aquifer in the New Orleans industrial district. The aquifer appears to be very prolific, but its full capabilities have not yet been determined. This aquifer yields a highly mineralized sodium chloride water in some areas; however, elsewhere it is a source of large quantities of fresh water. The '700-foot' sand is the most continuous freshwater bearing sand in the area and is the principal source of fresh ground water in the New Orleans industrial district. Most of the wells tapping this aquifer yield soft water of the bicarbonate type. In the southern and western parts of the industrial district the water in the '700-foot' sand is too mineralized to be suitable for human consumption.

Water resources of Carbon County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartos, Timothy T.; Hallberg, Laura L.; Mason, Jon P.; Norris, Jodi R.; Miller, Kirk A.

2006-01-01

Carbon County is located in the south-central part of Wyoming and is the third largest county in the State. A study to describe the physical and chemical characteristics of surface-water and ground-water resources in Carbon County was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Wyoming State Engineer's Office. Evaluations of streamflow and stream-water quality were limited to analyses of historical data and descriptions of previous investigations. Surface-water data were not collected as part of the study. Forty-five ground-water-quality samples were collected as part of the study and the results from an additional 618 historical ground-water-quality samples were reviewed. Available hydrogeologic characteristics for various aquifers in hydrogeologic units throughout the county also are described. Flow characteristics of streams in Carbon County vary substantially depending on regional and local basin char-acteristics and anthropogenic factors. Precipitation in the county is variable with high mountainous areas receiving several times the annual precipitation of basin lowland areas. For this reason, streams with headwaters in mountainous areas generally are perennial, whereas most streams in the county with headwaters in basin lowland areas are ephemeral, flowing only as a result of regional or local rainfall or snowmelt runoff. Flow characteristics of most perennial streams are altered substantially by diversions and regulation. Water-quality characteristics of selected streams in and near Carbon County during water years 1966 through 1986 varied. Concentrations of dissolved constituents and suspended sediment were smallest at sites on streams with headwaters in mountainous areas because of resistant geologic units, large diluting streamflows, and increased vegetative cover compared to sites on streams with headwaters in basin lowlands. Both water-table and artesian conditions occur in aquifers within the county. Shallow ground water is available throughout the county, although much of it is only marginally suitable or is unsuitable for domestic and irrigation uses mainly because of high total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations. Suitable ground water for livestock use is available in most areas of the county. Ground-water quality tends to deteriorate with increasing distance from recharge areas and with increasing depth below land surface. Ground water from depths greater than a few thousand feet tends to have TDS concentrations that make it moderately saline to briny. In some areas, even shallow ground water is moderately saline. Specific constituents in parts of some aquifers in the county occur in relatively high concentrations when compared to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards; for example, relatively high concentrations of sulfate, chloride, fluoride, boron, iron, manganese, and radon were found in several aquifers. The estimated mean daily water use in Carbon County in 2000 was about 320 million gallons per day. Water used for irrigation accounted for about 98 percent of this total. About 98 percent of the total water used was supplied by surface water and about 2 percent by ground water. Excluding irrigation, ground water comprised about 78 percent of total water use in Carbon County. Although ground water is used to a much lesser extent than surface water, in many areas of the county it is the only available water source.

Potentiometric Surface of the Magothy Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Staley, Andrew W.

2009-01-01

This report presents a map showing the potentiometric surface of the Magothy aquifer in the Magothy Formation of Late Cretaceous age in Southern Maryland during September 2007. The map is based on water-level measurements in 69 wells. The highest measured water level was 85 feet above sea level near the northern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in the north-central part of Anne Arundel County. The potentiometric surface declined towards the south. Local gradients were directed toward the center of a cone of depression in the Waldorf area that developed in response to pumping. Measured ground-water levels were as low as 90 feet below sea level in the Waldorf area.

Remote sensing of ephemeral water bodies in western Niger

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verdin, J.P.

1996-01-01

Research was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of monitoring the small ephemeral water bodies of the Sahel with the 1.1 km resolution data of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). Twenty-one lakes of western Niger with good ground observation records were selected for examination. Thematic Mapper images from 1988 were first analysed to determine surface areas and temperature differences between water and adjacent land. Six AVHRR scenes from the 1988-89 dry season were then studied. It was found that a lake can be monitored until its surface area drops below 10 ha, in most cases. Furthermore, with prior knowledge of the location and shape of a water body, its surface area can be estimated from AVHRR band 5 data to within about 10 ha. These results are explained by the sharp temperature contrast between water and land, on the order of 13?? C.

Summary of surface-water hydrologic data for the Houston metropolitan area, Texas, water years 1964-89

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liscum, Fred; Brown, D.W.; Kasmarek, M.C.

1997-01-01

The study area, a metropolitan area in southeast Texas about 45 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, has been undergoing extensive urban development since the 1950s. The Houston Urban Runoff Program was begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in water year 1964 to define the magnitude and frequency of flood peaks, to determine the impact of continuing urban development on surface-water hydrologic responses, and to determine variations in stream water quality for different flow conditions, seasons, and urban development. An extensive data base has been developed.During water years 1964-89, the Houston Urban Runoff Program collected information from a total of 54 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations, 30 U.S. Geological Survey water-quality sampling sites, and 102 rain gages (operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Weather Service, and local agencies). In addition, basin characteristics were developed to aid in understanding the effects of urban development on surface-water hydrologic responses.Surface-water hydrologic data on diskettes describe the 54 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations, list annual peaks (and where available, peaks above an arbitrary base) for 50 streamflow sites, tabulate 1,125 storm hydrographs from 43 sites, and document 102 waterquality parameters determined from 3,242 available samples.

Environmental setting and factors that affect water quality in the Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain study unit

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berndt, M.P.; Oaksford, E.T.; Darst, M.R.; Marella, R.L.

1996-01-01

The Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain study unit covers an area of nearly 62,000 square miles in the southeastern United States, mostly in the Coastal Plain physiographic province. Land resource provinces have been designated based on generalized soil classifications. Land resource provinces in the study area include: the Coastal Flatwoods, the Southern Coastal Plain, the Central Florida Ridge, the Sand Hills, and the Southern Piedmont. The study area includes all or parts of seven hydrologic subregions: the Ogeechee-Savannah, the Altamaha- St.Marys, the Suwannee, the Ochlockonee, the St. Johns, the Peace-Tampa Bay, and the Southern Florida. The primary source of water for public supply in the study area is ground water from the Upper Floridan aquifer. In 1990, more than 90 percent of the 2,888 million gallons per day of ground water used came from this aquifer. The population of the study area was 9.3 million in 1990. The cities of Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, and Tampa, Florida, and parts of Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, are located in the study area. Forest and agricultural areas are the most common land uses in the study area, accounting for 48 percent and 25 percent of the study area, respectively. Climatic conditions range from temperate in Atlanta, Georgia, where mean annual temperature is about 61.3 degrees Fahrenheit, to subtropical in Tampa, Florida, where mean annual temperature is about 72.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Long-term average precipitation (1961-90) ranges from 43.9 inches per year in Tampa, Florida, and 44.6 in Macon, Georgia, to 65.7 inches per year in Tallahassee, Florida. Floods in the study area result from frontal systems, hurricanes, tropical storms, or severe thunderstorms. Droughts are not common in the study area,especially in the Florida part of the study area due to extensive maritime exposure. The primary physical and cultural characteristics in the study area include physiography, soils and land resource provinces, geologic setting, ground-water systems, surface- water systems, climate, floods, droughts, population, land use, and water use. Factors affecting water quality in the study area are land use (primarily urban and agricultural land uses), water use in coastal areas, hydrogeology, ground-water/surface-water interaction, geology, and climate. Surface-water quality problems in urban areas have occurred in the Ogeechee, Canoochee, Ocmulgee, St. Marys, Alapaha, Withlacoochee (north), Santa Fe, Ochlockonee, St. Johns, and Oklawaha Rivers and include nitrogen and phosphorus loading, low dissolved oxygen, elevated bacteria, sediment, and turbidity, and increased concentrations of metals. In agricultural areas, surface-water quality problems include elevated nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, erosion, and sedimentation and have occurred in the Ocmulgee, St. Marys, Santa Fe, Ochlockonee, St. Johns, Oklawaha, Withlacoochee (South), Hillsborough, and Alafia Rivers. Ground water-quality problems such as saltwater intrusion have occurred mostly in coastal areas and were caused by excessive withdrawals.

Reduction of spatial distribution of risk factors for transportation of contaminants released by coal mining activities.

PubMed

Karan, Shivesh Kishore; Samadder, Sukha Ranjan

2016-09-15

It is reported that water-energy nexus composes two of the biggest development and human health challenges. In the present study we presented a Risk Potential Index (RPI) model which encapsulates Source, Vector (Transport), and Target risks for forecasting surface water contamination. The main aim of the model is to identify critical surface water risk zones for an open cast mining environment, taking Jharia Coalfield, India as the study area. The model also helps in feasible sampling design. Based on spatial analysis various risk zones were successfully delineated. Monthly RPI distribution revealed that the risk of surface water contamination was highest during the monsoon months. Surface water samples were analysed to validate the model. A GIS based alternative management option was proposed to reduce surface water contamination risk and observed 96% and 86% decrease in the spatial distribution of very high risk areas for the months June and July respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic factor modeling of ground and surface water levels in an agricultural area adjacent to Everglades National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, A.; Muñoz-Carpena, R.

2006-02-01

The extensive eastern boundary of Everglades National Park (ENP) in south Florida (USA) is subject to one the most expensive and ambitious environmental restoration projects in history. Understanding and predicting the interaction between the shallow aquifer and surface water is a key component for fine-tuning the process. The Frog Pond is an intensively instrumented agricultural 2023 ha area adjacent to ENP. The interactions among 21 multivariate daily time series (ground and surface water elevations, rainfall and evapotranspiration) available from this area were studied by means of dynamic factor analysis, a novel technique in the field of hydrology. This method is designed to determine latent or background effects governing variability or fluctuations in non-stationary time series. Water levels in 16 wells and two drainage ditch locations inside the area were selected as response variables, and canal levels and net recharge as explanatory variables. Elevations in the two canals delimiting the Frog Pond area were found to be the main factors explaining the response variables. This influence of canal elevations on water levels inside the area was complementary and inversely related to the distance between the observation point and each canal. Rainfall events do not affect daily water levels significantly but are responsible for instantaneous or localized groundwater responses that in some cases can be directly associated with the risk of flooding. This close coupling between surface and groundwater levels, that corroborates that found by other authors using different methods, could hinder on-going environmental restoration efforts in the area by bypassing the function of wetlands and other surface features. An empirical model with a reduced set of parameters was successfully developed and validated in the area by interpolating the results from the dynamic factor analysis across the spatial domain (coefficient of efficiency across the domain: 0.66-0.99). Although specific to the area, the resulting model is deemed useful for water management within the wide range of conditions similar to those present during the experimental period.

Impact of Water Withdrawals from Groundwater and Surface Water on Continental Water Storage Variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doell, Petra; Hoffmann-Dobrev, Heike; Portmann, Felix T.; Siebert, Stefan; Eicker, Annette; Rodell, Matthew; Strassberg, Gil

2011-01-01

Humans have strongly impacted the global water cycle, not only water flows but also water storage. We have performed a first global-scale analysis of the impact of water withdrawals on water storage variations, using the global water resources and use model WaterGAP. This required estimation of fractions of total water withdrawals from groundwater, considering five water use sectors. According to our assessment, the source of 35% of the water withdrawn worldwide (4300 cubic km/yr during 1998-2002) is groundwater. Groundwater contributes 42%, 36% and 27% of water used for irrigation, households and manufacturing, respectively, while we assume that only surface water is used for livestock and for cooling of thermal power plants. Consumptive water use was 1400 cubic km/yr during 1998-2002. It is the sum of the net abstraction of 250 cubic km/yr of groundwater (taking into account evapotranspiration and return flows of withdrawn surface water and groundwater) and the net abstraction of 1150 km3/yr of surface water. Computed net abstractions indicate, for the first time at the global scale, where and when human water withdrawals decrease or increase groundwater or surface water storage. In regions with extensive surface water irrigation, such as Southern China, net abstractions from groundwater are negative, i.e. groundwater is recharged by irrigation. The opposite is true for areas dominated by groundwater irrigation, such as in the High Plains aquifer of the central USA, where net abstraction of surface water is negative because return flow of withdrawn groundwater recharges the surface water compartments. In intensively irrigated areas, the amplitude of seasonal total water storage variations is generally increased due to human water use; however, in some areas, it is decreased. For the High Plains aquifer and the whole Mississippi basin, modeled groundwater and total water storage variations were compared with estimates of groundwater storage variations based on groundwater table observations, and with estimates of total water storage variations from the GRACE satellites mission. Due to the difficulty in estimating area-averaged seasonal groundwater storage variations from point observations of groundwater levels, it is uncertain whether WaterGAP underestimates actual variations or not. We conclude that WaterGAP possibly overestimates water withdrawals in the High Plains aquifer where impact of human water use on water storage is readily discernible based on WaterGAP calculations and groundwater observations. No final conclusion can be drawn regarding the possibility of monitoring water withdrawals in the High Plains aquifer using GRACE. For the less intensively irrigated Mississippi basin, observed and modeled seasonal groundwater storage reveals a discernible impact of water withdrawals in the basin, but this is not the case for total water storage such that water withdrawals at the scale of the whole Mississippi basin cannot be monitored by GRACE.

Numerical Simulation of the Effects of Water Surface in Building Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guangyao; Pan, Yuqing; Yang, Li

2018-03-01

Water body could affect the thermal environment and airflow field in the building districts, because of its special thermal characteristics, evaporation and flat surface. The thermal influence of water body in Tongji University Jiading Campus front area was evaluated. First, a suitable evaporation model was selected and then was applied to calculate the boundary conditions of the water surface in the Fluent software. Next, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted on the models both with and without water, following the CFD practices guidelines. Finally, the outputs of the two simulations were compared with each other. Results showed that the effect of evaporative cooling from water surface strongly depends on the wind direction and temperature decrease was about 2∼5°C. The relative humidity within the enclosing area was affected by both the building arrangement and surrounding water. An increase of about 0.1∼0.2m/s of wind speed induced by the water evaporation was observed in the open space.

Simulated effects of groundwater pumping and artificial recharge on surface-water resources and riparian vegetation in the Verde Valley sub-basin, Central Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leake, Stanley A.; Pool, Donald R.

2010-01-01

In the Verde Valley sub-basin, groundwater use has increased in recent decades. Residents and stakeholders in the area have established several groups to help in planning for sustainability of water and other resources of the area. One of the issues of concern is the effect of groundwater pumping in the sub-basin on surface water and on groundwater-dependent riparian vegetation. The Northern Arizona Regional Groundwater-Flow Model by Pool and others (in press) is the most comprehensive and up-to-date tool available to understand the effects of groundwater pumping in the sub-basin. Using a procedure by Leake and others (2008), this model was modified and used to calculate effects of groundwater pumping on surface-water flow and evapotranspiration for areas in the sub-basin. This report presents results for the upper two model layers for pumping durations of 10 and 50 years. Results are in the form of maps that indicate the fraction of the well pumping rate that can be accounted for as the combined effect of reduced surface-water flow and evapotranspiration. In general, the highest and most rapid responses to pumping were computed to occur near surface-water features simulated in the modified model, but results are not uniform along these features. The results are intended to indicate general patterns of model-computed response over large areas. For site-specific projects, improved results may require detailed studies of the local hydrologic conditions and a refinement of the modified model in the area of interest.

Case study for delineating a contributing area to a well in a fractured siliciclastic-bedrock aquifer near Lansdale, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barton, Gary J.; Risser, Dennis W.; Galeone, Daniel G.; Goode, Daniel J.

2003-01-01

A supply well used by the North Penn Water Authority near Lansdale, Pa., was selected as a case study for delineating a contributing area in a fractured siliciclastic-bedrock aquifer. The study emphasized the importance of refining the understanding of factors that control ground-water movement to the well by conducting (1) geophysical logging and flow measurements, (2) ground-water level monitoring, (3) aquifer testing, and (4) geochemical sampling. This approach could be applicable for other wells in siliciclastic-bedrock terranes, especially those of Triassic age in southeastern Pennsylvania.The principal methods for refining the understanding of hydrology at supply well MG-1125 were aquifer testing, water-level measurements, and geophysical logging. Results of two constant-discharge aquifer tests helped estimate the transmissivity of water-producing units and evaluate the anisotropy caused by dipping beds. Results from slug tests provided estimates of transmissivity that were used to evaluate the results from the constant-discharge aquifer tests. Slug tests also showed the wide distribution of transmissivity, indicating that ground-water velocities must vary considerably in the well field. Water-level monitoring in observation wells allowed maps of the potentiometric surface near the well field to be drawn. The measurements also showed that the hydraulic gradient can change abruptly in response to pumping from nearby supply wells. Water levels measured at a broader regional scale in an earlier study also provided a useful view of the potentiometric surface for purposes of delineating the contributing area. Geophysical logging and measurements of flow within wells showed that about 60 percent of water from supply well MG-1125 probably is contributed from relatively shallow water-producing fractures from 60 to 125 feet below land surface, but measurable amounts of water are contributed by fractures to a depth of 311 feet below land surface. Chemical samples supported the evidence that shallow fractures probably contribute significant amounts of water to well MG-1125. The large contribution of water from shallow fractures indicates that the area providing part of the recharge to the well is not far removed from the wellhead.Preliminary delineations of the contributing area and the 100-day time-of travel area were computed from a water budget and time-of-travel equation. These delineations provided insight into the size (but not the shape) of the contributing areas. Three other approaches were used and results compared: (1) uniform-flow equation, (2) hydrogeologic mapping, and (3) numerical modeling. The uniform-flow equation predicted a contributing area that seemed unrealistic—extending far across the ground-water divide into an adjacent watershed. Hydrogeologic mapping, if used with the potentiometric surface and constrained by the water budget, produced contributing area that was similar to that from numerical modeling. Numerical modeling allowed the incorporation of anisotropy caused by dipping water-producing units, differing transmissivity values of geologic units, and ground-water withdrawals from nearby supply wells. The numerical modeling showed that groundwater withdrawals from nearby supply wells affected the contributing area to supply well MG-1125 but had less effect on the 100-day time-of-travel area.

[Summer Greenhouse Gases Exchange Flux Across Water-air Interface in Three Water Reservoirs Located in Different Geologic Setting in Guangxi, China].

PubMed

Li, Jian-hong; Pu, Jun-bing; Sun, Ping-an; Yuan, Dao-xian; Liu, Wen; Zhang, Tao; Mo, Xue

2015-11-01

Due to special hydrogeochemical characteristics of calcium-rich, alkaline and DIC-rich ( dissolved inorganic carbon) environment controlled by the weathering products from carbonate rock, the exchange characteristics, processes and controlling factors of greenhouse gas (CO2 and CH4) across water-air interface in karst water reservoir show obvious differences from those of non-karst water reservoir. Three water reservoirs (Dalongdong reservoir-karst reservoir, Wulixia reservoir--semi karst reservoir, Si'anjiang reservoir-non-karst reservoir) located in different geologic setting in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China were chosen to reveal characteristics and controlling factors of greenhouse gas exchange flux across water-air interface. Two common approaches, floating chamber (FC) and thin boundary layer models (TBL), were employed to research and contrast greenhouse gas exchange flux across water-air interface from three reservoirs. The results showed that: (1) surface-layer water in reservoir area and discharging water under dam in Dalongdong water reservoir were the source of atmospheric CO2 and CH4. Surface-layer water in reservoir area in Wulixia water reservoir was the sink of atmospheric CO2 and the source of atmospheric CH4, while discharging water under dam was the source of atmospheric CO2 and CH4. Surface-layer water in Si'anjiang water reservoir was the sink of atmospheric CO2 and source of atmospheric CH4. (2) CO2 and CH4 effluxes in discharging water under dam were much more than those in surface-layer water in reservoir area regardless of karst reservoir or non karst reservoir. Accordingly, more attention should be paid to the CO2 and CH4 emission from discharging water under dam. (3) In the absence of submerged soil organic matters and plants, the difference of CH4 effluxes between karst groundwater-fed reservoir ( Dalongdong water reservoir) and non-karst area ( Wulixia water reservoir and Si'anjiang water reservoir) was less. However, CO2 efflux in karst groundwater-fed reservoir was much higher than that of reservoir in non-karst area due to groundwater of DIC-rich input from karst aquifer and thermal stratification.

Potentiometric Surface of the Ozark Aquifer near Springfield, Missouri, 2006-07

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richards, Joseph M.; Mugel, Douglas N.

2008-01-01

INTRODUCTION A study of the water resources of the Springfield, Missouri, area in the 1970s determined that a cone of depression, formed by ground-water pumping, had developed in the Ozark aquifer beneath the city (Emmett and others, 1978). Continued ground-water usage in the 1970s and 1980s caused concern that ground-water resources would not be sufficient to meet the future needs of Springfield, Missouri, during periods of drought. As a result, a ground-water flow model of the Springfield area was developed by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assess the future role of ground water as a water source for the area (Imes, 1989). Results of the USGS model led to a decision by the City Utilities of Springfield to primarily rely on surface water from Stockton Lake as a source of city drinking water. Municipal and industrial ground-water usage continues in Springfield, but at lower rates than previously experienced (Jim Vandike, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, written commun., 2007). Rapid growth in the area has caused commercial, industrial, and domestic water use to increase. Population growth has been especially rapid in Nixa, Ozark, and Republic, and water use in the vicinity of these cities has grown an estimated 39 percent since 1990 (Dintelmann and others, 2006). Unlike Springfield, ground water is the primary source of water for these cities. The increased stress on the Ozark aquifer, the primary aquifer in the study area, has raised new concerns about possible further water-level declines in the areas of increased ground-water use. Although there continues to be new development in the Ozark aquifer, since 1987 no new water-supply wells that produce water from the Springfield Plateau aquifer have been allowed to be constructed in most of Greene and northern Christian counties (Jim Vandike, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, written commun., 2007). There is concern that if the potentiometric surface of the Ozark aquifer continues to decline, increased leakage of contaminants into the Ozark aquifer from the overlying Springfield Plateau aquifer could occur (Jim Vandike, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, written commun., 2007). To address this concern, the USGS, in cooperation with Greene County, Missouri, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, constructed a map of the potentiometric surface of the Ozark aquifer for 2006?2007. The map can be compared to previously constructed potentiometric-surface maps by Emmett and others (1978) and Imes (1989) to evaluate changes in ground-water flow directions, but the comparison is beyond the scope of this report.

Water-quality assessment of the Central Arizona Basins, Arizona and northern Mexico; environmental setting and overview of water quality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cordy, Gail E.; Rees, Julie A.; Edmonds, Robert J.; Gebler, Joseph B.; Wirt, Laurie; Gellenbeck, Dorinda J.; Anning, David W.

1998-01-01

The Central Arizona Basins study area in central and southern Arizona and northern Mexico is one of 60 study units that are part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment program. The purpose of this report is to describe the physical, chemical, and environmental characteristics that may affect water quality in the Central Arizona Basins study area and present an overview of water quality. Covering 34,700 square miles, the study area is characterized by generally north to northwestward-trending mountain ranges separated by broad, gently sloping alluvial valleys. Most of the perennial rivers and streams are in the northern part of the study area. Rivers and streams in the south are predominantly intermittent or ephemeral and flow in response to precipitation such as summer thunderstorms. Effluent-dependent streams do provide perennial flow in some reaches. The major aquifers in the study area are in the basin-fill deposits that may be as much as 12,000 feet thick. The 1990 population in the study area was about 3.45 million, and about 61 percent of the total was in Maricopa County (Phoenix and surrounding cities). Extensive population growth over the past decade has resulted in a twofold increase in urban land areas and increased municipal water use; however, agriculture remains the major water use. Seventy-three percent of all water with drawn in the study area during 1990 was used for agricultural purposes. The largest rivers in the study area-the Gila, Salt, and Verde-are perennial near their headwaters but become intermittent downstream because of impoundments and artificial diversions. As a result, the Central Arizona Basins study area is unique compared to less arid basins because the mean surface-water outflow is only 528 cubic feet per second from a total drainage area of 49,650 square miles. Peak flows in the northern part of the study area are the result of snowmelt runoff; whereas, summer thunderstorms account for the peak flows in the southern part. Ground water is the primary water supply in most of Arizona and the only source of drinking water used by communities in the southern half of the study area. Years of overpumping have caused water tables in basin fill to drop below once-perennial streams leaving streambeds dry, water too deep to pump economically, pumping of poorer quality water with depth, and earth fissures resulting from subsidence after dewatering of sediments. Natural processes-such as leaching of trace elements and major ions from geologic formations-and human activities-such as mining, agriculture, and urban development-have major effects on the quality of surface-water and ground-water resources in the Central Arizona Basins study area. Surface-water quality standards in Arizona are based on the designated use of the water such as full or partial body contact, fish consumption, aquatic and wildlife uses, and agriculture. Maintaining the biological integrity (health) of surface waters in Arizona is an important part of ensuring that these waters are suitable for designated uses. Important water-quality issues for surface water that are somewhat unique to Arizona include: (1) streamflows and riparian environments sustained by effluent from municipal wastewater-treatment plants that contains high concentrations of nutrients, potentially toxic trace elements and organic compounds, and fecal bacteria; (2) industrial, mining, agricultural, and municipal sources of contamination from Mexico; and (3) unpredictable high flows from major summer thunder storms causing stream-channel changes; high suspended-sediment concentrations and loads; sewage overflows; and breaching, erosion, and washout of landfills and mining operations. The quality of water in aquifers that are protected for drinking- water use is subject to standards that are in most cases equal to or more stringent than the primary drinking-water regulations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The general che

The humidity dependence of ozone deposition onto a variety of building surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grøntoft, Terje; Henriksen, Jan F.; Seip, Hans M.

Measurements of the dry deposition velocity of O 3 to material samples of calcareous stone, concrete and wood at varying humidity of the air, were performed in a deposition chamber. Equilibrium surface deposition velocities were found for various humidity values by fitting a model to the time-dependent deposition data. A deposition velocity-humidity model was derived giving three separate rate constants for the surface deposition velocities, i.e. on the dry surface, on the first mono-layer of adsorbed water and on additional surface water. The variation in the dry air equilibrium surface deposition velocities among the samples correlated with variations in effective areas, with larger effective areas giving higher measured deposition velocities. A minimum for the equilibrium surface deposition velocity was generally measured at an intermediate humidity close to the humidity found to correspond to one mono-layer of water molecules on the surfaces. At low air humidity the equilibrium surface deposition velocity of O 3 was found to decrease as more adsorbed water prevented direct contact of the O 3 molecules with the surface. This was partly compensated by an increase as more adsorbed water became available for reaction with O 3. At high air humidity the equilibrium surface deposition velocity was found to increase as the mass of water on the surface increased. The deposition velocity on bulk de-ionised water at RH=90% was an order of magnitude lower than on the sample surfaces.

Air-water CO2 and CH4 fluxes along a river-reservoir continuum: Case study in the Pengxi River, a tributary of the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China.

PubMed

Huang, Yang; Yasarer, Lindsey M W; Li, Zhe; Sturm, Belinda S M; Zhang, Zengyu; Guo, Jinsong; Shen, Yu

2017-05-01

Water surface greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in freshwater reservoirs are closely related to limnological processes in the water column. Affected by both reservoir operation and seasonal changes, variations in the hydro-morphological conditions in the river-reservoir continuum will create distinctive patterns in water surface GHG emissions. A one-year field survey was carried out in the Pengxi River-reservoir continuum, a part of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) immediately after the TGR reached its maximum water level. The annual average water surface CO 2 and CH 4 emissions at the riverine background sampling sites were 6.23 ± 0.93 and 0.025 ± 0.006 mmol h -1  m -2 , respectively. The CO 2 emissions were higher than those in the downstream reservoirs. The development of phytoplankton controlled the downstream decrease in water surface CO 2 emissions. The presence of thermal stratification in the permanent backwater area supported extensive phytoplankton blooms, resulting in a carbon sink during several months of the year. The CH 4 emissions were mainly impacted by water temperature and dissolved organic carbon. The greatest water surface CH 4 emission was detected in the fluctuating backwater area, likely due to a shallower water column and abundant organic matter. The Pengxi River backwater area did not show significant increase in water surface GHG emissions reported in tropical reservoirs. In evaluating the net GHG emissions by the impoundment of TGR, the net change in the carbon budget and the contribution of nitrogen and phosphorus should be taken into consideration in this eutrophic river-reservoir continuum.

Generalized water-table and water-level data at the US Air Force plant 42 and vicinity, Palmdale, California, March-April, 1997

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christensen, Allen H.

1999-01-01

The U.S. Air Force Plant 42 (Plant 42) which is in the Antelope Valley about 1.5 miles northeast of Palmdale and 3 miles southeast of Lancaster in Los Angeles County. Historically, ground water has been the primary source of water owing, in large part, to the scarcity of surface water in the region. Since 1972, supplemental surface water has been imported from the California Water Project to help meet the demand for water. Despite the importation of surface water, ground-water withdrawal for both municipal and agricultural uses is affecting ground-water levels in the vicinity of Plant 42. To better understand the effects of ground-water withdrawal on ground-water levels and movement in the area, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, constructed a generalized water-table-contour map of the aquifer system underlying Plant 42 and the surrounding area.

Summary of hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow and land-surface subsidence in the northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kasmarek, Mark C.; Robinson, James L.

2004-01-01

The northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer system in Texas, which includes the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, supplies most of the water used for industrial, municipal, agricultural, and commercial purposes for an approximately 25,000- square-mile (mi2) area that includes the Beaumont and Houston metropolitan areas. The area has an abundant amount of potable ground water, but withdrawals of large quantities of ground water have resulted in potentiometric-surface declines in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and land-surface subsidence from depressurization and compaction of clay layers interbedded in the aquifer sediments. This fact sheet summarizes a study done in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District (HGCSD) as a part of the TWDB Ground-Water Availability Modeling (or Model) (GAM) program. The study was designed to develop and test a ground-water-flow model of the northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer system in the GAM area (fig. 1) that waterresource managers can use as a tool to address future groundwater- availability issues.

Active and Passive Remote Sensing Data Time Series for Flood Detection and Surface Water Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bioresita, Filsa; Puissant, Anne; Stumpf, André; Malet, Jean-Philippe

2017-04-01

As a consequence of environmental changes surface waters are undergoing changes in time and space. A better knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution of surface waters resources becomes essential to support sustainable policies and development activities. Especially because surface waters, are not only a vital sweet water resource, but can also pose hazards to human settlements and infrastructures through flooding. Floods are a highly frequent disaster in the world and can caused huge material losses. Detecting and mapping their spatial distribution is fundamental to ascertain damages and for relief efforts. Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an effective way to monitor surface waters bodies over large areas since it provides excellent temporal coverage and, all-weather day-and-night imaging capabilities. However, emergent vegetation, trees, wind or flow turbulence can increase radar back-scatter returns and pose problems for the delineation of inundated areas. In such areas, passive remote sensing data can be used to identify vegetated areas and support the interpretation of SAR data. The availability of new Earth Observation products, for example Sentinel-1 (active) and Sentinel-2 (passive) imageries, with both high spatial and temporal resolution, have the potential to facilitate flood detection and monitoring of surface waters changes which are very dynamic in space and time. In this context, the research consists of two parts. In the first part, the objective is to propose generic and reproducible methodologies for the analysis of Sentinel-1 time series data for floods detection and surface waters mapping. The processing chain comprises a series of pre-processing steps and the statistical modeling of the pixel value distribution to produce probabilistic maps for the presence of surface waters. Images pre-processing for all Sentinel-1 images comprise the reduction SAR effect like orbit errors, speckle noise, and geometric effects. A modified Split Based Approach (MSBA) is used in order to focus on surface water areas automatically and facilitate the estimation of class models for water and non-water areas. A Finite Mixture Model is employed as the underlying statistical model to produce probabilistic maps. Subsequently, bilateral filtering is applied to take into account spatial neighborhood relationships in the generation of final map. The elimination of shadows effect is performed in a post-processing step. The processing chain is tested on three case studies. The first case is a flood event in central Ireland, the second case is located in Yorkshire county / Great Britain, and the third test case covers a recent flood event in northern Italy. The tests showed that the modified SBA step and the Finite Mixture Models can be applied for the automatic surface water detection in a variety of test cases. An evaluation again Copernicus products derived from very-high resolution imagery was performed, and showed a high overall accuracy and F-measure of the obtained maps. This evaluation also showed that the use of probability maps and bilateral filtering improved the accuracy of classification results significantly. Based on this quantitative evaluation, it is concluded that the processing chain can be applied for flood mapping from Sentinel-1 data. To estimate robust statistical distributions the method requires sufficient surface waters areas in the observed zone and sufficient contrast between surface waters and other land use classes. Ongoing research addresses the fusion of Sentinel-1 and passive remote sensing data (e.g. Sentinel-2) in order to reduce the current shortcomings in the developed processing chain. In this work, fusion is performed at the feature level to better account for the difference image properties of SAR and optical sensors. Further, the processing chain is currently being optimized in terms of calculation time for a further integration as a flood mapping service on the A2S (Alsace Aval Sentinel) high-performance computing infrastructure of University of Strasbourg.

Human health impacts of drinking water (surface and ground) pollution Dakahlyia Governorate, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandour, R. A.

2012-09-01

This study was done on 30 drinking tap water samples (surface and ground) and 30 urine samples taken from patients who attended some of Dakahlyia governorate hospitals. These patients were complaining of poor-quality tap water in their houses, which was confirmed by this study that drinking water is contaminated with trace elements in some of the studied areas. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the contaminant drinking water (surface and ground) in Dakahlyia governorate and its impact on human health. This study reports the relationship between nickel and hair loss, obviously shown in water and urine samples. Renal failure cases were related to lead and cadmium contaminated drinking water, where compatibilities in results of water and urine samples were observed. Also, liver cirrhosis cases were related to iron-contaminated drinking water. Studies of these diseases suggest that abnormal incidence in specific areas is related to industrial wastes and agricultural activities that have released hazardous and toxic materials in the drinking water and thereby led to its contamination in these areas. We conclude that trace elements should be removed from drinking water for human safety.

Geo-spatial analysis of land-water resource degradation in two economically contrasting agricultural regions adjoining national capital territory (Delhi).

PubMed

Kaur, Ravinder; Minhas, P S; Jain, P C; Singh, P; Dubey, D S

2009-07-01

The present study was aimed at characterizing the soil-water resource degradation in the rural areas of Gurgaon and Mewat districts, the two economically contrasting areas in policy zones-II and III of the National Capital Region (NCR), and assessing the impact of the study area's local conditions on the type and extent of resource degradation. This involved generation of detailed spatial information on the land use, cropping pattern, farming practices, soils and surface/ground waters of Gurgaon and Mewat districts through actual resource surveys, standard laboratory methods and GIS/remote sensing techniques. The study showed that in contrast to just 2.54% (in rabi season) to 4.87% (in kharif season) of agricultural lands in Gurgaon district, about 11.77% (in rabi season) to 24.23% (in kharif season) of agricultural lands in Mewat district were irrigated with saline to marginally saline canal water. Further, about 10.69% of agricultural lands in the Gurgaon district and 42.15% of agricultural lands in the Mewat district were drain water irrigated. A large part of this surface water irrigated area, particularly in Nuh (48.7%), Nagina (33.5%), and Punhana (24.1%) blocks of Mewat district, was either waterlogged (7.4% area with 0.05 ppm). In fact, sub-surface drinking waters of some areas around battery and automobile manufacturing units in Gurgaon and Pataudi blocks were associated with exceptionally high (>0.1 ppm) Ni concentrations. In general, the ground waters of waterlogged or potentially waterlogged areas in the rural areas of Mewat were more contaminated than the ground waters in the rural areas of Gurgaon district with deeper (>5 m) water depths.Though Cr concentrations in the surface and sub-surface irrigation waters of both Gurgaon and Mewat districts were far above the maximum permissible limit of 1 ppm, their bio-available soil-Cr concentrations were well within permissible limit. Even bio-available Ni concentrations in agricultural lands of Gurgaon district associated with Ni contaminated sub-surface irrigations were well within desirable limit of 0.20 ppm. This was primarily attributed to the calcareous nature of the soils of the study area. About 35% of Gurgaon district and 59% of Mewat district irrigated with poor quality waters were salt-affected. These waterlogged/potentially waterlogged calcareous-salt affected soils of Mewat district were having acute zinc (Zn) deficiency (<0.6 ppm). Some areas with extremely high iron (Fe: 20-25 ppm) and Mn (10-25 ppm) concentrations were also noticed in the Gurgaon, Nuh and Punhana blocks. Generation of reduced conditions owing to paddy cultivation in areas with 3-3.5 m water depths appeared to be the main cause of such point contaminations. Extensive cadmium (Cd) contamination was also noticed in the waterlogged sodic agricultural lands of Nagina village in Mewat district associated with a large scale scrap automobile and battery business. The study could document the processes and provide spatially accurate information to the managers (e.g., National Capital Region Planning Board) and the concerned citizen groups. It could, in fact, clearly point out that dumping of industrial and domestic wastewaters especially from NCT-Delhi into river Yamuna and, to some extent, from NCT-Delhi re-located hazardous industrial units into Najafgarh drain tributaries at Delhi-Gurgaon boundary, and poor "off-farm" water management practices were the main reasons for extensive (point/non-point source) land-water degradation in Gurgaon and Mewat districts of NCR.

Ratio of Cut Surface Area to Leaf Sample Volume for Water Potential Measurements by Thermocouple Psychrometers

PubMed Central

Walker, Sue; Oosterhuis, Derrick M.; Wiebe, Herman H.

1984-01-01

Evaporative losses from the cut edge of leaf samples are of considerable importance in measurements of leaf water potential using thermocouple psychrometers. The ratio of cut surface area to leaf sample volume (area to volume ratio) has been used to give an estimate of possible effects of evaporative loss in relation to sample size. A wide range of sample sizes with different area to volume ratios has been used. Our results using Glycine max L. Merr. cv Bragg indicate that leaf samples with area to volume values less than 0.2 square millimeter per cubic millimeter give psychrometric leaf water potential measurements that compare favorably with pressure chamber measurements. PMID:16663578

Potential effects of sea-level rise on the depth to saturated sediments of the Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walter, Donald A.; McCobb, Timothy D.; Masterson, John P.; Fienen, Michael N.

2016-05-25

In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Commission, and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, began an evaluation of the potential effects of sea-level rise on water table altitudes and depths to water on central and western Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Increases in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures arising, in part, from the release of greenhouse gases likely will result in higher sea levels globally. Increasing water table altitudes in shallow, unconfined coastal aquifer systems could adversely affect infrastructure—roads, utilities, basements, and septic systems—particularly in low-lying urbanized areas. The Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses on Cape Cod are the largest and most populous of the six flow lenses that comprise the region’s aquifer system, the Cape Cod glacial aquifer. The potential effects of sea-level rise on water table altitude and depths to water were evaluated by use of numerical models of the region. The Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses have a number of large surface water drainages that receive a substantial amount of groundwater discharge, 47 and 29 percent of the total, respectively. The median increase in the simulated water table altitude following a 6-foot sea-level rise across both flow lenses was 2.11 feet, or 35 percent when expressed as a percentage of the total sea-level rise. The response is nearly the same as the sea-level rise (6 feet) in some coastal areas and less than 0.1 foot near some large inland streams. Median water table responses differ substantially between the Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses—at 29 and 49 percent, respectively—because larger surface water discharge on the Sagamore flow lens results in increased dampening of the water table response than in the Monomoy flow lens. Surface waters dampen water table altitude increases because streams are fixed-altitude boundaries that cause hydraulic gradients and streamflow to increase as sea-level rises, partially fixing the local water table altitude.The region has a generally thick vadose zone with a mean of about 38 feet; areas with depths to water of 5 feet or less, as estimated from light detection and ranging (lidar) data from 2011 and simulated water table altitudes, currently [2011] occur over about 24.9 square miles, or about 8.4 percent of the total land area of the Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses, generally in low-lying coastal areas and inland near ponds and streams. Excluding potentially submerged areas, an additional 4.5, 9.8, and 15.9 square miles would have shallow depths to water (5 feet or less) for projected sea-level rises of 2, 4, and 6 feet above levels in 2011. The additional areas with shallow depths to water generally occur in the same areas as the areas with current [2011] depths to water of 5 feet or less: low-lying coastal areas and near inland surface water features. Additional areas with shallow depths to water for the largest sea-level rise prediction (6 feet) account for about 5.7 percent of the total land area, excluding areas likely to be inundated by seawater. The numerous surface water drainages will dampen the response of the water table to sea-level rise. This dampening, combined with the region’s thick vadose zone, likely will mitigate the potential for groundwater inundation in most areas. The potential does exist for groundwater inundation in some areas, but the effects of sea-level rise on depths to water and infrastructure likely will not be substantial on a regional level.

Field Evaluation Of Arsenic Transport Across The Ground-Water/Surface Water Interface: Ground-Water Discharge And Iron Oxide Precipitation

EPA Science Inventory

A field investigation was conducted to examine the distribution of arsenic in ground water, surface water, and sediments at a Superfund Site in the northeastern United States (see companion presentation by K. G. Scheckel et al). Ground-water discharge into the study area was cha...

Effects of water washing and torrefaction pretreatments on rice husk pyrolysis by microwave heating.

PubMed

Zhang, Shuping; Dong, Qing; Zhang, Li; Xiong, Yuanquan; Liu, Xinzhi; Zhu, Shuguang

2015-10-01

The influences of water washing, torrefaction and combined water washing-torrefaction pretreatments on microwave pyrolysis of rice husk samples were investigated. The results indicated that the process of combined water washing-torrefaction pretreatment could effectively remove a large portion of inorganics and improve the fuel characteristics to a certain extent. The gas products were rich in combustible compositions and the syngas quality was improved by pretreatment process. The liquid products contained less moisture content, acids and furans, while more concentrated phenols and sugars from microwave pyrolysis of rice husk after pretreatments, especially after the combined water washing-torrefaction pretreatment. Biochar, produced in high yield, has the alkaline pH (pH 8.2-10.0) and high surface area (S(BET) 157.81-267.84 m(2)/g), they have the potential to be used as soil amendments. It is noteworthy that water washing increased the pore surface area of biochar, but torrefaction reduced the pore surface area. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection and measurement of land subsidence using Global Positioning System and interferometric synthetic aperture radar, Coachella Valley, California, 1996-98

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sneed, Michelle; Ikehara, Marti E.; Galloway, D.L.; Amelung, Falk

2001-01-01

Land subsidence associated with ground-water-level declines has been recognized as a potential problem in Coachella Valley, California. Since the early 1920s, ground water has been a major source of agricultural, municipal, and domestic supply in the valley, resulting in water-level declines as large as 15 meters (50 feet) through the late 1940s. In 1949, the importation of Colorado River water to the lower Coachella Valley began, resulting in a reduction in ground-water pumping and a recovery of water levels from the 1950s through the 1970s. Since the late 1970s, the demand for water in the valley has exceeded the deliveries of imported surface water, again resulting in increased pumping and ground-water-level declines. The magnitude and temporal occurrence of land subsidence in the lower Coachella Valley are not well known; data are sparse and accuracy varies. Also, the area is tectonically active and has subsided during the past several million years, which further complicates interpretations of the data. Land-surface-elevation data have been collected by many agencies using various methods and different geographic scales; because of this, the -150 millimeters (-0.5 foot) of subsidence determined for the southern parts of the valley for 1930-96 may have a possible error of plus or minus (?)90 millimeters (?0.3 foot). The location, extent, and magnitude of vertical land-surface changes from 1996 to 1998 were determined using Global Positioning System (GPS) and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) methods. GPS measurements for 14 monuments in the lower Coachella Valley indicate that the vertical land-surface changes from 1996 to 1998 ranged from -13 to -67 millimeters ? 40 millimeters (-0.04 to -0.22 foot ?0.13 foot). Changes at seven of the monuments exceeded the measurement error of ?40 millimeters (?0.13 foot), which indicates that small amounts of land subsidence occurred at these monuments between 1996 and 1998. Some of the water levels measured in wells near several of these monuments during 1996-98 were the lowest water levels in the recorded histories of the wells. The possible relation between the stresses caused by historically low water levels and the measured vertical changes in land surface suggests that the preconsolidation stress of the aquifer system may have been exceeded during this period and that subsidence may be permanent. Comparisons of several paired monuments and wells indicated that the relation between short-term ground-water-level changes and vertical changes in land surface in the lower Coachella Valley is not clearly defined. Results of InSAR measurements made between 1996 and 1998 indicate that vertical changes in land surface, ranging from about -20 to -70 millimeters ? 5-10 millimeters (-0.07 to -0.23 foot ? 0.02-0.03 foot), occurred in three areas of the Coachella Valley--near Palm Desert, Indian Wells, and Lake Cahuilla. The areas of subsidence near Palm Desert and Indian Wells coincide with areas of substantial ground-water production during 1996-98. The Coachella Valley Water District reported that they had no ground-water production wells in the Lake Cahuilla area but that there may be private production wells in the area. Production from these wells or possibly tectonic activity may be contributing to or causing the subsidence. The geodetic network used for the GPS measurements described in this report covers the area from the Salton Sea on the south to just northwest of Indio. The maps processed using InSAR overlap the part of the geodetic network west of Coachella and north of Lake Cahuilla, and include the Palm Desert area. Both methods of measuring vertical land-surface changes, GPS and InSAR, were used to characterize vertical land-surface changes from the Palm Desert area to the Salton Sea. Because InSAR produces more spatially detailed data over large areas, it generally was useful where vertical land-surface changes were previously unrecognized, such as the

DETECTION OF A GROUND-WATER/SURFACE-WATER INTERFACE WITH DIRECT-PUSH EQUIPMENT

EPA Science Inventory

A ground-water/surface-water interface (GSI) was documented at the Thermo Chem CERCLA Site in Muskegon, MI via direct-push (DP) sampling. At that time, contaminated ground water flowed from the upland area of the site into the Black Creek floodplain. DP rods equipped with a 1.5...

Geochemistry of surface and pore water at USGS coring sites in wetlands of South Florida, 1994 and 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orem, William H.; Lerch, Harry E.; Rawlik, Peter

2002-01-01

In this report, we present preliminary data on surface and pore water geochemistry from 22 sites in south Florida sampled during 1994 and 1995. These results are part of a larger study designed to evaluate the role of biogeochemical processes in sediments in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur in the south Florida ecosystem. The data are briefly discussed in regard to regional trends in the concentrations of chemical species, and general diagenetic processes in sediments. These results are part of a larger study designed to evaluate the role of biogeochemical processes in sediments in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur in the south Florida ecosystem. These elements play a crucial role in regulating organic sedimentation, nutrient dynamics, redox conditions, and the biogeochemistry of mercury in the threatened wetlands of south Florida. Pore water samples for chemical analyis were obtained using a piston corer/squeezer designed to avoid compression of the sediment and avoid oxidation and contamination of the pore water samples. Results show distinct regional trends in both surface water and pore water geochemistry. Most chemical species in surface and pore water show peak concentrations in Water Conservation Area 2A, with diminishing concentrations to the south and west into Water Conservation Area 3A, and Everglades National Park. The largest differences observed were for phosphate and sulfide, with concentrations in pore waters in Water Conservation Area 2A up to 500x higher than concentrations observed in freshwater marsh areas of Water Conservation Area 3A and Everglades National Park. Sites near the Hillsboro Canal in Water Conservation Area 2A are heavily contaminated with both phosphorus and sulfur. Pore water profiles for dissolved reactive phosphate suggest that recycling of phosphorus at these contaminated sites occurs primarily in the upper 20 cm of sediment. High levels of sulfide in pore water in Water Conservation Area 2A may inhibit mercury methylation here. At sites in Water Conservation Area 3A south of Alligator Alley, sulfide levels are much lower and sulfate reduction in the sediments here may be conducive to methyl mercury formation. Concentration versus depth profiles of biogeochemically important chemical species in pore water at most sites are smoth curves amenable to modelling using standard diagenetic equations. This should allow prediction of rates of biogeochemical processes in these sediments for incorporation in ecosystem models.

Surface-water, water-quality, and meteorological data for the Cambridge, Massachusetts, drinking-water source area, water years 2007-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Kirk P.

2011-01-01

Water samples were collected in nearly all of the subbasins in the Cambridge drinking-water source area and from Fresh Pond during the study period. Discrete water samples were collected during base-flow conditions with an antecedent dry period of at least 3 days. Composite sampl

Use of chemical and isotopic tracers to characterize the interactions between ground water and surface water in mantled karst

USGS Publications Warehouse

Katz, B.G.; Coplen, T.B.; Bullen, T.D.; Hal, Davis J.

1997-01-01

In the mantled karst terrane of northern Florida, the water quality of the Upper Floridan aquifer is influenced by the degree of connectivity between the aquifer and the surface. Chemical and isotopic analyses [18O/16O (??18O), 2H/1H (??D), 13C/12C (??13C), tritium(3H), and strontium-87/strontium-86(87Sr/86Sr)]along with geochemical mass-balance modeling were used to identify the dominant hydrochemical processes that control the composition of ground water as it evolves downgradient in two systems. In one system, surface water enters the Upper Floridan aquifer through a sinkhole located in the Northern Highlands physiographic unit. In the other system, surface water enters the aquifer through a sinkhole lake (Lake Bradford) in the Woodville Karst Plain. Differences in the composition of water isotopes (??18O and ??D) in rainfall, ground water, and surface water were used to develop mixing models of surface water (leakage of water to the Upper Floridan aquifer from a sinkhole lake and a sinkhole) and ground water. Using mass-balance calculations, based on differences in ??18O and ??D, the proportion of lake water that mixed with meteoric water ranged from 7 to 86% in water from wells located in close proximity to Lake Bradford. In deeper parts of the Upper Floridan aquifer, water enriched in 18O and D from five of 12 sampled municipal wells indicated that recharge from a sinkhole (1 to 24%) and surface water with an evaporated isotopic signature (2 to 32%) was mixing with ground water. The solute isotopes, ??13C and 87Sr/86Sr, were used to test the sensitivity of binary and ternary mixing models, and to estimate the amount of mass transfer of carbon and other dissolved species in geochemical reactions. In ground water downgradient from Lake Bradford, the dominant processes controlling carbon cycling in ground water were dissolution of carbonate minerals, aerobic degradation of organic matter, and hydrolysis of silicate minerals. In the deeper parts of the Upper Floridan aquifer, the major processes controlling the concentrations of major dissolved species included dissolution of calcite and dolomite, and degradation of organic matter under oxic conditions. The Upper Floridan aquifer is highly susceptible to contamination from activities at the land surface in the Tallahassee area. The presence of post-1950s concentrations of 3H in ground water from depths greater than 100 m below land surface indicates that water throughout much of the Upper Floridan aquifer has been recharged during the last 40 years. Even though mixing is likely between ground water and surface water in many parts of the study area, the Upper Floridan aquifer produces good quality water, which due to dilution effects shows little if any impact from trace elements or nutrients that are present in surface waters.The water quality of the Upper Floridan aquifer is influenced by the degree of connectivity between the aquifer and the surface water. Chemical and isotopic analyses, tritium, and strontium-87/strontium-86 along with geochemical mass-balance modeling were used to identify the dominant hydrochemical processes that control the composition of groundwater. Differences in the composition of water isotopes in rainfall, groundwater and surface water were used to develop mixing models of surface water and groundwater. Even though mixing is likely between groundwater and surface water in many parts of the study area, the Upper Floridan aquifer produces good quality water, showing little impact from trace elements present in surface waters.

Statistical analysis of lake levels and field study of groundwater and surface-water exchanges in the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, 2002 through 2015: Chapter A of Water levels and groundwater and surface-water exchanges in lakes of the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, 2002 through 2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Perry M.; Trost, Jared J.; Diekoff, Aliesha L.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; White, Eric A.; Erickson, Melinda L.; Morel, Daniel L.; Heck, Jessica M.

2016-10-19

Water levels declined from 2003 to 2011 in many lakes in Ramsey and Washington Counties in the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota; however, water levels in other northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area lakes increased during the same period. Groundwater and surface-water exchanges can be important in determining lake levels where these exchanges are an important component of the water budget of a lake. An understanding of groundwater and surface-water exchanges in the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area has been limited by the lack of hydrologic data. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Council and Minnesota Department of Health, completed a field and statistical study assessing lake-water levels and regional and local groundwater and surface-water exchanges near northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area lakes. This report documents the analysis of collected hydrologic, water-quality, and geophysical data; and existing hydrologic and geologic data to (1) assess the effect of physical setting and climate on lake-level fluctuations of selected lakes, (2) estimate potential percentages of surface-water contributions to well water across the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, (3) estimate general ages for waters extracted from the wells, and (4) assess groundwater inflow to lakes and lake-water outflow to aquifers downgradient from White Bear Lake. Statistical analyses of lake levels during short-term (2002–10) and long-term (1925–2014) periods were completed to help understand lake-level changes across the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Comparison of 2002–10 lake levels to several landscape and geologic characteristics explained variability in lake-level changes for 96 northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area lakes. Application of several statistical methods determined that (1) closed-basin lakes (without an active outlet) had larger lake-level declines than flow-through lakes with an outlet; (2) closed-basin lake-level changes reflected groundwater-level changes in the Quaternary, Prairie du Chien, and Jordan aquifers; (3) the installation of outlet-control structures, such as culverts and weirs, resulted in smaller multiyear lake-level changes than lakes without outlet-control structures; (4) water levels in lakes primarily overlying Superior Lobe deposits were significantly more variable than lakes primarily overlying Des Moines Lobe deposits; (5) lake-level declines were larger with increasing mean lake-level elevation; and (6) the frequency of some of these characteristics varies by landscape position. Flow-through lakes and lakes with outlet-control structures were more common in watersheds with more than 50 percent urban development compared to watersheds with less than 50 percent urban development. A comparison of two 35-year periods during 1925–2014 revealed that variability of annual mean lake levels in flow-through lakes increased when annual precipitation totals were more variable, whereas variability of annual mean lake levels in closed-basin lakes had the opposite pattern, being more variable when annual precipitation totals were less variable. Oxygen-18/oxygen-16 and hydrogen-2/hydrogen-1 ratios for water samples from 40 wells indicated the well water was a mixture of surface water and groundwater in 31 wells, whereas ratios from water sampled from 9 other wells indicated that water from these wells receive no surface-water contribution. Of the 31 wells with a mixture of surface water and groundwater, 11 were downgradient from White Bear Lake, likely receiving water from deeper parts of the lake. Age dating of water samples from wells indicated that the age of water in the Prairie du Chien and Jordan aquifers can vary widely across the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Estimated ages of recharge for 9 of the 40 wells sampled for chlorofluorocarbon concentrations ranged widely from the early 1940s to mid-1970s. The wide range in estimated ages of recharge may have resulted from the wide range in the open-interval lengths and depths for the wells.Results from stable isotope analyses of water samples, lake-sediment coring, continuous seismic-reflection profiling, and water-level and flow monitoring indicated that there is groundwater inflow from nearshore sites and lake-water outflow from deep-water sites in White Bear Lake. Continuous seismic-reflection profiling indicated that deep sections of White Bear, Pleasant, Turtle, and Big Marine Lakes have few trapped gases and little organic material, which indicates where groundwater and lake-water exchanges are more likely. Water-level differences between White Bear Lake and piezometer and seepage measurements in deep waters of the lake indicate that groundwater and lake-water exchange is happening in deep waters, predominantly downgradient from the lake and into the lake sediment. Seepage fluxes measured in the nearshore sites of White Bear Lake generally were higher than seepage fluxes measured in the deep-water sites, which indicates that groundwater-inflow rates at most of the nearshore sites are higher than lake-water outflow from the deep-water sites.

iss031e148455

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-21

ISS031-E-148455 (21 June 2012) --- Toshka Lakes in southern Egypt are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 31 crew member on the International Space Station. The Toshka Lakes (center) were formed in the Sahara Desert of Egypt by water from the River Nile conveyed from Lake Nasser by a canal to the Toshka Depression. Flooding of the Toshka Depression had created the four main lakes with a maximum surface area in 2002 of approximately 1,450 square kilometers ? around 25.26 billion cubic meters of water. By 2006 the stored water was reduced by 50 per cent and by 2012 shows open water only in the lowest parts of the main western and eastern basins?representing a reduction in surface area to 307 square kilometers?nearly 80 per cent smaller than the 2002 surface area. Standing water is almost completely absent from the central basin. From space, astronauts documented the first lake?the easternmost one?in 1998. The lakes progressively grew in depressions to the west, the westernmost filling between 2000 and 2001. This image shows lines of center-point agricultural fields near the east-basin lake nearest Lake Nasser. Sunglint on the western lake makes the water surface appear both light and dark, depending on which parts of the surface were ruffled by the wind at the moment the image was taken.

Surface and Active Layer Pore Water Chemistry from Ice Wedge Polygons, Barrow, Alaska, 2013-2014

DOE Data Explorer

David E. Graham; Baohua Gu; Elizabeth M. Herndon; Stan D. Wullschleger; Ziming Yang; Liyuan Liang

2016-11-10

This data set reports the results of spatial surveys of aqueous geochemistry conducted at Intensive Site 1 of the Barrow Environmental Observatory in 2013 and 2014 (Herndon et al., 2015). Surface water and soil pore water samples were collected from multiple depths within the tundra active layer of different microtopographic features (troughs, ridges, center) of a low-centered polygon (area A), high-centered polygon (area B), flat-centered polygon (area C), and transitional polygon (area D). Reported analytes include dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, dissolved carbon dioxide and methane, major inorganic anions, and major and minor cations.

On the methane paradox: Transport from shallow water zones rather than in situ methanogenesis is the major source of CH4 in the open surface water of lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Encinas Fernández, Jorge; Peeters, Frank; Hofmann, Hilmar

2016-10-01

Estimates of global methane (CH4) emissions from lakes and the contributions of different pathways are currently under debate. In situ methanogenesis linked to algae growth was recently suggested to be the major source of CH4 fluxes from aquatic systems. However, based on our very large data set on CH4 distributions within lakes, we demonstrate here that methane-enriched water from shallow water zones is the most likely source of the basin-wide mean CH4 concentrations in the surface water of lakes. Consistently, the mean surface CH4 concentrations are significantly correlated with the ratio between the surface area of the shallow water zone and the entire lake, fA,s/t, but not with the total surface area. The categorization of CH4 fluxes according to fA,s/t may therefore improve global estimates of CH4 emissions from lakes. Furthermore, CH4 concentrations increase substantially with water temperature, indicating that seasonally resolved data are required to accurately estimate annual CH4 emissions.

Surface water records of New Mexico, water year 1961

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1962-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1961 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of New Mexico are given in this report. For convenience there are also included for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey, under the direction of W. L. Heckler, district engineer, Surface Water Branch. This report marks the beginning of a new method of presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U. S. Geological Survey water supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there has been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in New Mexico were contained in Parts 7, 8, and 9 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports On a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey watersupply paper at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of conterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Surface water records of Indiana, 1962

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1962-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1962 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Indiana are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of Malcolm D. Hale, district engineer, Surface Water Branch. This report marks the beginning of a new method of presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Indiana were contained in Parts 3A, 4 and 5 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of coterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Surface water records of Indiana, 1963

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1963-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1963 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Indiana are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of Malcolm D. Hale, district engineer, Surface Water Branch. This report marks the beginning of a new method of presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Indiana were contained in Parts 3A, 4 and 5 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of coterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Surface water records of Indiana, 1964

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1964-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1964 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Indiana are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of Malcolm D. Hale, district engineer, Surface Water Branch. This report marks the beginning of a new method of presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Indiana were contained in Parts 3A, 4 and 5 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of coterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Surface water records of Indiana, 1961

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1961-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1961 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Indiana are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of Malcolm D. Hale, district engineer, Surface Water Branch. This report marks the beginning of a new method of presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Indiana were contained in Parts 3A, 4 and 5 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of coterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Review of Selected References and Data sets on Ambient Ground- and Surface-Water Quality in the Metedeconk River, Toms River, and Kettle Creek Basins, New Jersey, 1980-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholson, Robert S.; Hunchak-Kariouk, Kathryn; Cauller, Stephen J.

2003-01-01

Surface water and ground water from unconfined aquifers are the primary sources of drinking water for much of the population, about 391,000, in the Metedeconk River, Toms River, and Kettle Creek watersheds in the New Jersey Coastal Plain. The quality of these sources of drinking water is a concern because they are vulnerable to contamination. Indications of the occurrence, distribution, and likely sources and transport mechanisms of certain contaminants were obtained from 48 selected reports and 2 selected data sets on water quality in or near the watersheds (1980-2001). These indications are described and briefly summarized in this report. The findings of studies on ground-water quality indicate that shallow ground water within the study area generally meets primary drinking-water standards, with notable exceptions. Volatile organic compounds, mercury, arsenic, radionuclides, nitrate, and coliform bacteria have been detected in shallow ground water in some areas at levels that exceed Federal and State drinking-water standards. For example, results of analyses of untreated samples collected from more than 13,000 private wells during 1983-99 indicated that concentrations of volatile organic compounds in samples from 7.3 percent of the wells exceeded at least 1 of 11 drinking-water standards, according to records maintained by the Ocean County Health Department. In cases of exceedances, however, water treatment, well replacement, and (or) retesting assured that applicable drinking-water standards were being met at the tap. Reported concentrations of the pesticide chlordane in some areas exceeded the drinking-water standard; few data are available on the occurrence of other pesticides. Studies of nearby areas, however, indicate that pesticide concentrations generally could be expected to be below drinking-water standards. The combination of low pH and low dissolved solids in many areas results in shallow ground water that is highly corrosive and, if untreated, able to leach trace elements and release asbestos fibers from plumbing materials. Reported concentrations of nitrate, volatile organic compounds, trace elements, and pesticides in samples from the monitored mainstem and tributary streams within the study area generally are below maximum contaminant levels for drinking water or below detection limits. Results of studies in other areas indicate that pesticide concentrations in surface water could be considerably higher during high flows soon after the application of pesticides to crops than during low flows. Fecal coliform bacteria counts in streams vary considerably. Concentrations or counts of these classes of surface-water-quality constituents likely are functions of the intensity and type of upstream development. Results of limited monitoring for radionuclide concentrations reported by the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority of the Metedeconk River indicate that radionuclide concentrations or activities do not exceed maximum contaminant levels for drinking water. As a consequence of organic matter in surface water, the formati ultraviolet absorbance in samples from the Metedeconk River and the Toms River exceeded the alternative compliance criteria for source water (2.0 milligrams per liter for total organic carbon and 0.02 absorbance units-liters per milligram-centimeter for specific ultraviolet absorbance) with respect to treatment requirements for preventing elevated concentrations of disinfection by-products in treated water. Water-quality and treatment issues associated with use of ground and surface water for potable supply in the study area are related to human activities and naturally occurring factors. Additional monitoring and analysis of ground and surface water would be needed to determine conclusively the occurrence and distribution of some contaminants and the relative importance of various potential contaminant sources, transport and attenuation mechanisms, and transport pathways.

Storm water contamination and its effect on the quality of urban surface waters.

PubMed

Barałkiewicz, Danuta; Chudzińska, Maria; Szpakowska, Barbara; Świerk, Dariusz; Gołdyn, Ryszard; Dondajewska, Renata

2014-10-01

We studied the effect of storm water drained by the sewerage system and discharged into a river and a small reservoir, on the example of five catchments located within the boundaries of the city of Poznań (Poland). These catchments differed both in terms of their surface area and land use (single- and multi-family housing, industrial areas). The aim of the analyses was to explain to what extent pollutants found in storm water runoff from the studied catchments affected the quality of surface waters and whether it threatened the aquatic organisms. Only some of the 14 studied variables and 22 chemical elements were important for the water quality of the river, i.e., pH, TSS, rain intensity, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, organic matter content, Al, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Cd, Ni, Se, and Tl. The most serious threat to biota in the receiver came from the copper contamination of storm water runoff. Of all samples below the sewerage outflow, 74% exceeded the mean acute value for Daphnia species. Some of them exceeded safe concentrations for other aquatic organisms. Only the outlet from the industrial area with the highest impervious surface had a substantial influence on the water quality of the river. A reservoir situated in the river course had an important influence on the elimination of storm water pollution, despite the very short residence time of its water.

Tracking fine-scale seasonal evolution of surface water extent in Central Alaska and the Canadian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooley, S. W.; Smith, L. C.; Pitcher, L. H.; Pavelsky, T.; Topp, S.

2017-12-01

Quantifying spatial and temporal variability in surface water storage at high latitudes is critical for assessing environmental sensitivity to climate change. Traditionally the tradeoff between high spatial and high temporal resolution space-borne optical imagery has limited the ability to track fine-scale changes in surface water extent. However, the recent launch of hundreds of earth-imaging CubeSats by commercial satellite companies such as Planet opens up new possibilities for monitoring surface water from space. In this study we present a comparison of seasonal evolution of surface water extent in two study areas with differing geologic, hydrologic and permafrost regimes, namely, the Yukon Flats in Central Alaska and the Canadian Shield north of Yellowknife, N.W.T. Using near-daily 3m Planet CubeSat imagery, we track individual lake surface area from break-up to freeze-up during summer 2017 and quantify the spatial and temporal variability in inundation extent. We validate our water delineation method and inundation extent time series using WorldView imagery, coincident in situ lake shoreline mapping and pressure transducer data for 19 lakes in the Northwest Territories and Alaska collected during the NASA Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) 2017 field campaign. The results of this analysis demonstrate the value of CubeSat imagery for dynamic surface water research particularly at high latitudes and illuminate fine-scale drivers of cold regions surface water extent.

Evaluation of methods for delineating areas that contribute water to wells completed in valley-fill aquifers in Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Risser, Dennis W.; Madden, Thomas M.

1994-01-01

Valley-fill aquifers in Pennsylvania are the source of drinking water for many wells in the glaciated parts of the State and along major river valleys. These aquifers area subject to contamination because of their shallow water-table depth and highly transmissive sediments. The possibility for contamination of water-supply wells in valley-fill aquifers can be minimized by excluding activities that could contaminate areas that contribute water to supply wells. An area that contributes water to a well is identified in this report as either an area of diversion, time-of-travel area, or contributing area. The area of diversion is a projection to land surface of the valley-fill aquifer volume through which water is diverted to a well and the time-of travel area is that fraction of the area of diversion through which water moves to the well in a specified time. The contributing area, the largest of three areas, includes the area of diversion but also incorporates bedrock uplands and other area that contribute water. Methods for delineating areas of diversion and contributing areas in valley-fill aquifers, described and compared in order of increasing complexity, include fixed radius, uniform flow, analytical, semianalytical, and numerical modeling. Delineated areas are considered approximations because the hydraulic properties and boundary conditions of the real ground-water system are simplified even in the most complex numerical methods. Successful application of any of these methods depends on the investigator's understanding of the hydrologic system in and near the well field, and the limitations of the method. The hydrologic system includes not only the valley-fill aquifer but also the regional surface-water and ground-water flow systems within which the valley is situated. As shown by numerical flow simulations of a well field in the valley-fill aquifer along Marsh Creek Valley near Asaph, Pa., water from upland bedrock sources can provide nearly all the water contributed to the well.

Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow and land-surface subsidence in the northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kasmarek, Mark C.; Robinson, James L.

2004-01-01

As a part of the Texas Water Development Board Ground- Water Availability Modeling program, the U.S. Geological Survey developed and tested a numerical finite-difference (MODFLOW) model to simulate ground-water flow and land-surface subsidence in the northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer system in Texas from predevelopment (before 1891) through 2000. The model is intended to be a tool that water-resource managers can use to address future ground-water-availability issues.From land surface downward, the Chicot aquifer, the Evangeline aquifer, the Burkeville confining unit, the Jasper aquifer, and the Catahoula confining unit are the hydrogeologic units of the Gulf Coast aquifer system. Withdrawals of large quantities of ground water have resulted in potentiometric surface (head) declines in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and land-surface subsidence (primarily in the Houston area) from depressurization and compaction of clay layers interbedded in the aquifer sediments. In a generalized conceptual model of the aquifer system, water enters the ground-waterflow system in topographically high outcrops of the hydrogeologic units in the northwestern part of the approximately 25,000-square-mile model area. Water that does not discharge to streams flows to intermediate and deep zones of the system southeastward of the outcrop areas where it is discharged by wells and by upward leakage in topographically low areas near the coast. The uppermost parts of the aquifer system, which include outcrop areas, are under water-table conditions. As depth increases in the aquifer system and as interbedded sand and clay accumulate, water-table conditions evolve into confined conditions.The model comprises four layers, one for each of the hydrogeologic units of the aquifer system except the Catahoula confining unit, the assumed no-flow base of the system. Each layer consists of 137 rows and 245 columns of uniformly spaced grid blocks, each block representing 1 square mile. Lateral no-flow boundaries were located on the basis of outcrop extent (northwestern), major streams (southwestern, northeastern), and downdip limit of freshwater (southeastern). The MODFLOW general-head boundary package was used to simulate recharge and discharge in the outcrops of the hydrogeologic units. Simulation of land-surface subsidence (actually, compaction of clays) and release of water from storage in the clays of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers was accomplished using the Interbed-Storage Package designed for use with the MODFLOW model. The model was calibrated by trial-anderror adjustment of selected model input data in a series of transient simulations until the model output (potentiometric surfaces, land-surface subsidence, and selected water-budget components) reasonably reproduced field measured (or estimated) aquifer responses.Model calibration comprised four elements: The first was qualitative comparison of simulated and measured heads in the aquifers for 1977 and 2000; and quantitative comparison by computation and areal distribution of the root-mean-square error between simulated and measured heads. The second calibration element was comparison of simulated and measured hydrographs from wells in the aquifers in a number of counties throughout the modeled area. The third calibration element was comparison of simulated water-budget componentsprimarily recharge and dischargeto estimates of physically reasonable ranges of actual water-budget components. The fourth calibration element was comparison of simulated land-surface subsidence from predevelopment to 2000 to measured land surface subsidence from 1906 through 1995.

Simulation of the Regional Ground-Water-Flow System and Ground-Water/Surface-Water Interaction in the Rock River Basin, Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Juckem, Paul F.

2009-01-01

A regional, two-dimensional, areal ground-water-flow model was developed to simulate the ground-water-flow system and ground-water/surface-water interaction in the Rock River Basin. The model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Rock River Coalition. The objectives of the regional model were to improve understanding of the ground-water-flow system and to develop a tool suitable for evaluating the effects of potential regional water-management programs. The computer code GFLOW was used because of the ease with which the model can simulate ground-water/surface-water interactions, provide a framework for simulating regional ground-water-flow systems, and be refined in a stepwise fashion to incorporate new data and simulate ground-water-flow patterns at multiple scales. The ground-water-flow model described in this report simulates the major hydrogeologic features of the modeled area, including bedrock and surficial aquifers, ground-water/surface-water interactions, and ground-water withdrawals from high-capacity wells. The steady-state model treats the ground-water-flow system as a single layer with hydraulic conductivity and base elevation zones that reflect the distribution of lithologic groups above the Precambrian bedrock and a regionally significant confining unit, the Maquoketa Formation. In the eastern part of the Basin where the shale-rich Maquoketa Formation is present, deep ground-water flow in the sandstone aquifer below the Maquoketa Formation was not simulated directly, but flow into this aquifer was incorporated into the GFLOW model from previous work in southeastern Wisconsin. Recharge was constrained primarily by stream base-flow estimates and was applied uniformly within zones guided by regional infiltration estimates for soils. The model includes average ground-water withdrawals from 1997 to 2006 for municipal wells and from 1997 to 2005 for high-capacity irrigation, industrial, and commercial wells. In addition, the model routes tributary base flow through the river network to the Rock River. The parameter-estimation code PEST was linked to the GFLOW model to select the combination of parameter values best able to match more than 8,000 water-level measurements and base-flow estimates at 9 streamgages. Results from the calibrated GFLOW model show simulated (1) ground-water-flow directions, (2) ground-water/surface-water interactions, as depicted in a map of gaining and losing river and lake sections, (3) ground-water contributing areas for selected tributary rivers, and (4) areas of relatively local ground water captured by rivers. Ground-water flow patterns are controlled primarily by river geometries, with most river sections gaining water from the ground-water-flow system; losing sections are most common on the downgradient shore of lakes and reservoirs or near major pumping centers. Ground-water contributing areas to tributary rivers generally coincide with surface watersheds; however the locations of ground-water divides are controlled by the water table, whereas surface-water divides are controlled by surface topography. Finally, areas of relatively local ground water captured by rivers generally extend upgradient from rivers but are modified by the regional flow pattern, such that these areas tend to shift toward regional ground-water divides for relatively small rivers. It is important to recognize the limitations of this regional-scale model. Heterogeneities in subsurface properties and in recharge rates are considered only at a very broad scale (miles to tens of miles). No account is taken of vertical variations in properties or pumping rates, and no provision is made to account for stacked ground-water-flow systems that have different flow patterns at different depths. Small-scale flow systems (hundreds to thousands of feet) associated with minor water bodies are not considered; as a result, the model is not currently designed for simulating site-specifi

Assessment of water resources and the potential effects from oil and gas development in the Bureau of Land Management Tri-County planning area, Sierra, Doña Ana, and Otero Counties, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blake, Johanna M.; Miltenberger, Keely; Stewart, Anne M.; Ritchie, Andre; Montoya, Jennifer; Durr, Corey; McHugh, Amy; Charles, Emmanuel

2018-02-07

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, conducted a study to assess the water resources and potential effects on the water resources from oil and gas development in the Tri-County planning area, Sierra, Doña Ana, and Otero Counties, New Mexico. Publicly available data were used to assess these resources and effects and to identify data gaps in the Tri-County planning area.The Tri-County planning area includes approximately 9.3 million acres and is within the eastern extent of the Basin and Range Province, which consists of mountain ranges and low elevation basins. Three specific areas of interest within the Tri-County planning area are the Jornada del Muerto, Tularosa Basin, and Otero Mesa, which is adjacent to the Salt Basin. Surface-water resources are limited in the Tri-County planning area, with the Rio Grande as the main perennial river flowing from north to south through Sierra and Doña Ana Counties. The Tularosa Creek is an important surface-water resource in the Tularosa Basin. The Sacramento River, which flows southeast out of the Sacramento Mountains, is an important source of recharge to aquifers in the Salt Basin. Groundwater resources vary in aquifer type, depth to water, and water quality. For example, the Jornada del Muerto, Tularosa Basin, and Salt Basin each have shallow and deep aquifer systems, and water can range from freshwater, with less than 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of total dissolved solids, to brine, with greater than 35,000 mg/L of total dissolved solids. Water quality in the Tri-County planning area is affected by the dissolution of salt deposits and evaporation which are common in arid regions such as southern New Mexico. The potential for oil and gas development exists in several areas within the Tri-County area. As many as 81 new conventional wells and 25 coalbed natural gas wells could be developed by 2035. Conventional oil and gas well construction in the Tri-County planning area is expected to require 1.53 acre-feet (acre-ft) (500,000 gallons) of water per well, similar to requirements in the nearby Permian Basin of New Mexico, while construction of unconventional wells is expected to require 7.3 acre-ft of water per well. Produced waters in the Permian Basin have high total dissolved solids, in the brackish to brine range.Data gaps identified in this study include the limited detailed data on surface-water resources, the lack of groundwater data in areas of interest, and the lack of water chemistry data related to oil and gas development issues. Surface waters in the Tri-County planning area are sparse; some streams are perennial, and most are ephemeral. A more detailed study of the ephemeral channels and their interaction with groundwater could provide a better understanding of the importance of these surface-water resources. Groundwater data used in this study are from the USGS National Water Information System, which does not have continuous water-level depth data at many of the sites in the Tri-County planning area. On Otero Mesa, no recurrent groundwater-level data are available at any one site. The water-quality data compiled in this study provide a good overview of the general chemistry of groundwater in the Tri-County planning area. To fully understand the groundwater resources, it would be helpful to have more wells in specific areas of interest for groundwater-level and water-quality measurements.

A review on the sources and spatial-temporal distributions of Pb in Jiaozhou Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Dongfang; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Ming; Zhu, Sixi; Wu, Yunjie

2017-12-01

This paper provided a review on the source, spatial-distribution, temporal variations of Pb in Jiaozhou Bay based on investigation of Pb in surface and waters in different seasons during 1979-1983. The source strengths of Pb sources in Jiaozhou Bay were showing increasing trends, and the pollution level of Pb in this bay was slight or moderate in the early stage of reform and opening-up. Pb contents in the marine bay were mainly determined by the strength and frequency of Pb inputs from human activities, and Pb could be moving from high content areas to low content areas in the ocean interior. Surface waters in the ocean was polluted by human activities, and bottom waters was polluted by means of vertical water’s effect. The process of spatial distribution of Pb in waters was including three steps, i.e., 1), Pb was transferring to surface waters in the bay, 2) Pb was transferring to surface waters, and 3) Pb was transferring to and accumulating in bottom waters.

Connection Zones, Surface Water - Groundwater: Aquifers Associated To Niger Central Delta, In Mali.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kone, S.

2016-12-01

Surface water infiltration recharging Mali aquifers occurs through, underlying perched hydrogeological networks, lacustrine zones of the Central Delta or inundation valleys. The mapping of both the Surface water and the Groundwater, their types and availabilities, are briefly presented, and the focus of the study is on the types of hydraulic connections between these water bodies. The aquifers hydraulically connected to the Niger Central Delta flows systems are Continental Terminal/Quaternary, and they concern some areas where either inundation or perennial surface water flow occurs. These aquifers belong to the hydrogeological Unit of Central Delta where the recharge by surface water is estimated to be five percent of the flow loss between the entry and the outlet of this hydrological system. Some attempts of simulation along with a review based on the first studies synthetized in "Synthese Hydrogeologique du Mali" would permit to pave the way to other studies on these hydraulically connected zones in Mali. A previews simulation study, about mapping the potential rate of pumping capacity, corroborates some observed structural characteristics and leads to subdivide the area in two hydrogeological sectors, and the present simulation studies focus on the sector "Macina -Diaka" where surface water are in hydraulic relation with groundwater.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and Vicinity, Florida, May 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinnaman, Sandra L.; Dixon, Joann F.

2009-01-01

This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for May 2009. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 625 wells during the period May 14 - May 29, near the end of the dry season. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to groundwater withdrawals and spring flow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Groundwater withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Groundwater in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Modeling Linkages Between Effective Impervious Surface and Urban Vegetation Productivity in Semi-arid Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shields, C. A.; Tague, C.

2010-12-01

With a majority of the world's population now living in urban areas, the role of vegetation in urban ecosystems warrants increased attention. We address the question of how the fine scale (<5m) spatial arrangement of impervious surfaces affects water available to vegetation, which in turn can significantly impact the productivity of vegetation and uptake of C and N. To gain insight into how landscape features influence vegetation productivity, we use a coupled ecohydrogic model to estimate impacts of the amount and arrangement of impervious surfaces on vegetation water use. We use the model to explore how concepts from research in natural semi-arid ecosystems can be applied in the urban context. Ecological research in semi-arid ecosystems has shown that the arrangement of vegetated and bare surfaces plays a key role in regulating both runoff and ecosystem water use and productivity. Systems that include a mixture of bare and vegetated surfaces, for example, tend to show less runoff and more productivity than those with more homogeneous cover. In some instances, patchiness of bare and vegetated surfaces is more important than total vegetated area in determining rates of runoff and vegetation use of rainfall. In an urban context, impervious surfaces can be viewed as analogous to the bare surfaces present in undeveloped ecosystems. We consider not only the total impervious area (TIA), but also the effect of impervious area with a direct hydrologic connection to the stream network, effective impervious area (EIA). While increases in total impervious area (TIA) have been widely shown to impact catchment hydrology, the role of effective impervious area (EIA) has been less extensively studied. A consensus is emerging from the literature that EIA is as important or even more important than TIA as an indicator of catchment response to urbanization. Ecohydrologic models offer a tool to quantify the role of EIA on water availability and plant productivity and demonstrate the potential of urban areas to act as C or N sinks (and minimize the impacts such as increased storm runoff and degraded downstream water quality). We explore the relative roles of TIA and EIA on water availability and plant productivity in a semi-arid urban environment through a series of modeling exercises. The Regional HydroEcological Simulation System (RHESSys) is used to model a range of impervious surface and vegetation scenarios on a test hillslope in the Mission Creek catchment in Santa Barbara CA. Results indicate that reduced EIA can indeed act to mitigate the impact of TIA on water available to plants. We then implement a modification to the RHESSys model that incorporates patch scale estimates of EIA into simulations of the entire Mission Creek catchment, allowing us to quantify likely catchment-scale impacts of altering EIA.

Water resources in the area of Snyderville Basin and Park City in Summit County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Susong, David D.; Brooks, Lynette E.; Mason, James L.

1998-01-01

Ground water is the primary source of water for residents living in the area of Synderville Basin and Park City in Summit County, Utah. Rapid residential and commercial development are placing increased demands on the ground-water resources in the area and increased ground-water withdrawals could affect appropriated surface-water resources. The quantity and quality of water in the area were assessed during 1993-97 in a study done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights; Park City; Summit County; and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. This fact sheet presents a synopsis of the eports prepared for that study. Data collected during the 1994 and 1995 water years are presented in Downhour and Brooks (1996). A water year extends from October through September rather than January through December of a calendar year. Streamflow and surface-water quality; ground- water recharge, movement, discharge, and quality; water budgets; and snowmelt simulations are described in Brooks, Mason, and Susong (1998). The purpose of the study was to provide the Utah Division of Water Rights with data to assist them in- making water management decisions.

Descriptions and characterizations of water-level data and groundwater flow for the Brewster Boulevard and Castle Hayne Aquifer Systems and the Tarawa Terrace Aquifer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Faye, Robert E.; Jones, L. Elliott; Suárez-Soto, René J.

2013-01-01

This supplement of Chapter A (Supplement 3) summarizes results of analyses of groundwater-level data and describes corresponding elements of groundwater flow such as vertical hydraulic gradients useful for groundwater-flow model calibration. Field data as well as theoretical concepts indicate that potentiometric surfaces within the study area are shown to resemble to a large degree a subdued replica of surface topography. Consequently, precipitation that infiltrates to the water table flows laterally from highland to lowland areas and eventually discharges to streams such as Northeast and Wallace Creeks and New River. Vertically downward hydraulic gradients occur in highland areas resulting in the transfer of groundwater from shallow relatively unconfined aquifers to underlying confined or semi-confined aquifers. Conversely, in the vicinity of large streams such as Wallace and Frenchs Creeks, diffuse upward leakage occurs from underlying confined or semi-confined aquifers. Point water-level data indicating water-table altitudes, water-table altitudes estimated using a regression equation, and estimates of stream levels determined from a digital elevation model (DEM) and topographic maps were used to estimate a predevelopment water-table surface in the study area. Approximate flow lines along hydraulic gradients are shown on a predevelopment potentiometric surface map and extend from highland areas where potentiometric levels are greatest toward streams such as Wallace Creek and Northeast Creek. The distribution of potentiometric levels and corresponding groundwater-flow directions conform closely to related descriptions of the conceptual model.

Perfluoroalkyl acids in surface waters and tapwater in the Qiantang River watershed-Influences from paper, textile, and leather industries.

PubMed

Lu, Guo-Hui; Gai, Nan; Zhang, Peng; Piao, Hai-Tao; Chen, Shu; Wang, Xiao-Chun; Jiao, Xing-Chun; Yin, Xiao-Cai; Tan, Ke-Yan; Yang, Yong-Liang

2017-10-01

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widely used as multi-purpose surfactants or water/oil repellents. In order to understand the contamination level and compositional profiles of PFAAs in aqueous environment in textile, leather, and paper making industrial areas, surface waters and tap waters were collected along the watershed of the Qiantang River where China's largest textile, leather, and paper making industrial bases are located. For comparison, surface water and tapwater samples were also collected in Hangzhou and its adjacent areas. 17 PFAAs were analyzed by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results show that the total concentrations of PFAAs (ΣPFAAs) in the Qiantang River waters ranged from 106.1 to 322.9 ng/L, averaging 164.2 ng/L. The contamination levels have been found to be extremely high, comparable to the levels of the most serious PFAA contamination in surface waters of China. The PFAA composition profiles were characterized by the dominant PFOA (average 58.1% of the total PFAAs), and PFHxA (average 18.8%). The ΣPFAAs in tap water ranged from 9.5 to 174.8 ng/L, showing PFAA compositional pattern similar to the surface waters. Good correlations between PFAA composition profiles in tap waters and the surface waters were observed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Baseline Monitoring of the Western Arctic Ocean Estimates 20% of Canadian Basin Surface Waters Are Undersaturated with Respect to Aragonite

PubMed Central

Robbins, Lisa L.; Wynn, Jonathan G.; Lisle, John T.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Knorr, Paul O.; Byrne, Robert H.; Liu, Xuewu; Patsavas, Mark C.; Azetsu-Scott, Kumiko; Takahashi, Taro

2013-01-01

Marine surface waters are being acidified due to uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, resulting in surface ocean areas of undersaturation with respect to carbonate minerals, including aragonite. In the Arctic Ocean, acidification is expected to occur at an accelerated rate with respect to the global oceans, but a paucity of baseline data has limited our understanding of the extent of Arctic undersaturation and of regional variations in rates and causes. The lack of data has also hindered refinement of models aimed at projecting future trends of ocean acidification. Here, based on more than 34,000 data records collected in 2010 and 2011, we establish a baseline of inorganic carbon data (pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and aragonite saturation index) for the western Arctic Ocean. This data set documents aragonite undersaturation in ∼20% of the surface waters of the combined Canada and Makarov basins, an area characterized by recent acceleration of sea ice loss. Conservative tracer studies using stable oxygen isotopic data from 307 sites show that while the entire surface of this area receives abundant freshwater from meteoric sources, freshwater from sea ice melt is most closely linked to the areas of carbonate mineral undersaturation. These data link the Arctic Ocean’s largest area of aragonite undersaturation to sea ice melt and atmospheric CO2 absorption in areas of low buffering capacity. Some relatively supersaturated areas can be linked to localized biological activity. Collectively, these observations can be used to project trends of ocean acidification in higher latitude marine surface waters where inorganic carbon chemistry is largely influenced by sea ice meltwater. PMID:24040074

Baseline monitoring of the western Arctic Ocean estimates 20% of the Canadian Basin surface waters are undersaturated with respect to aragonite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robbins, Lisa L.; Wynn, Jonathan G.; Lisle, John T.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Knorr, Paul O.; Byrne, Robert H.; Liu, Xuewu; Patsavas, Mark C.; Azetsu-Scott, Kumiko; Takahashi, Taro

2013-01-01

Marine surface waters are being acidified due to uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, resulting in surface ocean areas of undersaturation with respect to carbonate minerals, including aragonite. In the Arctic Ocean, acidification is expected to occur at an accelerated rate with respect to the global oceans, but a paucity of baseline data has limited our understanding of the extent of Arctic undersaturation and of regional variations in rates and causes. The lack of data has also hindered refinement of models aimed at projecting future trends of ocean acidification. Here, based on more than 34,000 data records collected in 2010 and 2011, we establish a baseline of inorganic carbon data (pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and aragonite saturation index) for the western Arctic Ocean. This data set documents aragonite undersaturation in ~20% of the surface waters of the combined Canada and Makarov basins, an area characterized by recent acceleration of sea ice loss. Conservative tracer studies using stable oxygen isotopic data from 307 sites show that while the entire surface of this area receives abundant freshwater from meteoric sources, freshwater from sea ice melt is most closely linked to the areas of carbonate mineral undersaturation. These data link the Arctic Ocean’s largest area of aragonite undersaturation to sea ice melt and atmospheric CO2 absorption in areas of low buffering capacity. Some relatively supersaturated areas can be linked to localized biological activity. Collectively, these observations can be used to project trends of ocean acidification in higher latitude marine surface waters where inorganic carbon chemistry is largely influenced by sea ice meltwater.

Aquatic adaptations in the nose of carnivorans: evidence from the turbinates

PubMed Central

Van Valkenburgh, Blaire; Curtis, Abigail; Samuels, Joshua X; Bird, Deborah; Fulkerson, Brian; Meachen-Samuels, Julie; Slater, Graham J

2011-01-01

Inside the mammalian nose lies a labyrinth of bony plates covered in epithelium collectively known as turbinates. Respiratory turbinates lie anteriorly and aid in heat and water conservation, while more posterior olfactory turbinates function in olfaction. Previous observations on a few carnivorans revealed that aquatic species have relatively large, complex respiratory turbinates and greatly reduced olfactory turbinates compared with terrestrial species. Body heat is lost more quickly in water than air and increased respiratory surface area likely evolved to minimize heat loss. At the same time, olfactory surface area probably diminished due to a decreased reliance on olfaction when foraging under water. To explore how widespread these adaptations are, we documented scaling of respiratory and olfactory turbinate surface area with body size in a variety of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine carnivorans, including pinnipeds, mustelids, ursids, and procyonids. Surface areas were estimated from high-resolution CT scans of dry skulls, a novel approach that enabled a greater sampling of taxa than is practical with fresh heads. Total turbinate, respiratory, and olfactory surface areas correlate well with body size (r2 ≥ 0.7), and are relatively smaller in larger species. Relative to body mass or skull length, aquatic species have significantly less olfactory surface area than terrestrial species. Furthermore, the ratio of olfactory to respiratory surface area is associated with habitat. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we found strong support for convergence on 1 : 3 proportions in aquatic taxa and near the inverse in terrestrial taxa, indicating that aquatic mustelids and pinnipeds independently acquired similar proportions of olfactory to respiratory turbinates. Constraints on turbinate surface area in the nasal chamber may result in a trade-off between respiratory and olfactory function in aquatic mammals. PMID:21198587

Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 7, Idaho, Oregon, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitehead, R.L.

1994-01-01

The States of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, which total 248,730 square miles, compose Segment 7 of this Atlas. The area is geologically and topographically diverse and contains a wealth of scenic beauty, natural resources, and ground and surface water that generally are suitable for all uses. Most of the area of Segment 7 is drained by the Columbia River, its tributaries, and other streams that discharge to the Pacific Ocean. Exceptions are those streams that flow to closed basins in southeastern Oregon and northern Nevada and to the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah. The Columbia River is one of the largest rivers in the Nation. The downstream reach of the Columbia River forms most of the border between Oregon and Washington. In 1990, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington had populations of 1.0 million, 2.8 million, and 4.9 million, respectively. The more densely populated parts are in lowland areas and stream valleys. Many of the mountains, the deserts, and the upland areas of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington lack major population centers. Large areas of Idaho and Oregon are uninhabited and are mostly public land (fig. 1) where extensive ground-water development is restricted. Surface water is abundant in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, though not always available when and where needed. In some places, surface water provides much of the water used for public-supply, domestic and commercial, agricultural (primarily irrigation and livestock watering), and industrial purposes. In arid parts of Segment 7, however, surface water has long been fully appropriated, chiefly for irrigation. Ground water is used when and where surface-water supplies are lacking. Ground water is commonly available to shallow wells that are completed in unconsolidated-deposit aquifers that consist primarily of sand and gravel but contain variable quantities of clay and silt. Many large-yield public-supply and irrigation wells and thousands of domestic wells are completed in these types of aquifers, generally in areas of privately owned land (fig. 1). In many places, deeper wells produce water from underlying volcanic rocks, usually basalt. Most irrigation (fig. 2) is on lowlands next to streams and on adjacent terraces. Generally, lowlands within a few miles of a main stream are irrigated with surface water diverted by gravity flow from the main stream or a reservoir and distributed through a system of canals and ditches. In some areas, water is pumped to irrigate lands farther from the stream at a higher altitude. Along the Snake and Columbia Rivers, large pumping systems withdraw billions of gallons of water per day from the rivers to irrigate adjacent uplands that are more than 500 feet higher than the rivers. Elsewhere, irrigation water is obtained from large-capacity wells, where depth to water might exceed 500 feet below land surface. Aquifers in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, as in most other States, differ considerably in thickness and permeability, and well yields differ accordingly. Ground-water levels in a few areas have declined as a result of withdrawals by wells. State governments have taken steps to alleviate declines in some areas by enacting programs that either limit the number of additional wells that can be completed in a particular aquifer (Ground-Water Management Area) or prevent further ground-water development (Critical Ground-Water Area). Segment 7 includes some of the driest parts of the Nation, as well as some of the wettest. Average annual precipitation (1951-80) ranges from less than 10 inches in arid parts of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to more than 80 inches in the western parts of Oregon and Washington (fig. 3). Most storms generally move eastward through the area. The eastward-moving air absorbs the moisture that evaporates from the Pacific Ocean. As this air encounters the fronts of mountain ranges, it rises, cools, and condenses. Accordingly, the western sides of the mountain ranges receive the most precipitation. Much of the annual precipitation moves directly to streams as overland runoff. Some of the precipitation is returned to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration, which is the combination of evaporation from the surface and transpiration from the plants. A small part of the precipitation infiltrates the soil and percolates downward to recharge underlying aquifers. Average annual runoff ( 1951-80) in the segment varies considerably (fig. 4), and the distribution of the runoff generally parallels that of precipitation. In the arid and the semiarid parts of Segment 7, most precipitation replenishes soil moisture, evaporates, or is transpired by vegetation. Little is left to maintain streamflow or to recharge aquifers. In the wetter parts, much of the precipitation runs off the land surface to maintain streamflow, and because evaporation is usually less in wetter areas, more water is available to recharge aquifers. Precipitation that falls as snow generally does not become runoff until spring thaws begin. Reservoirs constructed on major streams to mitigate flooding and to store water for irrigation, hydroelectric-power generation, and recreation also affect the timing of runoff. The runoff is stored and subsequently released during drier periods to maintain downstream flow.

Effect of seasonal and long-term changes in stress on sources of water to wells

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reilly, Thomas E.; Pollock, David W.

1995-01-01

The source of water to wells is ultimately the location where the water flowing to a well enters the boundary surface of the ground-water system . In ground-water systems that receive most of their water from areal recharge, the location of the water entering the system is at the water table . The area contributing recharge to a discharging well is the surface area that defines the location of the water entering the groundwater system. Water entering the system at the water table flows to the well and is eventually discharged from the well. Many State agencies are currently (1994) developing wellhead-protection programs. The thrust of some of these programs is to protect water supplies by determining the areas contributing recharge to water-supply wells and by specifying regulations to minimize the opportunity for contamination of the recharge water by activities at the land surface. In the analyses of ground-water flow systems, steady-state average conditions are frequently used to simplify the problem and make a solution tractable. Recharge is usually cyclic in nature, however, having seasonal cycles and longer term climatic cycles. A hypothetical system is quantitatively analyzed to show that, in many cases, these cyclic changes in the recharge rates apparently do not significantly affect the location and size of the areas contributing recharge to wells. The ratio of the mean travel time to the length of the cyclic stress period appears to indicate whether the transient effects of the cyclic stress must be explicitly represented in the analysis of contributing areas to wells. For the cases examined, if the ratio of the mean travel time to the period of the cyclic stress was much greater than one, then the transient area contributing recharge to wells was similar to the area calculated using an average steady-state condition. Noncyclic long-term transient changes in water use, however, and cyclic stresses on systems with ratios less than 1 can and do affect the location and size of the areas contributing recharge to wells.

Potentiometric map of the Eutaw-McShan Aquifer in northeastern Mississippi, September, October, and November 1978

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wasson, B.E.

1980-01-01

This potentiometric map of the Eutaw-McShan aquifer in northeastern Mississippi is the third in a series of maps, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Land and Water Resources, delineating the potentiometric surfaces of the major aquifers in Mississippi. From its outcrop area the Eutaw-McShan aquifer dips about 30 feet per mile to the west and southwest. Thickness of the aquifer commonly is between 200 and 300 feet in most of the area, and commonly about one-half this thickness consists of sand. In the outcrop area the potentiometric surface is strongly affected by recharge from precipitation, topography, and drainage of the aquifer by streams. The potentiometric surface of the aquifer slopes generally to the west away from the area of outcrop and it is strongly affected by large ground-water withdrawals at or near Tupelo, Aberdeen, and West Point. Historically, water levels in or near the outcrop of the Eutaw-McShan aquifer have shown little or no long-term changes. Withdrawals of water by wells from the downdip area have caused long-term water-level declines of 1 to 2 feet per year in much of the confined part of the aquifer. Water-level declines during recent years in several observation wells in Lee County ranged from 2 to 9 feet per year. One hydrograph in Clay County that is near the center of the depression in the potentiometric surface at West Point shows about 5 feet per year of water-level decline since 1972. (USGS)

Streambed-material characteristics and surface-water quality, Green Pond Brook and tributaries, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, 1983-90

USGS Publications Warehouse

Storck, D.A.; Lacombe, Pierre

1996-01-01

This report presents the results of a study designed to determine whether Green Pond Brook and its tributaries contain contaminated streambed sediments and to characterize the quaity of water in the brook. Results of previous investigations at Picatinny Arsenal, Morris County, New Jersey, indicate that significant contamination of ground water, surface water, and soil is present at the arsenal. Forty-five streambed-material samples were collected for analysis to determine whether contaminants have migrated to the brook from the surrounding area. Samples were analyzed for trace elements, base/neutral- and acid-etractable compounds, insecticides, and other constituents. Results of an electromagnetic-conductivity and natural-gamma-ray survey were used to describe the distribution of particle sizes in streambed and substreambed sediments. Historical results of analyses of streambed-material and surface-water samples also are presented. Samples of streambed material from three areas in Green Pond Brook and its tributaries contained organic and (or) inorganic constituents in concentrations greater than those typically found at the arsenal. These areas are Green Pond Brook, from the area near the outflow of Picatinny Lake downstream to Farley Avenue; Bear Swamp Brook, from the area near building 241 downstream to the confluence with Green Pond Brook; and Green Pond Brook, from the open burning area downstream to the dam near building 1178. Contaminants identified include trace elements, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorine insecticides. Surface water in Green Pond Brook contained several volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and 1,2-dichloroethylene, at maximum concen- trations of 3.8, 4.6, and 11 micrograms per liter, respectively. Volatilization is expected to remove volatile organic compounds in the steep, fast- flowing reaches of the brook. No organic or inorganic constituents were detected in surface- water samples in concentrations greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency primary drinking-water regulations. Only two constituents, iron and manganese, were detected in concen- trations greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary drinking-water regulations.

Mapping inter-annual dynamics of open surface water bodies in Oklahoma from Landsat images in 1984 to 2015 at 30-m spatial resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Z.; Xiao, X.; Menarguez, M.; Dong, J.; Qin, Y.

2016-12-01

Open surface water bodies are important water resource for public supply, irrigation, livestock, and wildlife in Oklahoma. The inter-annual variation of Oklahoma water bodies directly affect the water availability for public supply, irrigation and cattle industry. In this study, tens of thousands of Landsat TM/ETM+ images from 1984 to 2015 were used to track the dynamics of open surface water bodies. Both water-related spectral indices and vegetation indices were used to map water bodies for individual images. The resultant maps show that Oklahoma year-long open surface water bodies varied significantly over the last 32 years, with an average annual water body area equals to 2300 km2, accounting for 1.27 % of the Oklahoma state area (181,037 km2). 4.3 million year-long water body pixels were detected in the 32-year accumulated water frequency map, corresponding to 3100 km2. Only 45% ( 1400 km2) of the those pixels had water throughout the 32 years, while the rest 55% pixels had a dry-up period. The smaller water bodies have a higher risk to dry up and a lower probability to have water throughout the years. Drought years could significantly decrease the number of small water bodies and shrink the area of large water bodies, while pluvial years could create large number of small seasonal water bodies. The significant influencing factors of current year water bodies include the precipitation and temperature of current year and the water body condition of the previous year. This water body dynamics study could be used to support water resource management, crop and livestock production, and biodiversity conservation in Oklahoma.

Identifying wells downstream from Laguna Dam that yield water that will be replaced by water from the Colorado River, Arizona and California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.

2000-01-01

This report summarizes a comprehensive study and development of the method documented in Owen-Joyce and others (2000). That report and one for the area upstream from Laguna Dam (Wilson and Owen-Joyce, 1994) document the accounting-surface method to identify wells that yield water that will be replaced by water from the Colorado River. Downstream from Laguna Dam, the Colorado River is the source for nearly all recharge to the river aquifer. The complex surface-water and ground-water system that exists in the area is, in part, the result of more than 100 years of water-resources development. Agriculture is the principal economy and is possible only with irrigation. The construction and operation of canals provides the means to divert and distribute Colorado River water to irrigate agricultural lands on the flood plains and mesas along the Colorado and Gila Rivers, in Imperial and Coachella Valleys, and in the area upstream from Dome along the Gila River. Water is withdrawn from wells for irrigation, dewatering, and domestic use. The area downstream from Laguna Dam borders additional areas of agricultural development in Mexico where Colorado River water also is diverted for irrigation.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Patapsco Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Staley, Andrew W.

2009-01-01

This report presents a map showing the potentiometric surface of the upper Patapsco aquifer in the Patapsco Formation of Early Cretaceous age in Southern Maryland during September 2007. The map is based on water-level measurements in 50 wells. The highest measured water level was 120 feet above sea level near the northern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in northern Anne Arundel County. From this area, the potentiometric surface declined to the south toward a well field in the Annapolis-Arnold area, and from all directions toward four cones of depression. These cones are located in the Waldorf-La Plata area, Chalk Point-Prince Frederick area, Swan Point subdivision in southern Charles County, and the Lexington Park-St. Inigoes area. The lowest measured ground-water level was 44 feet below sea level at Arnold, 106 feet below sea level south of Waldorf, 54 feet below sea level at Swan Point, 59 feet below sea level at Chalk Point, and 58 feet below sea level at Lexington Park.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Patapsco Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Mack, Frederick K.

1996-01-01

A map showing the potentiometric surface of the upper Patapsco aquifer in the Patapsco Formation of Cretaceous age in southern Maryland during September 1995 was prepared from water-level measurements in 42 wells. The potentiometric surface was nearly 120 feet above sea level near the northwestern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in topographically high areas of Anne Arundel County, and 55 feet above sea level in a similar setting in Prince Georges County. From these high areas, the potentiometic surface declined to the south and southeast toward large well fields in the Annapolis and Waldorf areas and at the Chalk Point powerplant. Ground-water levels reached nearly 30 feet below sea level in the Annapolis area, 113 feet below sea level southwest of Waldorf, and more than 30 feet below sea level at the Chalk Point powerplant.

Factors that influence the hydrologic recovery of wetlands in the Northern Tampa Bay area, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Metz, P.A.

2011-01-01

Although of less importance than the other three factors, a low-lying topographical position benefited the hydrologic condition of several of the study wetlands (S-68 Cypress and W-12 Cypress) both before and after the reductions in groundwater withdrawals. Compared to wetlands in a higher topographical position, those in a lower position had longer hydroperiods because of their greater ability to receive more runoff from higher elevation wetlands and to establish surface-water connections to other isolated wetlands and surface-water bodies through low-lying surface-water channels during wet conditions. In addition, wetlands in low-lying areas benefited from groundwater inflow when groundwater levels were higher than wetland water levels.

44 CFR 64.3 - Flood Insurance Maps.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... with water surface elevations determined A0 Area of special flood hazards having shallow water depths... insurance rating purposes AH Areas of special flood hazards having shallow water depths and/or unpredictable... of special flood hazards having shallow water depths and/or unpredictable flow paths between (1) and...

Radionuclides as natural tracers of the interaction between groundwater and surface water in the River Andarax, Spain.

PubMed

Navarro-Martinez, Francisco; Salas Garcia, Alejandro; Sánchez-Martos, Francisco; Baeza Espasa, Antonio; Molina Sánchez, Luis; Rodríguez Perulero, Antonio

2017-12-01

The identification of specific aquifers that supply water to river systems is fundamental to understanding the dynamics of the rivers' hydrochemistry, particularly in arid and semiarid environments where river flow may be discontinuous. There are multiple methods to identify the source of river water. In this study of the River Andarax, in the Southeast of Spain, an analysis of natural tracers (physico-chemical parameters, uranium, radium and radon) in surface water and groundwater indicates that chemical parameters and uranium clearly identify the areas where there is groundwater-surface water interaction. The concentration of uranium found in the river defines two areas: the headwaters with U concentrations of 2 μg L -1 and the lower reaches, with U of 6 μg L -1 . Furthermore, variation in the 234 U/ 238 U isotopic ratio allowed us to detect the influence that groundwater from the carbonate aquifer has on surface water in the headwaters of the river, where the saline content is lower and the water has a calcium bicarbonate facies. The concentration of 226 Ra and 222 Rn are low in the surface waters: <1.6 × 10 -6  μg L -1 and <5.1 × 10 -12  μg L -1 , respectively. There is a slight increase in the lower reaches where the water has a permanent flow, greater salinity and a calcium-magnesium-sulphate facies. All this is favoured by the influence of groundwater from the detritic aquifer on the surface waters. The results of this study indicate the utility in the use of physico-chemical and radiological data conjointly as tracers of groundwater-surface water interaction in semiarid areas where the lithology of aquifers is diverse (carbonate and detritic) and where evaporitic rocks are present. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Probabilistic Analysis of Surface Water Flood Risk in London.

PubMed

Jenkins, Katie; Hall, Jim; Glenis, Vassilis; Kilsby, Chris

2018-06-01

Flooding in urban areas during heavy rainfall, often characterized by short duration and high-intensity events, is known as "surface water flooding." Analyzing surface water flood risk is complex as it requires understanding of biophysical and human factors, such as the localized scale and nature of heavy precipitation events, characteristics of the urban area affected (including detailed topography and drainage networks), and the spatial distribution of economic and social vulnerability. Climate change is recognized as having the potential to enhance the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events. This study develops a methodology to link high spatial resolution probabilistic projections of hourly precipitation with detailed surface water flood depth maps and characterization of urban vulnerability to estimate surface water flood risk. It incorporates probabilistic information on the range of uncertainties in future precipitation in a changing climate. The method is applied to a case study of Greater London and highlights that both the frequency and spatial extent of surface water flood events are set to increase under future climate change. The expected annual damage from surface water flooding is estimated to be to be £171 million, £343 million, and £390 million/year under the baseline, 2030 high, and 2050 high climate change scenarios, respectively. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

HCMM energy budget data as a model input for assessing regions of high potential groundwater pollution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, D. G. (Principal Investigator); Heilman, J.; Beutler, G.

1978-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. In early April 1978, heavy spring runoff from snowmelt caused significant flooding along a portion of the Big Sioux River Basin in southeastern South Dakota. The flooded area was visible from surrounding areas on a May 15 HCMM IR test image. On May 15, the flood waters had receded but an area of anomalous residual high soil moisture remained. The high soil moisture area was not visible on a HCMM day visible test image of the same scene, or on LANDSAT imagery. To evaluate the effect of water table depth on surface temperatures, thermal scanner data collected on September 5 and 6, 1978 at approximate HCMM overpass times at an altitude of 3650 m were analyzed. Apparent surface temperatures measured by the scanner included emittance contributions from soil surface and the land cover. Results indicated that the shallow water tables produced a damping of the amplitude of the diurnal surface temperature wave.

Spatial-Temporal dynamics of surface water flooding and consequences for emergency services accessibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pattison, Ian; Green, Daniel; Yu, Dapeng; Bosher, Lee; Wilby, Rob; Yang, Lili; Ryley, Tim

2016-04-01

Urban areas are increasingly susceptible to surface water flooding, with more intense precipitation and intensification of land development. Flooding has both direct impacts i.e. locations inundated with water, and indirect impacts i.e. transport networks, utility e.g. electricity/water services etc. The direct areas flooded evolve in space through the event, and are predicted by standard inundation models. However, the wider indirect impacts and the spatial-temporal patterns are less constrained and it is these that are needed to manage the impacts in real-time. This paper focusses on the Category One responders of the Fire and Rescue and Ambulance Services in the City of Leicester, East Midlands, UK. Leicester is ranked 16th out of 4215 settlements at risk of surface water flooding in the UK based upon the population at risk (15,200 people) (DEFRA, 2009). The analysis undertaken involved overlaying the flood extent with the Integrated Transport Network (ITN) data within a GIS framework. Then a simple transport routing algorithm was used to predict the travel time from specific nodes representing ambulance or fire stations to different parts of the city. Flood magnitudes with 1:20, 1:100 and 1:1000 return periods have been investigated. Under a scenario of no flooding, 100% of the city is accessible by the six fire stations in the city. However, in the 1 in 20 year surface water flood event the peak inundation results in 66.5% being accessible in the 10 minute permitted time and 6% is totally inaccessible. This falls to 40% and 13% respectively for the 1 in 100 year event. Maps show the area of the city that are accessible by two or more stations within the permitted response time, which shows these areas are the most resilient to surface water flooding. However, it isn't just the peak water depths at every location which impacts accessibility within the city but the spatial-temporal patterns of the inundation. The areas within the 10 minute response time expand and contract through the event as the inundated area makes roads in different parts of the city inaccessible through the event. These maps also allow key access roads to be identified. Key stakeholders, within the City of Leicester, have highlighted the potential benefit of such dynamic accessibility maps for their multi-agency planning and response for surface water flooding.

Ground-water hydrology and glacial geology of the Kalamazoo area, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Deutsch, Morris; Vanlier, K.E.; Giroux, P.R.

1960-01-01

The Kalamazoo report area includes about 150 square miles of Kalamazoo County, Mich. The area is principally one of industry and commerce, although agriculture also is of considerable importance. It has a moderate and humid climate and lies within the Lake Michigan “snow belt”. Precipitation averages about 35 inches per year. Snowfall averages about 55 inches. The surface features of the area were formed during and since the glacial epoch and are classified as outwash plain, morainal highlands, and glaciated channels or drainageways. The area is formed largely on the remnants of an extensive outwash plain, which is breached by the Kalamazoo River in the northeastern part and is dissected elsewhere by several small tributaries to the river. Most of the land drained by these tributaries lies within the report area. A small portion of the southern part drains to the St. Joseph River. The Coldwater shale, which underlies the glacial deposits throughout the area, and the deeper bedrock formations are not tapped for water by wells and they have little or no potential for future development. Deposits of glacial drift, which are the source of water to all the wells in the area, have considerable potential for future development. These deposits range in thickness from about 40 feet along the Kalamazoo River to 350 feet where valleys were eroded in the bedrock surface. Permeable outwash and channel deposits are the sources of water for wells of large capacity. The moraines are formed dominantly by till of lower permeability which generally yields small supplies of water, but included sand and gravel beds of higher permeability yield larger supplies locally. The aquifers of the Kalamazoo area are recharged by infiltration of rainfall and snowmelt and by infiltration of surface waters induced by pumping of wells near the surface sources. Water pumped from most of the municipal well fields is replenished in part by such induced infiltration. Many of the industrial wells along the Kalamazoo River and Portage Creek are recharged in part from these streams. Locally, however, recharge from the streams is impeded, as their bottoms have become partly sealed by silt and solid waste matter. Water levels fluctuate with seasonal and annual changes in precipitation and in response to pumping. Pumpage by the city of Kalamazoo increased from about 300 million gallons in 1880 to 4.6 billion gallons in 1957. Despite the fact that billions of gallons are pumped annually from well fields in the Axtell Creek area, water levels in this vicinity have declined only a few feet, as the discharge from the fields is approximately compensated by recharge from precipitation and surface water. Pumpage of ground water by industry in 1948 was estimated at about 14 billion gallons, but the use of ground water for industrial purposes has since declined. Aquifer tests indicate that the coefficient of transmissibility of aquifers in the area ranges from as little as 18,000 to as high as 300,000 gpd (gallons per day) per foot, and that ground water occurs under watertable and artesian conditions. The ground water is of the calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. It is generally hard to very hard and commonly contains objectionable amounts of iron. Locally, the water contains appreciable amounts of sulfate. Study of the chemical analyses of waters from the area show that all of the tributaries to the Kalamazoo River are fed primarily by ground-water discharge.

Potentiometric surface of the Floridan Aquifer, St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity, Florida, May 1981

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schiner, George R.; Hayes, Eugene C.

1981-01-01

This map presents the potentiometric surface of the Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for May 1981. The Floridan aquifer is the principal source of potable water in the area. Water-level measurements were made in approximately 1,000 wells and at several springs. The potentiometric surface is shown mostly by 5-foot contour intervals. In the Fernandina Beach area 20 and 40-foot intervals are used to show a deep cone of depression. The potentiometric surface ranged from 122 feet above NGVD (National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929) in Polk County to 125 feet below NGVD in Nassau County. Water levels were at record lows in many counties due to lack of rainfall. Declines were as much as 10 feet and commonly 5 feet from the May 1980 levels. (USGS)

Hydrology of the Lake Deaton and Lake Okahumpka area, Northeast Sumter County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Simonds, Edward P.; German, E.R.

1980-01-01

The Floridan aquifer in the Lake Deaton and Lake Okahumpka area is 50 to 130 feet below land surface. During the 16-year period 1963-78 lake evaporation exceeded rainfall by 0.4 inches. Drainage from Lake Deaton and its surrounding area goes into Chitty Chatty Creek and on the Hogeye Sink when the altitude of the potentiometric surface of the Floridan aquifer is low. During a higher altitude of the Floridan potentiometric surface, Hogeye Sink may discharge water; this water, along with the normal runoff, goes into Lake Okahumpka. Average lake fluctuation is 1.5 to 2.0 feet per year. Lake Deaton supports a large population of blue-green algae and Lake Okahumpka is choked with aquatic plants. The water quality of the two lakes differ, with Lake Deaton having a sodium chloride water and Lake Okahumpka having a calcium bicarbonate water. Analysis of water and bottom material samples showed that only cadmium and mercury exceeded the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation 's criteria for Class III waters; however, the amounts detected were at or slightly above the limits of the analytical method. (USGS)

Activated carbon oxygen content influence on water and surfactant adsorption.

PubMed

Pendleton, Phillip; Wu, Sophie Hua; Badalyan, Alexander

2002-02-15

This research investigates the adsorption properties of three activated carbons (AC) derived from coconut, coal, and wood origin. Each carbon demonstrates different levels of resistance to 2 M NaOH treatment. The coconut AC offers the greatest and wood AC the least resistance. The influence of base treatment is mapped in terms of its effects on specific surface area, micropore volume, water adsorption, and dodecanoic acid adsorption from both water and 2 M NaOH solution. A linear relationship exists between the number of water molecules adsorbed at the B-point of the water adsorption isotherm and the oxygen content determined from elemental analysis. Surfactant adsorption isotherms from water and 2 M NaOH indicate that the AC oxygen content effects a greater dependence on affinity for surfactant than specific surface area and micropore volume. We show a linear relationship between the plateau amount of surfactant adsorbed and the AC oxygen content in both water and NaOH phases. The higher the AC oxygen content, the lower the amount of surfactant adsorbed. In contrast, no obvious relationship could be drawn between the surfactant amount adsorbed and the surface area.

Effects of land disposal of municipal sewage sludge on fate of nitrates in soil, streambed sediment, and water quality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tindall, James A.; Lull, Kenneth J.; Gaggiani, Neville G.

1994-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of sewage-sludge disposal at the Lowry sewage-sludge-disposal area, near Denver, Colorado, on ground- and surface-water quality, to determine the fate of nitrates from sludge leachate, and to determine the source areas of leachate and the potential for additional leaching from the disposal area.Sewage-sludge disposal began in 1969. Two methods were used to apply the sludge: burial and plowing. Also, the sludge was applied both in liquid and cake forms. Data in this report represent the chemical composition of soil and streambed sediment from seven soil- and four streambed-sampling sites in 1986, chemical and bacterial composition of ground water from 28 wells from 1981 to 1987, and surface-water runoff from seven water-sampling sites from 1984 to 1987. Ground water samples were obtained from alluvial and bedrock aquifers. Samples of soil, streambed sediment, ground water and surface water were obtained for onsite measurement and chemical analysis. Measurements included determination of nitrogen compounds and major cations and anions, fecal-coliform and -streptococcus bacteria, specific conductance, and pH.Thirteen wells in the alluvial aquifer in Region 3 of the study area contain water that was probably affected by sewage-sludge leachate. The plots of concentration of nitrate with time show seasonal trends and trends caused by precipitation. In addition to yearly fluctuation, there were noticeable increases in ground-water concentrations of nitrate that coincided with increased precipitation. After 3 years of annual ground-water-quality monitoring and 4 years of a quarterly sampling program, it has been determined that leachate from the sewage-sludge-disposal area caused increased nitrite plus nitrate (as nitrogen) concentration in the alluvial ground water at the site. Soil analyses from the disposal area indicate that organic nitrogen was the dominant form of nitrogen in the soil.As a result of investigations at the research site, it has been determined that a potentially large source of contamination exists in the soils of the study area owing to increased concentrations of nitrogen, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfate, bicarbonate, and chloride because of sewage disposal. Continued monitoring of surface and ground water for nitrogen and the other ions previously mentioned is required to assess long-term effects of municipal sludge disposal on water quality.

Effects of land disposal of municipal sewage sludge on fate of nitrates in soil, streambed sediment, and water quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tindall, James A.; Lull, Kenneth J.; Gaggiani, Neville G.

1994-12-01

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of sewage-sludge disposal at the Lowry sewage-sludge-disposal area, near Denver, Colorado, on ground- and surface-water quality, to determine the fate of nitrates from sludge leachate, and to determine the source areas of leachate and the potential for additional leaching from the disposal area. Sewage-sludge disposal began in 1969. Two methods were used to apply the sludge: burial and plowing. Also, the sludge was applied both in liquid and cake forms. Data in this report represent the chemical composition of soil and streambed sediment from seven soil- and four streambed-sampling sites in 1986, chemical and bacterial composition of ground water from 28 wells from 1981 to 1987, and surface-water runoff from seven water-sampling sites from 1984 to 1987. Ground water samples were obtained from alluvial and bedrock aquifers. Samples of soil, streambed sediment, ground water and surface water were obtained for onsite measurement and chemical analysis. Measurements included determination of nitrogen compounds and major cations and anions, fecal-coliform and -streptococcus bacteria, specific conductance, and pH. Thirteen wells in the alluvial aquifer in Region 3 of the study area contain water that was probably affected by sewage-sludge leachate. The plots of concentration of nitrate with time show seasonal trends and trends caused by precipitation. In addition to yearly fluctuation, there were noticeable increases in ground-water concentrations of nitrate that coincided with increased precipitation. After 3 years of annual ground-water-quality monitoring and 4 years of a quarterly sampling program, it has been determined that leachate from the sewage-sludge-disposal area caused increased nitrite plus nitrate (as nitrogen) concentration in the alluvial ground water at the site. Soil analyses from the disposal area indicate that organic nitrogen was the dominant form of nitrogen in the soil. As a result of investigations at the research site, it has been determined that a potentially large source of contamination exists in the soils of the study area owing to increased concentrations of nitrogen, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfate, bicarbonate, and chloride because of sewage disposal. Continued monitoring of surface and ground water for nitrogen and the other ions previously mentioned is required to assess long-term effects of municipal sludge disposal on water quality.

Hydrologic assessment, Eastern Coal Province Area 23, Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harkins, J.R.

1980-01-01

The Eastern Coal Province is divided into 24 separate hydrologic reporting areas. The division is based on hydrologic factors, location, size, and mining activity. Hydrologic units (drainage basins) or parts of units are combined to form each area. Area 23 is located at the southern end of the Eastern Coal Province, in the Mobile River basin, includes the Warrior, Cahaba, and edges of the Plateau coal fields in Alabama, and covers an area of 4,716 square miles. It is underlain by the Coker and Pottsville Formations and the pre-Pennsylvanian rocks. The Pottsville Formation contains coal beds and is overlain by the Coker Formation in the western and southern parts of the area. The pre-Pennsylvanian rocks crop out in two northeast-southwest trending belts or ridges along and near the eastern boundary where folding and faulting is common. The outcrop of rocks along the western ridge forms the divide between the Warrior and the Cahaba coal fields. Hydrologic problems relating to surface mining are (1) erosion and sedimentation, (2) decline in ground-water levels, and (3) degradation of water quality. Average annual sediment yields can increase by four magnitudes in surface mined areas from 20 tons per square mile per year from areas not affected by mining to 300,000 tons per square mile per year from mined areas. Sediment yields increase drastically when vegetation is removed from the highly erosive soils and from unregulated surface mining operations. Decline in ground-water levels can occur in and near surface-mining areas when excavation extends below the static water level in the aquifer. (USGS)

Hydrology and snowmelt simulation of Snyderville Basin, Park City, and adjacent areas, Summit County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooks, Lynette E.; Mason, James L.; Susong, David D.

1998-01-01

Increasing residential and commercial development is placing increased demands on the ground- and surface-water resources of Snyderville Basin, Park City, and adjacent areas in the southwestern corner of Summit County, Utah. Data collected during 1993-95 were used to assess the quantity and quality of the water resources in the study area.Ground water within the study area is present in consolidated rocks and unconsolidated valley fill. The complex geology makes it difficult to determine the degree of hydraulic connection between different blocks of consolidated rocks. Increased ground-water withdrawal during 1983- 95 generally has not affected ground-water levels. Ground-water withdrawal in some areas, however, caused seasonal fluctuations and a decline in ground-water levels from 1994 to 1995, despite greater-than-normal recharge in the spring of 1995.Ground water generally has a dissolved-solids concentration that ranges from 200 to 600 mg/L. Higher sulfate concentrations in water from wells and springs near Park City and in McLeod Creek and East Canyon Creek than in other parts of the study area are the result of mixing with water that discharges from the Spiro Tunnel. The presence of chloride in water from wells and springs near Park City and in streams and wells near Interstate Highway 80 is probably caused by the dissolution of applied road salt. Chlorofluorocarbon analyses indicate that even though water levels rise within a few weeks of snowmelt, the water took 15 to 40 years to move from areas of recharge to areas of discharge.Water budgets for the entire study area and for six subbasins were developed to better understand the hydrologic system. Ground-water recharge from precipitation made up about 80 percent of the ground-water recharge in the study area. Ground-water discharge to streams made up about 40 percent of the surface water in the study area and ground-water discharge to springs and mine tunnels made up about 25 percent. Increasing use of ground water has the potential to decrease discharge to streams and affect both the amount and quality of surface water in the study area. A comparison of the 1995 to 1994 water budgets emphasizes that the hydrologic system in the study area is very dependent upon the amount of annual precipitation. Although precipitation on the study area was much greater in 1995 than in 1994, most of the additional water resulted in additional streamflow and spring discharge that flows out of the study area. Ground-water levels and groundwater discharge are dependent upon annual precipitation and can vary substantially from year to year.Snowmelt runoff was simulated to assist in estimating ground-water recharge to consolidated rock and unconsolidated valley fill. A topographically distributed snowmelt model controlled by independent inputs of net radiation, meteorological parameters, and snowcover properties was used to calculate the energy and mass balance of the snowcover.

A feasibility study to estimate minimum surface-casing depths of oil and gas wells to prevent ground-water contamination in four areas of western Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buckwalter, T.F.; Squillace, P.J.

1995-01-01

Hydrologic data were evaluated from four areas of western Pennsylvania to estimate the minimum depth of well surface casing needed to prevent contamination of most of the fresh ground-water resources by oil and gas wells. The areas are representative of the different types of oil and gas activities and of the ground-water hydrology of most sections of the Appalachian Plateaus Physiographic Province in western Pennsylvania. Approximate delineation of the base of the fresh ground-water system was attempted by interpreting the following hydrologic data: (1) reports of freshwater and saltwater in oil and gas well-completion reports, (2) water well-completion reports, (3) geophysical logs, and (4) chemical analyses of well water. Because of the poor quality and scarcity of ground-water data, the altitude of the base of the fresh ground-water system in the four study areas cannot be accurately delineated. Consequently, minimum surface-casing depths for oil and gas wells cannot be estimated with confidence. Conscientious and reliable reporting of freshwater and saltwater during drilling of oil and gas wells would expand the existing data base. Reporting of field specific conductance of ground water would greatly enhance the value of the reports of ground water in oil and gas well-completion records. Water-bearing zones in bedrock are controlled mostly by the presence of secondary openings. The vertical and horizontal discontinuity of secondary openings may be responsible, in part, for large differences in altitudes of freshwater zones noted on completion records of adjacent oil and gas wells. In upland and hilltop topographies, maximum depths of fresh ground water are reported from several hundred feet below land surface to slightly more than 1,000 feet, but the few deep reports are not substantiated by results of laboratory analyses of dissolved-solids concentrations. Past and present drillers for shallow oil and gas wells commonly install surface casing to below the base of readily observed fresh ground water. Casing depths are selected generally to maximize drilling efficiency and to stop freshwater from entering the well and subsequently interfering with hydrocarbon recovery. The depths of surface casing generally are not selected with ground-water protection in mind. However, on the basis of existing hydrologic data, most freshwater aquifers generally are protected with current casing depths. Minimum surface-casing depths for deep gas wells are prescribed by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources regulations and appear to be adequate to prevent ground-water contamination, in most respects, for the only study area with deep gas fields examined in Crawford County.

Coastal groundwater/surface-water interactions: a Great Lakes case study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neff, Brian P.; Haack, Sheridan K.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Savino, Jacqueline F.; Lundstrom, Scott C.

2006-01-01

Key similarities exist between marine and Great Lakes coastal environments. Water and nutrient fluxes across lakebeds in the Great Lakes are influenced by seiche and wind set-up and set-down, analogous to tidal influence in marine settings. Groundwater/surface-water interactions also commonly involve a saline-fresh water interface, although in the Great-Lakes cases, it is groundwater that is commonly saline and surface water that is fresh. Evapotranspiration also affects nearshore hydrology in both settings. Interactions between groundwater and surface water have recently been identified as an important component of ecological processes in the Great Lakes. Water withdrawals and the reversal of the groundwater/surface water seepage gradient are also common to many coastal areas around the Great Lakes. As compared to surface water, regional groundwater that discharges to western Lake Erie from Michigan is highly mineralized. Studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey at Erie State Game Area in southeastern Michigan, describe groundwater flow dynamics and chemistry, shallow lake-water chemistry, and fish and invertebrate communities. Results presented here provide an overview of recent progress of ongoing interdisciplinary studies of Great Lakes nearshore systems and describe a conceptual model that identifies relations among geologic, hydrologic, chemical, and biological processes in the coastal habitats of Lake Erie. This conceptual model is based on analysis of hydraulic head in piezometers at the study site and chemical analysis of deep and shallow coastal groundwater.

Chemical and biological quality of surface water at the U.S. Army Atterbury Reserve Forces Training Area near Edinburgh, Indiana, September 2000 through July 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Risch, Martin R.

2004-01-01

A base-wide assessment of surface-water quality at the U.S. Army Atterbury Reserve Forces Training Area near Edinburgh, Indiana, examined short-term and long-term quality of surface water flowing into, across, and out of a 33,760-acre study area. The 30-day geometric-mean concentrations of fecal-indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli) in water samples from all 16 monitoring sites on streams in the study area were greater than the Indiana recreational water-quality standard. None of the bacteria concentrations in samples from four lakes exceeded the standard. Half the samples with bacteria concentrations greater than the single-sample standard contained chemical tracers potentially associated with human sewage. Increased turbidity of water samples was related statistically to increased bacteria concentration. Lead concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 micrograms per liter were detected in water samples at seven monitoring sites. Lead in one sample collected during high-streamflow conditions was greater than the calculated Indiana water-quality standard. With the exception of Escherichia coli and lead, 211 of 213 chemical constituents analyzed in water samples did not exceed Indiana water-quality standards. Out of 131 constituents analyzed in streambed-sediment and fish-tissue samples from three sites in the Common Impact Area for weapons training, the largest concentrations overall were detected for copper, lead, manganese, strontium, and zinc. Fish-community integrity, based on diversity and pollution tolerance, was rated poor at one of those three sites. Compared with State criteria, the fish-community data indicated 8 of 10 stream reaches in the study area could be categorized as "fully supporting" aquatic-life uses.

Use of thermal inertia determined by HCMM to predict nocturnal cold prone areas in Florida. [The Everglades agricultural area, Lake Okeechobee, and the Suwanee River basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, L. H., Jr. (Principal Investigator); Chen, E.; Martsolf, J. D.; Jones, P. H.

1981-01-01

Transparencies, prints, and computer compatible tapes of temperature differential and thermal inertia for the winter of 1978 to 1979 were obtained. Thermal inertial differences in the South Florida depicted include: drained organic soils of the Everglades agricultural area, undrained organic soils of the managed water conservation areas of the South Florida water management district, the urbanized area around Miami, Lake Okeechobee, and the mineral soil west of the Everglades agricultural area. The range of wetlands and uplands conditions within the Suwanee River basin was also identified. It is shown that the combination of wetlands uplands surface features of Florida yield a wide range of surface temperatures related to wetness of the surface features.

Detection and measurement of land subsidence using interferometric synthetic aperture radar and Global Positioning System, San Bernardino County, Mojave Desert, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sneed, Michelle; Ikehara, Marti E.; Stork, Sylvia V.; Amelung, Falk; Galloway, Devin L.

2003-01-01

Land subsidence associated with ground-water-level declines has been recognized as a potential problem in parts of the Mojave Desert, California. Ground water has been the primary source of domestic, agricultural, and municipal water supplies in the desert since the early 1900s. Pumping of ground water from the Mojave River and Morongo ground-water basins in the southwestern Mojave Desert resulted in water-level declines of more than 30 meters (100 feet) between the 1950s and the 1990s. A Global Positioning System (GPS) survey of a geodetic network was used to determine the location, extent, and magnitude of vertical land-surface changes in Lucerne Valley in the Morongo ground-water basin. The GPS survey was conducted in 1998 to estimate historical elevation changes by comparing GPS-derived elevations with historical elevations (which were available for some of the monuments in the network as early as 1944) and to establish baseline values that can be used for comparisons with future GPS surveys. The GPS measurements indicated that about 600 millimeters (2 feet) [plus or minus 1,500 millimeters (5 feet)] of subsidence occurred at three of the monuments between 1969 and 1998 but that very little to no vertical change in position occurred at seven other monuments in the network. Water levels in the area of subsidence in Lucerne Valley declined about 15 meters (50 feet) during 1970-98. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) methods were used to characterize vertical land-surface changes in the Mojave River and Morongo ground-water basins during various intervals of time between 1992 and 1999. Interferograms, InSAR-generated displacement maps, show that subsidence ranging from 45 to 90 mm (0.15 to 0.3 ft) occurred in four areas of these two ground-water basins--the El Mirage, Lockhart-Harper Lake (dry), Newberry Springs, and Lucerne Valley areas. Some of the InSAR measurements were affected by the earthquakes at Landers and Hector Mine, California, and by atmospheric artifacts. Water-level data were examined for areas undergoing vertical land-surface changes to determine whether the vertical land-surface changes may be related to aquifer-system compaction caused by ground-water-level changes. Temporally relevant water-level data were sparse for some areas, particularly the El Mirage and Lockhart-Harper Lake (dry) areas. Water levels in wells proximate to the subsiding areas generally declined between 1992 and 1999; water levels in some wells proximate to the subsiding areas experienced seasonal periods of declines and recoveries.

Potentiometric surfaces of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Area, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, May and September 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haugh, Connor J.; Robinson, John A.

2016-01-29

During May 2011, when water levels were near seasonal highs, water-level data were collected from 374 monitoring wells; and during September 2011, when water levels were near seasonal lows, water-level data were collected from 376 monitoring wells. Potentiometric surfaces were mapped by contouring altitudes of water levels measured in wells completed in the shallow aquifer, the upper and lower parts of the Manchester aquifer, and the Fort Payne aquifer. Water levels are generally 2 to 14 feet lower in September compared to May. The potentiometric-surface maps for all aquifers indicate a groundwater depression at the J4 test cell. Similar groundwater depressions in the shallow and upper parts of the Manchester aquifer are within the main testing area at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex at dewatering facilities.

Enriching of surface water in nutrients and DOC on the area of drained Kuwasy Mire in North-East Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaszczyński, Jacek; Sapek, Andrzej

2010-05-01

Key words: peatlands, drained areas, surface water, nutrients and DOC in water The object of this study was fundamental mineral component concentration (N-NO3, N-NH4, PO4, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Cl, Fe) and dissolved organic carbon concentration (DOC) in surface water in artificial canal running across drained fen area. Also pH, electrical conductivity and abssorbance A280 in water samples were measured. The investigations were localized on the area of drained and agricultural used Kuwasy Mire, which are situated in the middle basin of Biebrza River, in North-East Poland. Currently on the object there is superiority of peat-moorsh soils with moorsh layers to 25 cm of depth. The bog depth is determined from 60 to 140 cm. The most of area is occupied by soils with 110-120 cm organic layer which are intensive agricultural used. Mean annual ground water table amounted 55 cm. On the distance of 8 km (about 1100-1200 ha catchment area) fen space is crossed by Kuwaski Canal collecting water from draining network above describing peatland. Surface water samples were collected every month in three constant point of canal: at entrance on peatland (upper point) in the middle part (middle point) and in border part of peatland (lower point). The study was carried out in 2001-2009. The aim of this study was to determine enriching of surface water in individual mineral and organic components during flowing across peatland area. Mean concentration in whole research period for all investigated components was higher together with flowing of water in canal across fen area. The higest increments of mean concentration between upper a lower point of canal was connected with phosphorous and amonia. The concentrations of these compounds were adequately 4,8 i 2,6 times higher in lower part of canal. Mean concentrations of remaining compounds were 2-14% higher in water in lower point in comparision to upper point of canal. In course of interflow through peatland pH of water was decreasing but electrical conductivity and abssorbance A280 were increasing. When we take into consideration annual quantity of water flowing by canal only on biological level (0,5 m3/s) the increments load of PO4 in this distance amounted 3,6; N-NH4 - 4,6; N-NO3 - 3,0; DOC - 9,5 t.year-1. At mean interflow 3 m3/s the load of describing components was increasing to 21, 27, 20 i 57 t.year-1 in research part of canal.

SCREENING TO IDENTIFY AND PREVENT URBAN STORM WATER PROBLEMS: ESTIMATING IMPERVIOUS AREA ACCURATELY AND INEXPENSIVELY

EPA Science Inventory

Complete identification and eventual prevention of urban water quality problems pose significant monitoring, "smart growth" and water quality management challenges. Uncontrolled increase of impervious surface area (roads, buildings, and parking lots) causes detrimental hydrologi...

Ground-water, surface-water, and bottom-sediment contamination in the O-field area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and the possible effects of selected remedial actions on ground water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vroblesky, Don A.; Lorah, Michelle M.; Oliveros, James P.

1995-01-01

Disposal of munitions and chemical-warfare substances has introduced inorganic and organic contaminants to the ground water, surface water, and bottom sediment at O-Field, in the Edgewood area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Contaminants include chloride, arsenic, transition metals, chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds, and organosulfur and organophosphorus compounds. The hydrologic effects of several remedial actions were estimated by use of a ground-water-flow model. The remedial actions examined were an impermeable covering, encapsulation, subsurface barriers, a ground-water drain, pumping of wells to manage water levels or to remove contaminated ground water for treatment, and no action.

Hydrology and subsidence potential of proposed coal-lease tracts in Delta County, Colorado

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

Brooks, T.

Potential subsidence from underground coal mining and associated hydrologic impacts were investigated at two potential coal-lease tracts in Delta County, Colorado. Alteration of existing flow systems could affect water users in the surrounding area. An inventory was made of 20 wells (18 in the Paonia study area and 2 in the Cedaredge study area) and 16 springs in the Paonia study area. Wells completed in the Mesaverde Formation yielded a sodium bicarbonate type water. Water levels in wells ranged from 149 to 2209 feet below the land surface in the Paonia study area and were 25 and 217 feet belowmore » the land surface in the Cedaredge study area. Spring discharges in the Paonia study area ranged from 0.02 to 8.41 gallons per minute. The waters were of the calcium sodium bicarbonate type. Tests conducted in October 1982 indicated that Terror Creek in the Paonia study area lost 0.59 cubic foot per second along about 1.5 miles of thin alluvium overlying the lower Mesaverde Formation. Measurements in the same week indicated that Oak Creek in the Cedaredge study area gained 0.92 cubic foot per second along about 1.5 miles of thick alluvium overlying the Mesaverde Formation. The stream waters were a calcium bicarbonate type. Mining beneath Stevens Gulch and East Roatcap Creek could produce surface expressions of subsidence. Subsidence could partly drain alluvial valley aquifers or streamflow in these drainages. 21 refs.« less

Potentiometric map of the Sparta aquifer system in Mississippi, fall, 1980

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wasson, B.E.

1980-01-01

This potentiometric map of the Sparta aquifer system is the tenth in a series of maps, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Land and Water Resources, delineating the potentiometric surfaces of the major aquifers in Mississippi. In the outcrop area of the Sparta, the potentiometric surface is strongly affected by recharge from precipitation, by topography, and by drainage of the aquifer into streams. The potentiometric surface slopes downward generally to the west away from the area of outcrop and is strongly affected by large ground-water withdrawals in the Jackson, Yazoo City, Cleveland, Clarksdale, and Memphis areas. Historically, water levels in or near the outcrop of the Sparta have shown little or no long-term changes, but during the past 20 years, in much of the confined part of the aquifer, water levels have declined from 1 to 3 feet per year. (USGS)

Improved evaluation of the blue water footprint from hydropower in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, G.; Gao, H.

2017-12-01

As the world's largest source of renewable energy, hydropower contributes 16.6% of the electricity production in the world. Even though it produces no waste, hydropower exhausts a considerable amount of water mostly through evaporation from the extended surface areas of the manmade lakes. The water footprint of hydropower becomes even larger with rising temperatures. To assist with the precise management of both water resources and energy production in the Contiguous United States (CONUS), 82 major dams—all with a primary purpose of producing hydroelectric power—were evaluated in terms of their blue water footprints. These dams account for 21% of the entire hydropower generation in the CONUS. Reservoir evaporation is calculated using state-of-the-art reservoir surface area and evaporation rate information. Instead of using fixed surface areas for the reservoirs—a practice which is adopted by virtually all other studies (and generally leads to over-or-under estimations)—time-variant surface areas were generated from Landsat imageries archived on Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Additionally, evaporation rates were calculated using an equilibrium method that incorporates the heat storage effects of the reservoirs. Results show that water consumption from hydropower is large and non-negligible. Furthermore, the differences of the blue water footprints among the dams studied are also significant. The results of this study can benefit the evaluation of existing dams (e.g. recommendation for dam removal) and the planning of future hydroelectric dams.

Update of the Accounting Surface Along the Lower Colorado River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiele, Stephen M.; Leake, Stanley A.; Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.; McGuire, Emmet H.

2008-01-01

The accounting-surface method was developed in the 1990s by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, to identify wells outside the flood plain of the lower Colorado River that yield water that will be replaced by water from the river. This method was needed to identify which wells require an entitlement for diversion of water from the Colorado River and need to be included in accounting for consumptive use of Colorado River water as outlined in the Consolidated Decree of the United States Supreme Court in Arizona v. California. The method is based on the concept of a river aquifer and an accounting surface within the river aquifer. The study area includes the valley adjacent to the lower Colorado River and parts of some adjacent valleys in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah and extends from the east end of Lake Mead south to the southerly international boundary with Mexico. Contours for the original accounting surface were hand drawn based on the shape of the aquifer, water-surface elevations in the Colorado River and drainage ditches, and hydrologic judgment. This report documents an update of the original accounting surface based on updated water-surface elevations in the Colorado River and drainage ditches and the use of simple, physically based ground-water flow models to calculate the accounting surface in four areas adjacent to the free-flowing river.

Areas Contributing Recharge to Wells in the Tafuna-Leone Plain, Tutuila, American Samoa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Izuka, Scot K.; Perreault, Jeff A.; Presley, Todd K.

2007-01-01

To address the concerns about the potential for contamination of drinking-water wells in the Tafuna-Leone Plain, Tutuila, American Samoa, a numerical ground-water flow model was developed and used to delineate areas contributing recharge to the wells (ACRWs). Surveys and analyses were conducted to obtain or compile certain essential hydrogeologic information needed for the model, such as groundwater production statistics, ground-water levels under current production, and an assessment of the distribution of groundwater recharge. The ground-water surveys indicate that total production from all wells in the Tafuna-Leone Plain between 1985 and 2005 averaged 6.1 Mgal/d and showed a gradual increase. A synoptic survey indicates that current water levels in the Tafuna-Leone Plain are highest near its inland boundary, decrease toward the coast, and are slightly depressed in high-production well fields. Ground-water levels showed little effect from the increased production because hydraulic conductivites are high and withdrawal is small relative to recharge. Analysis of ground-water recharge using a soil water-budget analysis indicates that the Tafuna-Leone Plain and adjacent areas receive about 280 Mgal/d of water from rainfall, of which 24 percent runs off to the ocean, 26 percent is removed by evapotranspiration, and 50 percent goes to ground-water recharge. Ground-water recharge per unit area is generally higher at the mountain crests than at the coast, but the highest recharge per unit area is in the mountain-front recharge zone at the juncture between the Tafuna-Leone Plain and the adjacent mountains. Surface water from the mountains also contributes to ground-water recharge in the eastern Tafuna-Leone Plain, in a process analogous to mountain-front recharge described in arid areas. Analysis of stream-gage data indicates that in the mountains of Tutuila, ground water discharges and contributes substantially to the total flow of the streams. In contrast, multiple lines of evidence indicate that in the eastern Tafuna-Leone Plain, surface water recharges the highly permeable underlying aquifer. Steady-state model simulations representing current ground-water production conditions in the Tafuna-Leone Plain indicate that most ACRWs extend less than a mile from the production wells; thus, travel distance between any point within an ACRW and its well is short. A simulation representing a condition in which all wells are operating at maximum capacity resulted in larger ACRWs, which demonstrates that increasing ground-water withdrawal from existing wells, or building and developing new wells, increases the surface area that could potentially contribute contaminants. In some places, such as in Malaeimi Valley, water can travel quickly via surface-water routes to an area where the water can infiltrate within the ACRWs of a well field.

Prediction of Groundwater Quality Trends Resulting from Anthropogenic Changes in Southeast Florida.

PubMed

Yi, Quanghee; Stewart, Mark

2018-01-01

The effects of surface water flow system changes caused by constructing water-conservation areas and canals in southeast Florida on groundwater quality under the Atlantic Coastal Ridge was investigated with numerical modeling. Water quality data were used to delineate a zone of groundwater with low total dissolved solids (TDS) within the Biscayne aquifer under the ridge. The delineated zone has the following characteristics. Its location generally coincides with an area where the Biscayne aquifer has high transmissivities, corresponds to a high recharge area of the ridge, and underlies a part of the groundwater mound formed under the ridge prior to completion of the canals. This low TDS groundwater appears to be the result of pre-development conditions rather than seepage from the canals constructed after the 1950s. Numerical simulation results indicate that the time for low TDS groundwater under the ridge to reach equilibrium with high TDS surface water in the water-conservation areas and Everglades National Park are approximately 70 and 60 years, respectively. The high TDS groundwater would be restricted to the water-conservation areas and the park due to its slow eastward movement caused by small hydraulic gradients in Rocky Glades and its mixing with the low TDS groundwater under the high-recharge area of the ridge. The flow or physical boundary conditions such as high recharge rates or low hydraulic conductivity layers may affect how the spatial distribution of groundwater quality in an aquifer will change when a groundwater flow system reaches equilibrium with an associated surface water flow system. © 2017, National Ground Water Association.

Water-level conditions in the upper Cape Fear aquifer, 1992-94, in parts of Bladen and Robeson counties, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strickland, Alfred Gerald

1995-01-01

Water-level measurements were made on a periodic basis in 16 wells throughout an area of about 730 square miles in Bladen and Robeson Counties, North Carolina, from September 1992 to October 1994. Water levels from the wells were used to construct a map of the potentiometric surface of the upper Cape Fear aquifer in the fall of 1994. This map can be used to infer the direction of ground-water movement in the aquifer. Withdrawals from wells at pumping centers, such as in the Tar Heel and Elizabethtown areas, has disrupted the natural pattern of ground-water flow. Ground water flows toward pumped wells resulting in cones of depression in the potentiometric surface. Water levels measured in 14 wells in 1992 and 1994 were used to estimate change in ground-water levels for the upper Cape Fear aquifer in the study area. During 1992-94, water-level declines occurred in the aquifer throughout much of the area as a result of pumping. The greatest decline was 90.6 feet in Bladen County.

Land Capability Potential Index (LCPI) for the Lower Missouri River Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacobson, Robert B.; Chojnacki, Kimberly A.; Reuter, Joanna M.

2007-01-01

The Land Capability Potential Index (LCPI) was developed to serve as a relatively coarse-scale index to delineate broad land capability classes in the valley of the Lower Missouri River. The index integrates fundamental factors that determine suitability of land for various uses, and may provide a useful mechanism to guide land-management decisions. The LCPI was constructed from integration of hydrology, hydraulics, land-surface elevations, and soil permeability (or saturated hydraulic conductivity) datasets for an area of the Lower Missouri River, river miles 423–670. The LCPI estimates relative wetness based on intersecting water-surface elevations, interpolated from measurements or calculated from hydraulic models, with a high-resolution land-surface elevation dataset. The potential for wet areas to retain or drain water is assessed using soil-drainage classes that are estimated from saturated hydraulic conductivity of surface soils. Terrain mapping that delineates areas with convex, concave, and flat parts of the landscape provides another means to assess tendency of landscape patches to retain surface water.

Surface models for coupled modelling of runoff and sewer flow in urban areas.

PubMed

Ettrich, N; Steiner, K; Thomas, M; Rothe, R

2005-01-01

Traditional methods fail for the purpose of simulating the complete flow process in urban areas as a consequence of heavy rainfall and as required by the European Standard EN-752 since the bi-directional coupling between sewer and surface is not properly handled. The new methodology, developed in the EUREKA-project RisUrSim, solves this problem by carrying out the runoff on the basis of shallow water equations solved on high-resolution surface grids. Exchange nodes between the sewer and the surface, like inlets and manholes, are located in the computational grid and water leaving the sewer in case of surcharge is further distributed on the surface. Dense topographical information is needed to build a model suitable for hydrodynamic runoff calculations; in urban areas, in addition, many line-shaped elements like houses, curbs, etc. guide the runoff of water and require polygonal input. Airborne data collection methods offer a great chance to economically gather densely sampled input data.

PAHs behavior in surface water and groundwater of the Yellow River estuary: Evidence from isotopes and hydrochemistry.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Li, Fadong; Liu, Qiang

2017-07-01

Large-scale irrigation projects have impacted the regional surface-groundwater interactions in the North China Plain (NCP). Given this concern, the aim of this study is to evaluate levels of PAH pollution, identify the sources of the PAHs, analyze the influence of surface-groundwater interactions on PAH distribution, and propose urgent management strategies for PAHs in China's agricultural areas. PAH concentrations, hydrochemical indicators and stable isotopic compositions (δ 18 O and δ 2 H) were determined for surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) samples. PAHs concentrations in surface water and groundwater varied from 11.84 to 393.12 ng/L and 8.51-402.84 ng/L, respectively, indicating mild pollution. The seasonal variations showed the following trend: PAHs in surface water at the low-water phase > PAHs in groundwater at the low-water phase > PAHs in surface water at the high-water phase > PAHs in groundwater at the high-water phase. Hydrochemical and δ 18 O value of most groundwater samples distributed between the Yellow River and seawater. The mean value of mixture ratio of the Yellow River water recharge to the groundwater was 65%, few anomalous sites can reach to 90%. Surface-groundwater interactions influence the spatial distribution of PAHs in the study area. In light of the ongoing serious pollution, management practices for source control, improved control technologies, and the construction of a monitoring network to warn of increased risk are urgently needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal Desorption Analysis of Effective Specific Soil Surface Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smagin, A. V.; Bashina, A. S.; Klyueva, V. V.; Kubareva, A. V.

2017-12-01

A new method of assessing the effective specific surface area based on the successive thermal desorption of water vapor at different temperature stages of sample drying is analyzed in comparison with the conventional static adsorption method using a representative set of soil samples of different genesis and degree of dispersion. The theory of the method uses the fundamental relationship between the thermodynamic water potential (Ψ) and the absolute temperature of drying ( T): Ψ = Q - aT, where Q is the specific heat of vaporization, and a is the physically based parameter related to the initial temperature and relative humidity of the air in the external thermodynamic reservoir (laboratory). From gravimetric data on the mass fraction of water ( W) and the Ψ value, Polyanyi potential curves ( W(Ψ)) for the studied samples are plotted. Water sorption isotherms are then calculated, from which the capacity of monolayer and the target effective specific surface area are determined using the BET theory. Comparative analysis shows that the new method well agrees with the conventional estimation of the degree of dispersion by the BET and Kutilek methods in a wide range of specific surface area values between 10 and 250 m2/g.

Application of a Groundwater Modeling Tool for Managing Hydrologically Connected Area in State of Nebraska, US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, R.; Flyr, B.; Bradley, J.; Pun, M.; Schneider, J.; Wietjes, J.; Chinta, S.

2014-12-01

Determination of the nature and degree of hydrologically connected groundwater and surface water resources is of paramount importance to integrated water management within the State of Nebraska to understand the impact of water uses on available supplies, such as depletion of streams and aquifers caused by groundwater pumping. The ability to quantify effects of surface water-groundwater hydrologic connection and interactions, is regarded as one of the most important steps towards effectively managing water resources in Nebraska and provides the basis for designating management areas. Designation of management areas allows the state and other management entities to focus various efforts and resources towards those projects that have the greatest impact to water users. Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDNR) developed a groundwater modeling tool, Cycle Well Analysis, to determine the areas defined to have a high degree of connectivity between groundwater and surface water (in accordance with the state regulations). This tool features two graphic user interfaces to allow the analysis to be fully compatible with most MODFLOW-based numerical groundwater models currently utilized by NDNR. Case studies showed that the tool, in combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), can be used to quantify the degree of stream depletion and delineate the boundary of hydrologically connected areas within different political boundaries and subbasins in Nebraska. This approach may be applied to other regions with similar background and need for integrated water management.

Geohydrology of the lowland lakes area, Anchorage, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zenone, Chester

1976-01-01

Unconsolidated deposits, chiefly of glacial origin, make up the surficial geologic materials in the Anchorage lowland lakes area , the western part of the Anchorage glacial outwash plain. Postglacial accumulation of peat, commonly 5 to 10 feet thick, and the presence of ground water at or very near the surface combine to create the swamp-muskeg terrane of much of the area. Deeper, confined ground water is also present beneath thick silt and clay layers that underlie the surficial deposits. Domestic water supply for the lowland lakes area is provided largely by public-supply wells completed in the deep, confined aquifers. No large perennial streams traverse the area, thus streamflow is not a major parameter in the area 's natural water balance. The major uses of surface water are recreational, including fishing and boating at several of the larger lakes, and private and commercial aircraft operations at Hood-Spenard Lakes floatplane base. The hydrology and water balance of these lakes is complex. Water levels in some lakes appear to be closely related to adjacent ground-water levels. Other lakes are evidently perched above the local water table. The relation of lake level to adjacent ground-water level may vary along the shoreline of a single lake. The effect of residential development practices on lake basin water balance is not completely understood. At Sand Lake, the largest lake in this area of rapid urbanization, the water level has declined about 6 feet since the early 1960's. (Woodard-USGS)

Assessment of volatile organic compounds in surface water at West Branch Canal Creek, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olsen, Lisa D.; Spencer, Tracey A.

2000-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected 13 surface-water samples and 3 replicates from 5 sites in the West Branch Canal Creek area at Aberdeen Proving Ground from February through August 1999, as a part of an investigation of ground-water contamination and natural attenuation processes. The samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, and chloroform, which are the four major contaminants that were detected in ground water in the Canal Creek area in earlier USGS studies. Field blanks were collected during the sampling period to assess sample bias. Field replicates were used to assess sample variability, which was expressed as relative percent difference. The mean variability of the surface-water replicate analyses was larger (35.4 percent) than the mean variability of ground-water replicate analyses (14.6 percent) determined for West Branch Canal Creek from 1995 through 1996. The higher variability in surface-water analyses is probably due to heterogeneities in the composition of the surface water rather than differences in sampling or analytical procedures. The most frequently detected volatile organic compound was 1,1,2,2- tetrachloroethane, which was detected in every sample and in two of the replicates. The surface-water contamination is likely the result of cross-media transfer of contaminants from the ground water and sediments along the West Branch Canal Creek. The full extent of surface-water contamination in West Branch Canal Creek and the locations of probable contaminant sources cannot be determined from this limited set of data. Tidal mixing, creek flow patterns, and potential effects of a drought that occurred during the sampling period also complicate the evaluation of surface-water contamination.

Hydrologic and water-quality data for U.S. Coast Guard Support Center Kodiak, Alaska, 1987-89

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glass, R.L.

1996-01-01

Hydrologic and water-quality data were collected at the U.S. Coast Guard Support Center Kodiak on Kodiak Island, Alaska, to determine regional ground-water conditions and if contamination of soils, ground water, or surface water has occurred. Eighteen areas of possible contamination were identified. Ground-water levels, surface- water stages, surface-water discharges, and results of field and laboratory analyses of soil and water samples are presented in tabular form. Many quality-assurance samples had detectable concentrations of methylene chloride and 1,2-dichloroethane, which may be due to sampling or laboratory contamination. Concentrations were as great as 5.9 micrograms per liter for methylene chloride and 2.6 micrograms per liter for 1,2-dichloroethane. Excluding 1,2-dichloroethane, most soil, ground-water, and surface-water samples contained no detectable concentrations of the organic constituents that were analyzed. Chemical analyses were performed on two lake-bed-material samples and more than 100 soil samples. The median lead concentration was 9.8 milligrams per kilogram. Concentrations of tetrachloroethene were as great as 1.1 milligram per kilogram in soils near a laundry. Water samples were collected from 101 wells. The maximum benzene concentration detected in ground water was 78 micrograms per liter from a well at the air station near a site where aviation fuel was spilled. Wells near a laundry yielded water having concentrations of tetrachloroethene as great as 3,000 micrograms per liter, and vinyl chloride as great as 440 micrograms per liter. A well in a former aviation gasoline storage area yielded water with a concentration of trichloroethene as great as 66 micrograms per liter. Water samples were collected from 59 sites on streams, lakes, or ponds. Surface-water samples had much lower concen- trations of organic compounds; the highest concentration of benzene was 2.2 micrograms per liter in a stream near a former aviation-fuel storage area and the maximum vinyl chloride concentration was 15 micrograms per liter in a stream near a former landfill. Tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene were not detected in any surface-water samples.

Recent Approaches to Modeling Transport of Mercury in Surface Water and Groundwater - Case Study in Upper East Fork Poplar Creek, Oak Ridge, TN - 13349

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

Bostick, Kent; Daniel, Anamary; Tachiev, Georgio

2013-07-01

In this case study, groundwater/surface water modeling was used to determine efficacy of stabilization in place with hydrologic isolation for remediation of mercury contaminated areas in the Upper East Fork Poplar Creek (UEFPC) Watershed in Oak Ridge, TN. The modeling simulates the potential for mercury in soil to contaminate groundwater above industrial use risk standards and to contribute to surface water contamination. The modeling approach is unique in that it couples watershed hydrology with the total mercury transport and provides a tool for analysis of changes in mercury load related to daily precipitation, evaporation, and runoff from storms. The modelmore » also allows for simulation of colloidal transport of total mercury in surface water. Previous models for the watershed only simulated average yearly conditions and dissolved concentrations that are not sufficient for predicting mercury flux under variable flow conditions that control colloidal transport of mercury in the watershed. The transport of mercury from groundwater to surface water from mercury sources identified from information in the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System was simulated using a watershed scale model calibrated to match observed daily creek flow, total suspended solids and mercury fluxes. Mercury sources at the former Building 81-10 area, where mercury was previously retorted, were modeled using a telescopic refined mesh with boundary conditions extracted from the watershed model. Modeling on a watershed scale indicated that only source excavation for soils/sediment in the vicinity of UEFPC had any effect on mercury flux in surface water. The simulations showed that colloidal transport contributed 85 percent of the total mercury flux leaving the UEFPC watershed under high flow conditions. Simulation of dissolved mercury transport from liquid elemental mercury and adsorbed sources in soil at former Building 81-10 indicated that dissolved concentrations are orders of magnitude below a target industrial groundwater concentration beneath the source and would not influence concentrations in surface water at Station 17. This analysis addressed only shallow concentrations in soil and the shallow groundwater flow path in soil and unconsolidated sediments to UEFPC. Other mercury sources may occur in bedrock and transport though bedrock to UEFPC may contribute to the mercury flux at Station 17. Generally mercury in the source areas adjacent to the stream and in sediment that is eroding can contribute to the flux of mercury in surface water. Because colloidally adsorbed mercury can be transported in surface water, actions that trap colloids and or hydrologically isolate surface water runoff from source areas would reduce the flux of mercury in surface water. Mercury in soil is highly adsorbed and transport in the groundwater system is very limited under porous media conditions. (authors)« less

Handling the decline of ground water using artificial recharge areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayatullah, Muhammad Shofi; Yoga, Kuncaraningrat Edi; Muslim, Dicky

2017-11-01

Jatinagor, a region with rapid growth cause increasing in water demand. The ground water surface in the observation area shows a decrease based on its potential. This deflation is mainly caused by the inequality between inputs and outputs of the ground water itself. The decrease of this ground water surface is also caused by the number of catchment areas that keeps decreasing. According to the data analysis of geology and hydrology, the condition of ground water in Jatinangor on 2015 had indicated a decrease compared to 2010. Nowadays, the longlivity of clean water can be ensure by the hydrogeology engineering, which is to construct an artificial recharge for ground water in use. The numerical method is aims to determine the number of ground water supply in Jatinangor. According to the research, the most suitable artificial recharge is in the form of a small dam located in the internment river. With the area of 209.000 m2, this dam will be able to contain 525 m3 runoff water with the intensity of maximum rainfall effectively 59,44 mm/hour. The increase of water volume generate by this artificial recharge, fulfilled the demand of clean water.

Surface water records of New Mexico, water year 1963

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1964-01-01

This report is the third in a series presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U. S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States". Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in New Mexico were contained in Parts 7, 8, and 9 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5- year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of conterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Applications of space technology to water resources management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salomonson, V. V.

1977-01-01

Space technology transfer is discussed in terms of applying visible and infrared remote sensing measurement to water resources management. Mapping and monitoring of snowcovered areas, hydrologic land use, and surface water areas are discussed, using information acquired from LANDSAT and NOAA satellite systems.

Hydrology of the Beryl-Enterprise area, Escalante Desert, Utah, with emphasis on ground water; With a section on surface water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mower, Reed W.; Sandberg, George Woodard

1982-01-01

An investigation of the water resources of the Beryl-Enterprise area, Escalante Desert, Utah (pl. 1), was made during 1976-78 as part of a cooperative program with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. Wells were the most important source of water for all purposes in the Beryl-Enterprise area during 1978, but it has not always been so. For nearly a century after the first settlers arrived in about 1860, streams supplied most of the irrigation water and springs supplied much of the water for domestic and stock use. A few shallow wells were dug by the early settlers for domestic and stock water, but the widespread use of ground water did not start until the 1920's when shallow wells were first dug to supply irrigation water. Ground-water withdrawals from wells, principally for irrigation, have increased nearly every year since the 1920's. The quantity withdrawn from wells surpassed that diverted from surface sources during the mid-1940's and was about eight times that amount during the 1970's. As a result, water levels have declined measurably throughout the area resulting in administrative water-rights problems.The primary purpose of this report is to describe the water resources with emphasis on ground water. The surface-water resources are evaluated only as they pertain to the understanding of the ground-water resources. A secondary purpose is to discuss the extent and effects of the development of ground water in order to provide the hydrologic information needed for the orderly and optimum development of the resource and for the effective administration and adjudication of water rights in the area. The hydrologic data on which this report is based are given in a companion report by Mower (1981).

Potentiometric surface of the upper Patapsco Aquifer in southern Maryland, September 1994

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Mack, Frederick K.; Andreasen, David C.

1995-01-01

A map showing the potentiometric surface of the upper Patapsco aquifer in the Patapsco Formation of Cretaceous age in southern Maryland during September 1994 was prepared from water levels measured in 43 wells. The potentiometric surface was at least 70 feet above sea level near the northwestern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in a topographically high area of Anne Arundel County, and nearly 60 feet above sea level in a similar setting in Prince Georges County. From these high areas, the potentiometric surface declined to the south and southeast toward large well fields in the Annapolis and Waldorf areas and at the Chalk Point powerplant. Ground-water levels reached nearly 30 feet below sea level in the Annapolis area, nearly 110 feet below sea level southwest of Waldorf, and more than 25 feet below sea level at the Chalk Point powerplant.

Feasibility Study of Contamination Remediation at Naval Weapons Station, Concord, California. Volume 1. Remedial Action Alternatives.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

laboratory contaminants. The surface water sampling program was augmented by clam bioaccumulation 0 studies. In these studies, clams were placed in...water and clam bioaccumulation data indicate that several of the metals found in the contaminated surface soils are also ele- vated in the surface...waters and are potentially bioavailable to aquatic organ- isms and may currently impair water quality in these areas. However, clam bioaccumulation data

Simulation of the shallow groundwater-flow system in the Forest County Potawatomi Community, Forest County, Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fienen, Michael N.; Saad, David A.; Juckem, Paul F.

2013-01-01

The shallow groundwater system in the Forest County Potawatomi Comminity, Forest County, Wisconsin, was simulated by expanding and recalibrating a previously calibrated regional model. The existing model was updated using newly collected water-level measurements, inclusion of surface-water features beyond the previous near-field boundary, and refinements to surface-water features. The updated model then was used to calculate the area contributing recharge for seven existing and three proposed pumping locations on lands of the Forest County Potawatomi Community. The existing wells were the subject of a 2004 source-water evaluation in which areas contributing recharge were calculated using the fixed-radius method. The motivation for the present (2012) project was to improve the level of detail of areas contributing recharge for the existing wells and to provide similar analysis for the proposed wells. Delineated 5- and 10-year areas contributing recharge for existing and proposed wells extend from the areas of pumping to delineate the area at the surface contributing recharge to the wells. Steady-state pumping was simulated for two scenarios: a base-pumping scenario using pumping rates that reflect what the Community currently (2012) pumps (or plans to in the case of proposed wells), and a high-pumping scenario in which the rate was set to the maximum expected from wells installed in this area, according to the Forest County Potawatomi Community Natural Resources Department. In general, the 10-year areas contributing recharge did not intersect surface-water bodies. The 5- and 10-year areas contributing recharge simulated at the maximum pumping rate at Bug Lake Road may intersect Bug Lake. At the casino near the Town of Carter, Wisconsin, the 10-year areas contributing recharge intersect infiltration ponds. At the Devils Lake and Lois Crow Drive wells, areas contributing recharge are near cultural features, including residences.

Water Resources of the Basin and Range Carbonate-Rock Aquifer System, White Pine County, Nevada, and Adjacent Areas in Nevada and Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Welch, Alan H.; Bright, Daniel J.; Knochenmus, Lari A.

2008-01-01

INTRODUCTION This report summarizes results of a water-resources study for White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in east-central Nevada and western Utah. The Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system (BARCAS) study was initiated in December 2004 through Federal legislation (Section 301(e) of the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004; PL108-424) directing the Secretary of the Interior to complete a water-resources study through the U.S. Geological Survey, Desert Research Institute, and State of Utah. The study was designed as a regional water-resource assessment, with particular emphasis on summarizing the hydrogeologic framework and hydrologic processes that influence ground-water resources. The study area includes 13 hydrographic areas that cover most of White Pine County; in this report however, results for the northern and central parts of Little Smoky Valley were combined and presented as one hydrographic area. Hydrographic areas are the basic geographic units used by the State of Nevada and Utah and local agencies for water-resource planning and management, and are commonly defined on the basis of surface-water drainage areas. Hydrographic areas were further divided into subbasins that are separated by areas where bedrock is at or near the land surface. Subbasins are the subdivisions used in this study for estimating recharge, discharge, and water budget. Hydrographic areas are the subdivision used for reporting summed and tabulated subbasin estimates.

Water Resources of the Basin and Range Carbonate-Rock Aquifer System, White Pine County, Nevada, and Adjacent Areas in Nevada and Utah - Draft Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Welch, Alan H.; Bright, Daniel J.

2007-01-01

Summary of Major Findings This report summarizes results of a water-resources study for White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in east-central Nevada and western Utah. The Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system (BARCAS) study was initiated in December 2004 through Federal legislation (Section 131 of the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004) directing the Secretary of the Interior to complete a water-resources study through the U.S. Geological Survey, Desert Research Institute, and State of Utah. The study was designed as a regional water-resource assessment, with particular emphasis on summarizing the hydrogeologic framework and hydrologic processes that influence ground-water resources. The study area includes 13 hydrographic areas that cover most of White Pine County; in this report however, results for the northern and central parts of Little Smoky Valley were combined and presented as one hydrographic area. Hydrographic areas are the basic geographic units used by the State of Nevada and Utah and local agencies for water-resource planning and management, and are commonly defined on the basis of surface-water drainage areas. Hydrographic areas were further divided into subbasins that are separated by areas where bedrock is at or near the land surface. Subbasins represent subdivisions used in this study for estimating recharge, discharge, and water budget. Hydrographic areas represent the subdivision used for reporting summed and tabulated subbasin estimates.

Estimated Depth to Ground Water and Configuration of the Water Table in the Portland, Oregon Area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snyder, Daniel T.

2008-01-01

Reliable information on the configuration of the water table in the Portland metropolitan area is needed to address concerns about various water-resource issues, especially with regard to potential effects from stormwater injection systems such as UIC (underground injection control) systems that are either existing or planned. To help address these concerns, this report presents the estimated depth-to-water and water-table elevation maps for the Portland area, along with estimates of the relative uncertainty of the maps and seasonal water-table fluctuations. The method of analysis used to determine the water-table configuration in the Portland area relied on water-level data from shallow wells and surface-water features that are representative of the water table. However, the largest source of available well data is water-level measurements in reports filed by well constructors at the time of new well installation, but these data frequently were not representative of static water-level conditions. Depth-to-water measurements reported in well-construction records generally were shallower than measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the same or nearby wells, although many depth-to-water measurements were substantially deeper than USGS measurements. Magnitudes of differences in depth-to-water measurements reported in well records and those measured by the USGS in the same or nearby wells ranged from -119 to 156 feet with a mean of the absolute value of the differences of 36 feet. One possible cause for the differences is that water levels in many wells reported in well records were not at equilibrium at the time of measurement. As a result, the analysis of the water-table configuration relied on water levels measured during the current study or used in previous USGS investigations in the Portland area. Because of the scarcity of well data in some areas, the locations of select surface-water features including major rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and springs representative of where the water table is at land surface were used to augment the analysis. Ground-water and surface-water data were combined for use in interpolation of the water-table configuration. Interpolation of the two representations typically used to define water-table position - depth to the water table below land surface and elevation of the water table above a datum - can produce substantially different results and may represent the end members of a spectrum of possible interpolations largely determined by the quantity of recharge and the hydraulic properties of the aquifer. Datasets of depth-to-water and water-table elevation for the current study were interpolated independently based on kriging as the method of interpolation with parameters determined through the use of semivariograms developed individually for each dataset. Resulting interpolations were then combined to create a single, averaged representation of the water-table configuration. Kriging analysis also was used to develop a map of relative uncertainty associated with the values of the water-table position. Accuracy of the depth-to-water and water-table elevation maps is dependent on various factors and assumptions pertaining to the data, the method of interpolation, and the hydrogeologic conditions of the surficial aquifers in the study area. Although the water-table configuration maps generally are representative of the conditions in the study area, the actual position of the water-table may differ from the estimated position at site-specific locations, and short-term, seasonal, and long-term variations in the differences also can be expected. The relative uncertainty map addresses some but not all possible errors associated with the analysis of the water-table configuration and does not depict all sources of uncertainty. Depth to water greater than 300 feet in the Portland area is limited to parts of the Tualatin Mountains, the foothills of the Cascade Range, and muc

Pharmaceuticals as indictors of sewage-influenced groundwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Beate; Scheytt, Traugott; Asbrand, Martin; de Casas, Andrea Mross

2012-09-01

A set of human pharmaceuticals enables identification of groundwater that is influenced by sewage and provides information on the time of recharge. As the consumption rates of the investigated pharmaceuticals have changed over time, so too has the composition of the sewage. At the study area, south of Berlin (Germany), irrigation was performed as a method of wastewater clean-up at sewage irrigation farms until the early 1990s. Today, treated wastewater is discharged into the surface-water-stream Nuthegraben. Groundwater and surface-water samples were analyzed for the pharmaceutical substances clofibric acid, bezafibrate, diclofenac, carbamazepine and primidone, the main ions and organic carbon. The pharmaceutical substances were detected at concentrations up to microgram-per-liter level in groundwater and surface-water samples from the Nuthegraben Lowland area and from the former irrigation farms. Concentrations detected in groundwater are generally much lower than in surface water and there is significant variation in the distribution of pharmaceutical concentrations in groundwater. Groundwater influenced by the irrigation of sewage water shows higher primidone and clofibric-acid concentrations. Groundwater influenced by recent discharge of treated sewage water into the surface water shows high carbamazepine concentrations while concentrations of primidone and clofibric acid are low.

Water quality responses to the interaction between surface water and groundwater along the Songhua River, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teng, Yanguo; Hu, Bin; Zheng, Jieqiong; Wang, Jinsheng; Zhai, Yuanzheng; Zhu, Chen

2018-03-01

Investigation of surface water and groundwater interaction (SW-GW interaction) provides basic information for regional water-resource protection, management, and development. In this survey of a 10-km-wide area along both sides of the Songhua River, northeast China, the hydrogeochemical responses to different SW-GW interactions were studied. Three types of SW-GW interactions were identified—"recharge", "discharge", and "flow-through"—according to the hydraulic connection between the surface water and groundwater. The single factor index, principal component analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis of the hydrogeochemistry and pollutant data illuminated the hydrogeochemical response to the various SW-GW interactions. Clear SW-GW interactions along the Songhua River were revealed: (1) upstream in the study area, groundwater usually discharges into the surface water, (2) groundwater is recharged by surface water downstream, and (3) discharge and flow-through coexist in between. Statistical analysis indicated that the degree of hydrogeochemical response in different types of hydraulic connection varied, being clear in recharge and flow-through modes, and less obvious in discharge mode. During the interaction process, dilution, adsorption, redox reactions, nitrification, denitrification, and biodegradation contributed to the pollutant concentration and affected hydrogeochemical response in the hyporheic zone.

Depth to water, 1991, in the Rathdrum Prairie, Idaho; Spokane River valley, Washington; Moscow-Lewiston-Grangeville area, Idaho; and selected intermontane valleys, east-central Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berenbrock, Charles E.; Bassick, M.D.; Rogers, T.L.; Garcia, S.P.

1995-01-01

This map report illustrates digitally generated depth-to-water zones for the Rathdrum Prairie in Idaho; part of the Spokane River Valley in eastern Washington; and the intermontane valleys of the upper Big Wood, Big Lost, Pahsimeroi, Little Lost, and Lemhi Rivers and Birch Creek in Idaho. Depth to water is 400 to 500 feet below land surface in the northern part of Rathdrum Prairie, 100 to 200 feet below land surface at the Idaho-Washington State line, and 0 to 250 feet below land surface in the Spokane area. Depth to water in the intermontane valleys in east-central Idaho is least (usually less than 50 feet) near streams and increases toward valley margins where mountain-front alluvial fans have formed. Depths to water shown in the Moscow-Lewiston-Grangeville area in Idaho are limited to point data at individual wells because most of the water levels measured were not representative of levels in the uppermost aquifer but of levels in deeper aquifers.

Effect of Ionic Soil Stabilizers on Soil-Water Characteristic of Special Clay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, D.; Xiang, W.

2011-12-01

The engineering properties of special clay are conventionally improved through the use of chemical additive such as ionic soil stabilizer (ISS). Such special clays are often referred to as stabilized or treated clays. The soil-water characteristic curves (SWCC) of special clays from Henan province and Hubei province were measured both in natural and stabilized conditions using the pressure plate apparatus in the suction range of 0-500 kPa. The SWCC results are used to interpret the special clays behavior due to stabilizer treatment. In addition, relationships were developed between the basic clay and stabilized properties such as specific surface area and pore size distribution. The analysis showed that specific surface area decreases, cumulative pore volume and average pore size diameter decrease, dehydration rate slows and the thickness of water film thins after treatment with Ionic Soil Stabilizer. The research data and interpretation analysis presented here can be extended to understand the water film change behaviors influencing the mechanical and physical properties of stabilized special clay soils. KEY WORDS: ionic soil stabilizer, special clay, pore size diameter, specific surface area, soil water characteristic curve, water film

Fog-basking behaviour and water collection efficiency in Namib Desert Darkling beetles.

PubMed

Nørgaard, Thomas; Dacke, Marie

2010-07-16

In the Namib Desert fog represents an alternative water source. This is utilised by Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) that employ different strategies for obtaining the fog water. Some dig trenches in the sand, while others use their own bodies as fog collectors assuming a characteristic fog-basking stance. Two beetle species from the genus Onymacris have been observed to fog-bask on the ridges of the sand dunes. These beetles all have smooth elytra surfaces, while another species with elytra covered in bumps is reported to have specialised adaptations facilitating water capture by fog-basking. To resolve if these other beetles also fog-bask, and if an elytra covered in bumps is a more efficient fog water collector than a smooth one, we examined four Namib Desert beetles; the smooth Onymacris unguicularis and O. laeviceps and the bumpy Stenocara gracilipes and Physasterna cribripes. Here we describe the beetles' fog-basking behaviour, the details of their elytra structures, and determine how efficient their dorsal surface areas are at harvesting water from fog. The beetles differ greatly in size. The largest P. cribripes has a dorsal surface area that is 1.39, 1.56, and 2.52 times larger than O. unguicularis, O. laeviceps, and S. gracilipes, respectively. In accordance with earlier reports, we found that the second largest O. unguicularis is the only one of the four beetles that assumes the head standing fog-basking behaviour, and that fog is necessary to trigger this behaviour. No differences were seen in the absolute amounts of fog water collected on the dorsal surface areas of the different beetles. However, data corrected according to the sizes of the beetles revealed differences. The better fog water harvesters were S. gracilipes and O. unguicularis while the large P. cribripes was the poorest. Examination of the elytra microstructures showed clear structural differences, but the elytra of all beetles were found to be completely hydrophobic. The differences in fog water harvesting efficiency by the dorsal surface areas of beetles with very different elytra surface structures were minor. We therefore conclude that the fog-basking behaviour itself is a more important factor than structural adaptations when O. unguicularis collect water from fog.

Water resources of the Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Freethey, Geoffrey W.; Scully, David R.

1980-01-01

Ground-water and surface-water systems of Cook Inlet basin, Alaska, are analyzed. Geologic and topographic features that control the movement and regional availability of ground water are explained and illustrated. Five aquifer systems beneath the most populous areas are described. Estimates of ground-water yield were determined for the region by using ground-water data for the populated areas and by extrapolating known subsurface conditions and interpreting subsurface conditions from surficial features in the other areas. Area maps of generalized geology, Quaternary sediment thickness, and general availability of ground water are shown. Surface-water resources are summarized by describing how basin characteristics affect the discharge in streams. Seasonal trend of streamflow for three types of streams is described. Regression equations for 4 streamflow characteristics (annual, monthly minimum, and maximum discharge) were obtained by using gaging station streamflow characteristics and 10 basin characteristics. In the 24 regression equations presented, drainage area is the most significant basin characteristic, but 5 others are used. Maps of mean annual unit runoff and minimum unit yield for 7 consecutive days with a recurrence interval of 10 years are shown. Historic discharge data at gaging stations is tabulated and representative low-flow and flood-flow frequency curves are shown. (USGS)

Surface-Water and Ground-Water Interactions in the Central Everglades, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harvey, Judson W.; Newlin, Jessica T.; Krest, James M.; Choi, Jungyill; Nemeth, Eric A.; Krupa, Steven L.

2004-01-01

Recharge and discharge are hydrological processes that cause Everglades surface water to be exchanged for subsurface water in the peat soil and the underlying sand and limestone aquifer. These interactions are thought to be important to water budgets, water quality, and ecology in the Everglades. Nonetheless, relatively few studies of surface water and ground water interactions have been conducted in the Everglades, especially in its vast interior areas. This report is a product of a cooperative investigation conducted by the USGS and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) aimed at developing and testing techniques that would provide reliable estimates of recharge and discharge in interior areas of WCA-2A (Water Conservation Area 2A) and several other sites in the central Everglades. The new techniques quantified flow from surface water to the subsurface (recharge) and the opposite (discharge) using (1) Darcy-flux calculations based on measured vertical gradients in hydraulic head and hydraulic conductivity of peat; (2) modeling transport through peat and decay of the naturally occurring isotopes 224Ra and 223Ra (with half-lives of 4 and 11 days, respectively); and (3) modeling transport and decay of naturally occurring and 'bomb-pulse' tritium (half-life of 12.4 years) in ground water. Advantages and disadvantages of each method for quantifying recharge and discharge were compared. In addition, spatial and temporal variability of recharge and discharge were evaluated and controlling factors identified. A final goal was to develop appropriately simplified (that is, time averaged) expressions of the results that will be useful in addressing a broad range of hydrological and ecological problems in the Everglades. Results were compared with existing information about water budgets from the South Florida Water Management Model (SFWMM), a principal tool used by the South Florida Water Management District to plan many of the hydrological aspects of the Everglades restoration. A century of water management for flood control and water storage in the Everglades resulted in the creation of the Water Conservation Areas (WCAs). Construction of the major canals began in the 1910s and the systems of levees that enclose the basins and structures that move water between basins were largely completed by the 1950s. The abandoned wetlands that remained outside of the Water Conservation areas tended to dry out and subside by 10 feet or more, which created abrupt transitions in land-surface elevations and water levels across the levees. The increases in topographic and hydraulic gradients near the margins of the WCAs, along with rapid pumping of water between basins to achieve management objectives, have together altered the patterns of recharge and discharge in the Everglades. The most evident change is the increase in the magnitude of recharge (on the upgradient side) and discharge (on the downgradient side) of levees separating WCA-2A from other basins or areas outside. Recharge and discharge in the vast interior of WCA-2A also likely have increased, but fluxes in the interior wetlands are more subtle and more difficult to quantify compared with areas close to the levees. Surface-water and ground-water interactions differ in fundamental ways between wetlands near WCA-2A's boundaries and wetlands in the basin's interior. The levees that form the WCA's boundaries have introduced step functions in the topographic and hydraulic gradients that are important as a force to drive water flow across the wetland ground surface. The resulting recharge and discharge fluxes tend to be unidirectional (connecting points of recharge on the upgradient side of the levee with points of discharge on the downgradient side), and fluxes are also relatively steady in magnitude compared with fluxes in the interior. Recharge flow paths are also relatively deep in their extent near levees, with fluxes passing entirely through the 1-m peat layer and inte

Potentiometric surface and specific conductance of the Sparta and Memphis aquifers in eastern Arkansas, 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanton, Gregory P.

1997-01-01

The Sparta and Memphis aquifers in eastern and south-central Arkansas are a major source of water for industrial, public supply, and agricultural uses. An estimated 240 million gallons per day was withdrawn from the Sparta and Memphis aquifers in 1995, an increase of about 17 million gallons per day from 1990. During the spring and early summer of 1995, the water level in the Sparta and Memphis aquifers was measured in 145 wells, the specific conductance of 101 ground-water samples collected from those aquifers was measured. Maps of areal distribution of potentiometric surface and specific conductance generated from these data reveal spatial trends in these parameters across the eastern and south-central Arkansas study area. The altitude of the potentiometric surface ranged from about 206 feet below sea level in Union County to about 307 feet above sea level in Saline County. The potentiometric surface of the Sparta and Memphis aquifers contains cones of depression descending below sea level in the central and southern portions of the study area, and a potentiometric high along the western study area boundary. Major recharge areas exhibit potentiometric highs greater than 200 feet above sea level and specific conductance values less than 200 microsiemens per centimeter, and generally are located in the outcrop/subcrop areas on the southern one-third of the western boundary and the northern portion of the study area. The regional direction of ground-water flow is from the north and west to the south and east, away from the outcrop and subcrop and northern regions, except near areas affected by intense ground-water withdrawals; such areas are manifested by large cones of depression centered in Columbia, Jefferson, and Union Counties. The cones of depression in adjoining Columbia and Union Counties are coalescing at or near sea level. The lowest water level measured was about 206 feet below sea level in Union County. Increased specific conductance values were measured in the areas of the cones of depression in Columbia and Union Counties. The cones of depression centered in Jefferson County coincides with an elongate area where ground water in the aquifer has low specific conductance. This area extends eastward from the outcrop/subcrop region of recharge. This extension of ground water with low specific conductance possibly indicates increased ground-water movement to the east-southeast from the outcrop/subcrop area induced by ground- water withdrawals in Jefferson County. Specific conductance increases markedly to the northeast and gradually to the south of this area. Long-term hydrographs of eight wells in the study areas, during the period 1970-1995, reveal water-level declines ranging from less than 0.5 foot per year in Phillips County to more than 2.0 feet per year in Union County. Water-level declines of greater than 1.5 feet per year generally are associated with the cones of depression centered in Columbia, Jefferson, and Union Counties.

Biological and Chemical Significance of Surface Microlayers in Aquatic Ecosystems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, B.; Barsom, G.

1970-01-01

Reviews methods of study, chemical composition, physical properties and ecology of surface microlayers in marine and fresh water habitats. Relates to problems of air and water pollution. Suggests areas for further research. (EB)

Ground water resources of southeastern Oakland County, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ferris, J.G.; Burt, E.M.; Stramel, G.J.; Crosthwaite, E.G.

1954-01-01

The area covered by this report comprises a square which measures three townships on a side and enclose 318 square miles in southeastern Oakland County. The investigation of the ground-water resources of this area was made by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Detroit Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Commission, the Michigan Department of Conservation, and the Michigan Water Resources Commission.In 1950 the population of this nine-township area exceeded 341,000, or more than 86 percent of the total population of Oakland County. This county ranks third in the state in number of industrial establishments and workers and is fifteenth in agricultural importance. Its numerous lakes and rolling uplands contribute to its top rank in the state in the number of recreational enterprises in rural or suburban areas.The climate is moderately humid. The average annual precipitation is 30 inches and the mean air temperature is 47.2° F. Snowfall averages 38 inches in the November-April interval. The growing season averages 151 days.The regional land surface slopes from northwest to southeast and has a total relief of 360 feet. Pitted outwash plains and morainal hills that are more than 1,000 feet above sea level in the northwest corner of the area give way southeastward to a sequence of terminal moraines and intervening till plains in the middle part. These give way to the broad lake plains that cover the southeastern third of the area.The area lies on the southeast edge of the Michigan Basin and the bedrock is composed of northwest dipping strata of the Devonian and Mississippian systems. The Antrim shale, of Lake Devonian and early Mississippian age, is the oldest formation cropping out beneath the mantle of glacial Berea sandstone, and Sunbury shale overlie the Antrim and are overlain by the Coldwater shale, their areas of outcrop beneath the drift lying successively farther northwest. These formations are of early Mississippian age.Throughout the area the bedrock is covered by glacial drift which ranges in thickness from 25 to more than 350 feet. The drift increases in thickness from southeast to northwest, but considerable relief on the underlying bedrock surface greatly modifies this trend. Extensive moraines, till plains, lake plains, and gravel outwash plains cover the area. In the northwestern third of the area an extensive upland of gravel plains is dotted with lakes ranging from a few feet to more than 100 feet in depth.Precipitation is the perennial source of all water in this area, whether on the surface of underground. The average annual rainfall on the nine-townships is equivalent to a continuous supply of 450 m.g.d. or  9 times the combined annual withdrawal from all wells in the area.About 53 percent of the area is drained by the Clinton River, 44 percent by the River Rouge, and the remaining 3 percent by the Huron River. Less than one-third of the annual precipitation reappears as surface discharge from the watersheds of this area.About two-thirds of the annual precipitation on the area is lost by evaporation from water and land surfaces and by transpirations from vegetative cover. A substantial part of this large annual water loss is from the many lakes and other exposed water surfaces and from contiguous lands where the depth to the water table is slight. Average annual water losses by evapotranspiration are equivalent to about 280 m.g.d. or nearly 6 times the combined withdrawal from all ground-water supplies in the area.The principal aquifers are the alluvial deposits bordering streams and the buried outwash deposits which represent alluvial fills in preglacial or interglacial stream channels. Intensive well developments in the urban areas have greatly lowered ground-water levels in the buried outwash deposits, have brought localized problems of declining well yield, and have induced migration of mineralized waters from the underlying consolidated formations. During 1952, withdrawals of ground water in the nine township area averages about 50 m.g.d., most of this quantity being pumped from municipal wells. This annual pumpage was distributed as follows: 60 percent in Pontiac and environs; 20 percent in Birmingham, Royal Oak and Troy Township; and the remaining 20 percent throughout the suburban and rural areas.

Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow and land-surface subsidence in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston area, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kasmarek, Mark C.; Strom, Eric W.

2002-01-01

In November 1997, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Houston Utilities Planning Section and the City of Houston Department of Public Works & Engineering, began an investigation of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the greater Houston area in Texas to better understand the hydrology, flow, and associated land-surface subsidence. The principal part of the investigation was a numerical finite-difference model (MODFLOW) developed to simulate ground-water flow and land-surface subsidence in an 18,100-square-mile area encompassing greater Houston.The focus of the study was Harris and Galveston Counties, but other counties were included to achieve the appropriate boundary conditions. The model was vertically discretized into three 103-row by 109-column layers resulting in a total of 33,681 grid cells. Layer 1 represents the water table using a specified head, layer 2 represents the Chicot aquifer, and layer 3 represents the Evangeline aquifer.Simulations were made under transient conditions for 31 ground-water-withdrawal (stress) periods spanning 1891–1996. The years 1977 and 1996 were chosen as potentiometric-surface calibration periods for the model. Simulated and measured potentiometric surfaces of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers for 1977 match closely. Waterlevel measurements indicate that by 1977, large ground-water withdrawals in east-central and southeastern areas of Harris County had caused the potentiometric surfaces to decline as much as 250 feet below sea level in the Chicot aquifer and as much as 350 feet below sea level in the Evangeline aquifer. Simulated and measured potentiometric surfaces of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers for 1996 also match closely. The large potentiometric-surface decline in 1977 in the southeastern Houston area showed significant recovery by 1996. The 1996 centers of potentiometric-surface decline are located much farther northwest. Potentiometric-surface declines of more than 200 feet below sea level in the Chicot aquifer and more than 350 feet below sea level in the Evangeline aquifer were measured in observation wells and simulated in the flow model.Simulation of land-surface subsidence and water released from storage in the clay layers was accomplished using the Interbed-Storage Package of the MODFLOW model. Land-surface subsidence was calibrated by comparing simulated long-term (1891–1995) and short-term (1978–95) land-surface subsidence with published maps of land-surface subsidence for about the same period until acceptable matches were achieved.Simulated 1996 Chicot aquifer flow rates indicate that a net flow of 562.5 cubic feet per second enters the Chicot aquifer in the outcrop area, and a net flow of 459.5 cubic feet per second passes through the Chicot aquifer into the Evangeline aquifer. The remaining 103.0 cubic feet per second of flow is withdrawn as pumpage, with a shortfall of about 84.9 cubic feet per second supplied to the wells from storage in sands and clays. Water simulated from storage in clays in the Chicot aquifer is about 19 percent of the total water withdrawn from the aquifer.Simulated 1996 Evangeline aquifer flow rates indicate that a net flow of 14.8 cubic feet per second enters the Evangeline aquifer in the outcrop area, and a net flow of 459.5 cubic feet per second passes through the Chicot aquifer into the Evangeline aquifer for a total inflow of 474.3 cubic feet per second. A greater amount, 528.6 cubic feet per second, is withdrawn by wells; the shortfall of about 54.8 cubic feet per second is supplied from storage in sands and clays. Water simulated from storage in clays in the Evangeline aquifer is about 10 percent of the total water withdrawn from the aquifer.

Geology and ground-water resources of the Ahtanum Valley, Yakima County, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foxworthy, B.L.

1962-01-01

The Ahtanum Valley covers an area of about 100 square miles in an important agricultural district in central Yakima County, Wash. Because the area is semiarid, virtually all crops require irrigation. Surface-water supplies are inadequate in most of the area, and ground water is being used increasingly for irrigation. The purpose of this investigation was the collection and interpretation of data, pertaining to ground water in the area as an aid in the proper development and management of the water resources. The occurrence and movement of ground water in the Ahtanum Valley are directly related to the geology. The valley occupies part of a structural trough (Ahtanum-Moxee subbasin) that is underlain by strongly folded flow layers of a thick sequence of the Yakima basalt. The upper part of the basalt sequence interfingers with, and is conformably overlying by, sedimentary rocks of the Ellensburg formation which are as much as 1,000 feet thick. These rocks are in turn overlying unconformably by cemented basalt gravel as much as 400 feet thick. Unconsolidated alluvial sand and gravel, as much as 30 feet thick, form the valley floor. Although ground water occurs in each of the rock units within the area, the Yakima basalt and the unconsolidated alluvium yield about three-fourths of the ground water currently used. Wells in the area range in depth from a few feet to more than 1,200 feet and yield from less than 1 to more than 1,030 gallons per minute. Although water levels in water-table wells usually are shallow--often less than 5 feet below the land surface--levels in deeper wells tapping confined water range from somewhat above the land surface (in flowing wells) to about 200 feet below. Wells drilled into aquifers in the Yakima basalt, the Ellensburg formation, and the cemented gravel usually tap confined water, and at least 12 wells in the area flow or have flowed in the past. Ground-water levels fluctuate principally in response to changes in stream levels, variations in the flow of irrigation ditches and in rates of water application, variations in local precipitation, and seasonal differences in withdrawals from wells. Annual fluctuations of levels generally are less than 10 feet except in localities of heavy pumping. Periodic measurements of water levels in two observation wells in the area indicate, locally at least, a persistent decline in artesian pressures in confined basalt aquifers, although the record is too short to show whether withdrawal by pumping has reached, or is nearing, an optimum balance with recharge. The aquifers are recharged by precipitation, by infiltration from streams, and by ground-water underflow into the area. Ground water is discharged by seepage to streams, by evapotranspiration, by springs and seeps at the land surface, and, artificially, by withdrawal from wells. It is estimated that the seepage discharge to the Yakima River from the area studied may range from about 20,000 to 25,000 acre-feet per year. The consumptive waste of ground water by phreatophytes probably exceeds 4,000 acre-feet per year and may represent a large reclaimable source of water in the area. The annual withdrawal of ground water from wells in the area for domestic, industrial, irrigation, public, and stock supplies is estimated to be 6,300 acre-feet. The chemical quality of the ground water generally is satisfactory for most purposes, although the water from many wells is harder than is desirable for domestic use.

[Spatial distribution and pollution assessment of heavy metals in the tidal reach and its adjacent sea estuary of Daliaohe area, China ].

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Qin, Yan-wen; Ma, Ying-qun; Zhao, Yan-min; Shi, Yao

2014-09-01

The aim of this article was to explore the pollution level of heavy metals in the tidal reach and its adjacent sea estuary of Daliaohe area. The contents and spatial distribution of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ph and Zn in surface water, suspended solids and surface sediments were analyzed respectively. The integrated pollution index and geoaccumulation index were used to evaluate the contamination degree of heavy metals in surface water and surface sediments respectively. The results indicated that the contents of heavy metals in surface water was in the order of Pb < Cu < Cd < Cr < As < Zn. The heavy metal contents in surface water increased from river to sea. Compared with the contents of heavy metals in surface water of the typical domestic estuary in China, the overall contents of heavy metals in surface water were at a higher level. The contents of heavy metals in suspended solids was in the order of Cd < Cu < As < Cr

Quantitative assessment of the impact of an inter-basin surface-water transfer project on the groundwater flow and groundwater-dependent eco-environment in an oasis in arid northwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiaobin; Wu, Jichun; Nie, Huijun; Guo, Fei; Wu, Jianfeng; Chen, Kouping; Liao, Penghui; Xu, Hongxia; Zeng, Xiankui

2018-06-01

Inter-basin water transfer projects (IBWTPs) can involve basins as water donors and water receivers. In contrast to most studies on IBWTPs, which mainly impact the surface-water eco-environment, this study focuses on the impacts of an IBWTP on groundwater and its eco-environment in a water donor basin in an arid area, where surface water and groundwater are exchanged. Surface water is assumed to recharge groundwater and a groundwater numerical simulation model was constructed using MODFLOW. The model was used to quantitatively evaluate the impact of an IBWTP located in the upstream portion of Nalenggele River (the biggest river in the Qaidam basin, Northwest China). The impact involved decrease in spring flow, drawdown of groundwater, reduction in oasis area, and an increase in species replacement of oasis vegetation in the midstream and downstream of the river. Results show that the emergence sites of springs at the front of the oasis will move 2-5 km downstream, and the outflow of springs will decrease by 42 million m3/a. The maximum drawdown of groundwater level at the front of the oasis will be 3.6 m and the area across which groundwater drawdown exceeds 2.0 m will be about 59.02 km2, accounting for 2.71% of the total area of the oasis. Under such conditions, reeds will gradually be replaced by Tamarix, shrubs, and other alternative plant species. These findings have important implications for the optimization of water resource allocation and protection of the eco-environment in arid regions.

Potentiometric surface of the Ozark aquifer in northern Arkansas, 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schrader, T.P.

2005-01-01

The Ozark aquifer in northern Arkansas comprises dolomites, limestones, sandstones, and shales of Late Cambrian to Middle Devonian age, and ranges in thickness from approximately 1,100 feet to more than 4,000 feet. Hydrologically, the aquifer is complex, characterized by discrete and discontinuous flow components with large variations in permeability. The potentiometric-surface map, based on 59 well and 5 spring water-level measurements collected in 2004 in Arkansas and Missouri, indicates maximum water-level altitudes of about 1,188 feet in Benton County and minimum water-level altitudes of about 116 feet in Randolph County. Regionally, the flow within the aquifer is to the south and southeast in the eastern and central part of the study area and to the northwest and north in the western part of the study area. Comparing the 2004 potentiometric- surface map with a predevelopment potentiometricsurface map indicates general agreement between the two surfaces. Potentiometric-surface differences could be attributed to differences in pumping related to changing population from 1990 to 2000, change in source for public supplies, processes or water use outside the study area, or differences in data-collection or map-construction methods.

Use of borehole and surface geophysics to investigate ground-water quality near a road-deicing salt-storage facility, Valparaiso, Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Risch, M.R.; Robinson, B.A.

2001-01-01

Two surface surveys of terrain electromagnetic conductivity were used to map the horizontal extent of the saltwater plume in areas without monitoring wells. Background values of terrain conductivity were measured in an area where water-quality and borehole geophysical data did not indicate saline or brackish water. Based on a guideline from previous case studies, the boundaries of the saltwater plume were mapped where terrain conductivity was 1.5 times background. The extent of the saltwater plume, based on terrain conductivity, generally was consistent with the available water-quality and borehole electromagnetic-conductivity data and with directions of ground-water flow determined from water-level altitudes.

Geohydrology and quality of water in aquifers in Lucas, Sandusky, and Wood counties, northwestern Ohio

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breen, K.J.; Dumouchelle, D.H.

1991-01-01

The hydrology and quality of ground water were evaluated for the surficial sand and carbonate aquifers in northwestern Ohio. A locally important surficial sand aquifer in western Lucas County was evaluated on the basis of data from 10 wells completed in undeveloped and developed areas. The carbonate aquifer in Silurian and Devonian bedrock at its northernmost extent on the Ohio mainland was evaluated on the basis of data from previous studies and data from 466 wells and 11 springs. Most data are for the period 1985-88. The unconfined surficial sand aquifer is less than 50 ft. (feet) thick. Clay-rich drift, which restricts vertical movement of water, underlines the aquifer. Recharge is from precipitation, and discharge is by evapotranspiration and by flow to local streams and drainage ditches. Water levels are generally 2 to 8 ft. below land surface and fluctuate a total of about 3.5 ft. seasonally in a forested area. Concentrations of iron and manganese in ground water are excessive in some areas. Waters from shallow drive-point wells in residential areas contained larger concentrations of dissolved solids, hardness, sodium, and chloride than did waters from identical wells in undeveloped areas. The presence of nitrate nitrogen an other selected constituents in ground water in residential areas, and the absence of these constituents in ground water in undeveloped areas, indicate that the surficial sand aquifer has been affected by development. In carbonate aquifer, fractures, bedding-plane joints, and other secondary openings are the principal water-bearing zones. These zones can be areally and stratigraphically separated by low-permeability rock. Leaky artesian or semiconfined conditions predominate beneath most of the 1,400-mi? study area. The aquifer is confined by relatively impermeable underlying shale of Silurian age and overlying clay-rich drift of Quaternary age. Unproductive strata, including evaporites, within the sequence of carbonate rocks also confine some water-bearing zones. The carbonate aquifer is part of a regional ground-water-flow system; however, subsystems such as the eastern karst and central outcrops are locally important. The potentiometric surface indicates that recharge from areas south and west of the study area flows toward discharge areas along major rivers (Maumee, Portage, and Sandusky) , to a buried bedrock valley in central Sandusky County, and to springs and flowing wells. The potentiometric surface flattens markedly near the southern shore of Lake Erie, where ground-water levels approximate those of the lake, indicating a hydraulic connection between the lake and the aquifer. Hydrogeologic characteristics and water-quality data indicate that Lake Erie is not a major source of recharge to the aquifer. Ground-water ages inferred from tritium concentrations and potentiometric-surface maps indicate that recharge from precipitation enters the aquifer by subsurface drainage in karstified strata in eastern Sandusky County and by infiltration in shallow bedrock areas where drift is less than 20 ft. thick. The quality of water in the carbonate aquifer is described with reference to 52 properties and constituents that characterize chemical, radiochemical, bacteriologic, and physical conditions. Ground-water samples from 135 wells and 11 springs are used in the characterization. On the basis of these data, water from the aquifer is generally suitable for drinking and for most domestic purposes. The most areally widespread aesthtic factors limiting the use of ground water are hardness, concentrations of dissolved solids, sulfate and iron, and the presence of hydrogen sulfide. Selected bacteria are commonly present and may compromise the potability of water from the aquifer. Coliform bacteria from surface sources were found in 47 of 143 water samples. Analyses for total coliform bacteria indicate that 36 of the 125 samples from wells maintained for potable supply have bacteria counts of 4

30 CFR 77.216-1 - Water, sediment or slurry impoundments and impounding structures; identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Water, sediment or slurry impoundments and... AND SURFACE WORK AREAS OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Surface Installations § 77.216-1 Water, sediment or..., operating, or controlling the structure, shall be located on or immediately adjacent to each water, sediment...

30 CFR 77.216-1 - Water, sediment or slurry impoundments and impounding structures; identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Water, sediment or slurry impoundments and... AND SURFACE WORK AREAS OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Surface Installations § 77.216-1 Water, sediment or..., operating, or controlling the structure, shall be located on or immediately adjacent to each water, sediment...

Deployment Area Selection and Land Withdrawal/Acquisition. M-X/MPS (M-X/Multiple Protective Shelter) Environmental Technical Report. Aquatic Habitats and Biota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-02

section of resident and nonresident sportsmen. Aquatic habitats provide water and forage for terrestrial wildlife, particularly birds and the larger...swimming, camping, and picnicking areas. Bird and wildlife observation in the study area is usually best near aquatic habitats. Since surface waters are...inundated by surface or groundwater with a frequency sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetative or aquatic life that requires saturated or seasonally

Superhydrophobic surfaces fabricated by femtosecond laser with tunable water adhesion: from lotus leaf to rose petal.

PubMed

Long, Jiangyou; Fan, Peixun; Gong, Dingwei; Jiang, Dafa; Zhang, Hongjun; Li, Lin; Zhong, Minlin

2015-05-13

Superhydrophobic surfaces with tunable water adhesion have attracted much interest in fundamental research and practical applications. In this paper, we used a simple method to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces with tunable water adhesion. Periodic microstructures with different topographies were fabricated on copper surface via femtosecond (fs) laser irradiation. The topography of these microstructures can be controlled by simply changing the scanning speed of the laser beam. After surface chemical modification, these as-prepared surfaces showed superhydrophobicity combined with different adhesion to water. Surfaces with deep microstructures showed self-cleaning properties with extremely low water adhesion, and the water adhesion increased when the surface microstructures became flat. The changes in surface water adhesion are attributed to the transition from Cassie state to Wenzel state. We also demonstrated that these superhydrophobic surfaces with different adhesion can be used for transferring small water droplets without any loss. We demonstrate that our approach provides a novel but simple way to tune the surface adhesion of superhydrophobic metallic surfaces for good potential applications in related areas.

77 FR 14717 - National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan; National Priorities List...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-13

... preclude future actions under Superfund. This partial deletion pertains to the surface soil, unsaturated subsurface soil, surface water and sediments of Operable Unit (OU) 1, the Gateway Lake Ash Study Area, and.... Surface soil, unsaturated subsurface soil, surface water, and sediments at OU-2, OU-3, OU-4, OU-5, OU-6...

40 CFR 421.11 - Specialized definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... outside slopes of the impoundment dam and the surface area between the outside edge of the impoundment dam... 30 percent of the water surface area within the impoundment dam at maximum capacity. (e) The term...

40 CFR 421.11 - Specialized definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... outside slopes of the impoundment dam and the surface area between the outside edge of the impoundment dam... 30 percent of the water surface area within the impoundment dam at maximum capacity. (e) The term...

Water Levels and Selected Water-Quality Conditions in the Sparta-Memphis Aquifer (Middle Claiborne Aquifer) in Arkansas, Spring-Summer 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schrader, T.P.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the Arkansas Geological Survey has monitored water levels in the Sparta Sand of Claiborne Group and Memphis Sand of Claiborne Group (herein referred to as the Sparta Sand and the Memphis Sand, respectively), since the 1920s. Groundwater withdrawals have increased while water levels have declined since monitoring was initiated. Herein, aquifers in the Sparta Sand and Memphis Sand will be referred to as the Sparta-Memphis aquifer throughout Arkansas. During the spring of 2007, 309 water levels were measured in wells completed in the Sparta-Memphis aquifer. During the summer of 2007, 129 water-quality samples were collected and measured for temperature and specific conductance and 102 were collected and analyzed for chloride from wells completed in the Sparta-Memphis aquifer. Water-level measurements collected in wells screened in the Sparta-Memphis aquifer were used to produce a regional potentiometric-surface map. The regional direction of groundwater flow in the Sparta-Memphis aquifer is generally to the south-southeast in the northern half of Arkansas and to the east and south in the southern half of Arkansas, away from the outcrop area except where affected by large ground-water withdrawals. The highest water-level altitude measured in the Sparta-Memphis aquifer was 326 feet above National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929, located in Grant County in the outcrop at the western boundary of the study area; the lowest water-level altitude was 161 feet below National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 in Union County near the southern boundary of the study area. Eight cones of depression (generally represented by closed contours) are located in the following counties: Bradley, Drew, and Ashley; Calhoun; Cleveland; Columbia; Crittenden; Arkansas, Jefferson, and Lincoln; Cross and Poinsett; and Union. Two large depressions are shown on the 2007 potentiometric-surface map, centered in Jefferson and Union Counties, as a result of large withdrawals for industrial and public supplies. The depression centered in Jefferson County deepened and expanded in recent years into Arkansas and Prairie Counties as a result of large withdrawals for irrigation and public supply. The area enclosed within the 40-foot contour has expanded on the 2007 potentiometric-surface map when compared with the 2005 potentiometric-surface map. In 2003, the depression in Union County was elongated east and west and beginning to coalesce with the depression in Columbia County. The deepest measurement during 2007 in the center of the depression in Union County has risen 38 feet since 2003. The area enclosed by the deepest contour, 160 feet below National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929, on the 2007 potentiometric-surface map is less than 10 percent of the area on the 2005 potentiometric-surface map. A broad depression in western Poinsett and Cross Counties was first shown in the 1995 potentiometric-surface map caused by withdrawals for irrigation extending north to the Poinsett-Craighead County line, and south into Cross County. A water-level difference map was constructed using the difference between water-level measurements made during 2003 and 2007 from 283 wells. The difference in water level between 2003 and 2007 ranged from -49.8 to 60.0 feet. Areas with a general rise in water levels are shown in northern Arkansas, Columbia, southern Jefferson, and most of Union Counties. In the area around west-central Union County, water levels rose as much as 60.0 feet with water levels in 15 wells rising 20 feet or more, which is an average annual rise of 5 feet or more. Water levels generally declined throughout most of the rest of Arkansas. Hydrographs from 157 wells were constructed with a minimum of 25 years of water-level measurements. During the period 1983-2007, the county mean annual water level rose in Calhoun, Columbia, Hot Spring, and Lafayette Counties. Mean an

Potentiometric surface of the Magothy Aquifer in southern Maryland, September 1994

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Mack, Frederick K.; Andreasen, David C.

1995-01-01

A map showing the potentiometric surface of the Magothy aquifer in the Magothy Formation of Cretaceous age in southern Maryland during September 1994 was prepared from water levels measured in 85 wells. The potentiometric surface was highest near the northwestern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in topographically high areas of Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties. Regionally, the potentiometric surface sloped gently downward toward the southeast, and the local gradients were directed toward the centers of three cones of depression that have developed in response to pumping. These cones were centered around well fields in the Annapolis, Waldorf, and Chalk Point areas. Ground-water levels were as low as 60 feet below sea level in the Waldorf area, more than 45 feet below sea level at Chalk Point, and almost 15 feet below sea level near Annapolis.

Potentiometric Surface of the Magothy Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Mack, Frederick K.

1996-01-01

A map showing the potentiometric surface of the Magothy aquifer in the Magothy Formation of Cretaceous age in southern Maryland during September 1995 was prepared from water-level measurements in 92 wells. The potentiometric surface was highest near the northwestern boundaryand outcrop area of the aquifer in topographically high areas of Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties. Regionally, the potentiometric surface sloped gently downward towards the southeast and the local gradients were directed toward the centers of three cones of depression that have developed in response to pumping. These cones were centeredaround well fields in the Annapolis, Waldorf, and Chalk Point areas. Ground-water levels were as low as 63 feet below sea level in the Waldorf area, more than 50 feet below sea level at Chalk Point, and almost 20 feet below sea level near Annapolis.

Sinkhole flooding in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee, 2001-02

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Michael W.; Hileman, Gregg Edward

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, conducted an investigation from January 2001 through April 2002 to delineate sinkholes and sinkhole watersheds in the Murfreesboro area and to characterize the hydrologic response of sinkholes to major rainfall events. Terrain analysis was used to define sinkholes and delineate the sinkhole drainage areas. Flooding in 78 sinkholes in three focus areas was identified and tracked using aerial photography following three major storms in February 2001, January 2002, and March 2002. The three focus areas are located to the east, north, and northwest of Murfreesboro and are underlain primarily by the Ridley Limestone with some outcrops of the underlying Pierce Limestone. The observed sinkhole flooding is controlled by water inflow, water outflow, and the degree of the hydraulic connection (connectivity) to a ground-water conduit system. The observed sinkholes in the focus areas are grouped into three categories based on the sinkhole morphology and the connectivity to the ground-water system as indicated by their response to flooding. The three types of sinkholes described for these focus areas are pan sinkholes with low connectivity, deep sinkholes with high connectivity, and deep sinkholes with low connectivity to the ground-water conduit system. Shallow, broad pan sinkholes flood as water inflow from a storm inundates the depression at land surface. Water overflow from one pan sinkhole can flow downgradient and become inflow to a sinkhole at a lower altitude. Land-surface modifications that direct more water into a pan sinkhole could increase peak-flood altitudes and extend flood durations. Land-surface modifications that increase the outflow by overland drainage could decrease the flood durations. Road construction or alterations that reduce flow within or between pan sinkholes could result in increased flood durations. Flood levels and durations in the deeper sinkholes observed in the three focus areas are primarily affected by the connectivity with the ground-water conduit system. Deep sinkholes with a relatively high connectivity to the ground-water system fill quickly after a storm, and drain rapidly after the storm ends, and water levels decline as much as 3 to 5 feet per day in the first 2 to 3 days after a major storm. These sinkholes store the initial floodwater and then rapidly transmit water to the ground-water conduit system (high outflow). Land-surface changes that direct more water into the sinkhole may increase the flood peaks, but may not have a substantial effect on the flood durations. Deep sinkholes that have low connectivity to the ground-water conduit system may have a delayed peak water level and may drain slowly, only about 2 to 3 feet in 10 days. Outflow from these sinkholes is limited or restricted by low connectivity to the ground-water conduit system. Land-surface alterations that increase the inflow to the sinkholes can result in high flood levels or increased flood durations.

Altitude and Configuration of the Potentiometric Surface in the Upper White Clay Creek and Lower West Branch Brandywine Creek Basins including Portions of Penn, London Grove, New Garden, Londonderry, West Marlborough, Highland, and East Fallowfield Townships and West Grove, Avondale, Modena, and South Coatesville boroughs, Chester County, Pennsylvania, May through July 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hale, Lindsay B.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION Since 1984, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been mapping the altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface in Chester County as part of an ongoing cooperative program to measure and describe the water resources of the county. These maps can be used to determine the general direction of ground-water flow and are frequently referenced by municipalities and developers to evaluate ground-water conditions for water supply and resource-protection requirements. For this study, the potentiometric surface was mapped for an area in south-central Chester County. The northern part of the map includes portions of Highland, East Fallowfield, Londonderry, and West Marlborough Townships and South Coatesville and Modena Boroughs. The southern part of the map includes portions of Londonderry, West Marlborough, Penn, London Grove, and New Garden Townships and West Grove and Avondale Boroughs. The study area is mostly underlain by metamorphic rocks of the Glenarm Supergroup including Peters Creek Schist, Octoraro Phyllite, Wissahickon Schist, Cockeysville Mrable, and Setters Quartzite; and by pegmatite, mafic gneiss, felsic gneiss, and diabase. Ground water is obtained from these bedrock formations by wells that intercept fractures. The altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface was contoured from water levels measured on different dates in available wells during May through July 2006 and from the altitude of springs and perennial streams. Topography was used as a guide for contouring so that the altitude of the potentiometric surface was inferred nowhere to be higher than the land surface. The potentiometric surface shown on this map is an approximation of the water table. The altitude of the actual potentiometric surface may differ from the water table, especially in areas where wells are completed in a semi-confined zone or have long open intervals that reflect the composite hydraulic head of multiple water-yielding fractures. A composite head may differ from the potentiometric-surface altitude, particularly beneath hilltops and valleys where vertical hydraulic gradients are significant.

Mass transfer in fuel cells. [electron microscopy of components, thermal decomposition of Teflon, water transport, and surface tension of KOH solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, R. D., Jr.

1973-01-01

Results of experiments on electron microscopy of fuel cell components, thermal decomposition of Teflon by thermogravimetry, surface area and pore size distribution measurements, water transport in fuel cells, and surface tension of KOH solutions are described.

Harvesting water wave energy by asymmetric screening of electrostatic charges on a nanostructured hydrophobic thin-film surface.

PubMed

Zhu, Guang; Su, Yuanjie; Bai, Peng; Chen, Jun; Jing, Qingshen; Yang, Weiqing; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-06-24

Energy harvesting from ambient water motions is a desirable but underexplored solution to on-site energy demand for self-powered electronics. Here we report a liquid-solid electrification-enabled generator based on a fluorinated ethylene propylene thin film, below which an array of electrodes are fabricated. The surface of the thin film is charged first due to the water-solid contact electrification. Aligned nanowires created on the thin film make it hydrophobic and also increase the surface area. Then the asymmetric screening to the surface charges by the waving water during emerging and submerging processes causes the free electrons on the electrodes to flow through an external load, resulting in power generation. The generator produces sufficient output power for driving an array of small electronics during direct interaction with water bodies, including surface waves and falling drops. Polymer-nanowire-based surface modification increases the contact area at the liquid-solid interface, leading to enhanced surface charging density and thus electric output at an efficiency of 7.7%. Our planar-structured generator features an all-in-one design without separate and movable components for capturing and transmitting mechanical energy. It has extremely lightweight and small volume, making it a portable, flexible, and convenient power solution that can be applied on the ocean/river surface, at coastal/offshore areas, and even in rainy places. Considering the demonstrated scalability, it can also be possibly used in large-scale energy generation if layers of planar sheets are connected into a network.

Linking land cover and water quality in New York City's water supply watersheds.

PubMed

Mehaffey, M H; Nash, M S; Wade, T G; Ebert, D W; Jones, K B; Rager, A

2005-08-01

The Catskill/Delaware reservoirs supply 90% of New York City's drinking water. The City has implemented a series of watershed protection measures, including land acquisition, aimed at preserving water quality in the Catskill/Delaware watersheds. The objective of this study was to examine how relationships between landscape and surface water measurements change between years. Thirty-two drainage areas delineated from surface water sample points (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform bacteria concentrations) were used in step-wise regression analyses to test landscape and surface-water quality relationships. Two measurements of land use, percent agriculture and percent urban development, were positively related to water quality and consistently present in all regression models. Together these two land uses explained 25 to 75% of the regression model variation. However, the contribution of agriculture to water quality condition showed a decreasing trend with time as overall agricultural land cover decreased. Results from this study demonstrate that relationships between land cover and surface water concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform bacteria counts over a large area can be evaluated using a relatively simple geographic information system method. Land managers may find this method useful for targeting resources in relation to a particular water quality concern, focusing best management efforts, and maximizing benefits to water quality with minimal costs.

Response to memorandum by Rowley and Dixon regarding U.S. Geological Survey report titled "Characterization of Surface-Water Resources in the Great Basin National Park Area and Their Susceptibility to Ground-Water Withdrawals in Adjacent Valleys, White Pine County, Nevada"

USGS Publications Warehouse

Prudic, David E.

2006-01-01

Applications pending for permanent permits to pump large quantities of ground water in Spring and Snake Valleys adjacent to Great Basin National Park (the Park) prompted the National Park Service to request a study by the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate the susceptibility of the Park's surface-water resources to pumping. The result of this study was published as U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5099 'Characterization of Surface-Water Resources in the Great Basin National Park Area and Their Susceptibility to Ground-Water Withdrawals in Adjacent Valleys, White Pine County, Nevada,' by P.E. Elliott, D.A. Beck, and D.E. Prudic. That report identified areas within the Park where surface-water resources are susceptible to ground-water pumping; results from the study showed that three streams and several springs near the eastern edge of the Park were susceptible. However, most of the Park's surface-water resources likely would not be affected by pumping because of either low-permeability rocks or because ground water is sufficiently deep as to not be directly in contact with the streambeds. A memorandum sent by Peter D. Rowley and Gary L. Dixon, Consulting Geologists, to the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) on June 29, 2006 was critical of the report. The memorandum by Rowley and Dixon was made available to the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the public during the Nevada State Engineer's 'Evidentiary Exchange' process for the recent hearing on applications for ground-water permits by SNWA in Spring Valley adjacent to Great Basin National Park. The U.S. Geological Survey was asked by the National Park Service to assess the validity of the concerns and comments contained in the Rowley and Dixon memorandum. An Administrative Letter Report responding to Rowley and Dixon's concerns and comments was released to the National Park Service on October 30, 2006. The National Park Service subsequently requested that the contents with three minor changes to the Administrative Letter Report be released to the public. The first paragraph was revised to better explain how the memorandum was brought to the attention of the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey and the purpose of the Administrative Letter Report. The second and third changes were minor word changes to the end of the first sentence at the top of page 11 and in the Summary statement, respectively. The Administrative Letter Report with these minor changes is reproduced herein. Lastly, the National Park Service asked me to explain the difference between potentially and likely susceptible areas used in the report. Admittedly, the report did not clearly explain their usage. Potentially susceptible areas were used in the report to identify areas where (1) ground water interacts with water in the creeks but the connection between permeable rocks in the mountains with the basin fill is uncertain or where (2) ground-water interaction with water in the creeks is less certain but permeable rocks are connected with basin fill. Likely susceptible areas were used to identify areas in the mountains and valleys where ground-water interacts with water in the creeks or discharges as springs and permeable rocks are connected with basin fill. Likely susceptible areas are, therefore, more vulnerable to ground-water pumping.

Potentiometric surface of the Floridan Aquifer, Southwest Florida Water Management District, May 1981

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yobbi, D.K.; Woodham, W.M.; Schiner, George R.

1981-01-01

A May 1981 potentiometric-surface map of the Southwest Florida Water Management District depicts the annual low water-level period. Potentiometric levels decreased 10 to 45 feet between September 1980 and May 1981 in the citrus and farming sections of southern Hillsborough, northern Hardee, southwestern Polk, northwestern DeSoto, and Manatee Counties. Water levels in these areas are widely affected by pumping for irrigation and have the greatest range in fluctuations. Water-level decreases ranged from 0 to 1 feet in coastal, northern, and southern areas of the Water Management District. Water levels in all of the approximate 700 wells measured in May 1981 are lower than May 1980 because of the virtual absence of rainfall in April and May. (USGS)

Shallow groundwater mercury supply in a coastal plain stream

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Paul M.; Journey, Celeste A.; Lowery, Mark A.; Brigham, Mark E.; Burns, Douglas A.; Button, Daniel T.; Chapelle, Francis H.; Lutz, Michelle A.; Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark C.; Riva-Murray, Karen

2012-01-01

Fluvial methylmercury (MeHg) is attributed to methylation in up-gradient wetland areas. This hypothesis depends on efficient wetland-to-stream hydraulic transport under nonflood and flood conditions. Fluxes of water and dissolved (filtered) mercury (Hg) species (FMeHg and total Hg (FTHg)) were quantified in April and July of 2009 in a reach at McTier Creek, South Carolina to determine the relative importance of tributary surface water and shallow groundwater Hg transport from wetland/floodplain areas to the stream under nonflood conditions. The reach represented less than 6% of upstream main-channel distance and 2% of upstream basin area. Surface-water discharge increased within the reach by approximately 10%. Mean FMeHg and FTHg fluxes increased within the reach by 23–27% and 9–15%, respectively. Mass balances indicated that, under nonflood conditions, the primary supply of water, FMeHg, and FTHg within the reach (excluding upstream surface water influx) was groundwater discharge, rather than tributary transport from wetlands, in-stream MeHg production, or atmospheric Hg deposition. These results illustrate the importance of riparian wetland/floodplain areas as sources of fluvial MeHg and of groundwater Hg transport as a fundamental control on Hg supply to Coastal Plain streams.

Shallow Groundwater Mercury Supply in a Coastal Plain Stream

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Fluvial methylmercury (MeHg) is attributed to methylation in up-gradient wetland areas. This hypothesis depends on efficient wetland-to-stream hydraulic transport under nonflood and flood conditions. Fluxes of water and dissolved (filtered) mercury (Hg) species (FMeHg and total Hg (FTHg)) were quantified in April and July of 2009 in a reach at McTier Creek, South Carolina to determine the relative importance of tributary surface water and shallow groundwater Hg transport from wetland/floodplain areas to the stream under nonflood conditions. The reach represented less than 6% of upstream main-channel distance and 2% of upstream basin area. Surface-water discharge increased within the reach by approximately 10%. Mean FMeHg and FTHg fluxes increased within the reach by 23–27% and 9–15%, respectively. Mass balances indicated that, under nonflood conditions, the primary supply of water, FMeHg, and FTHg within the reach (excluding upstream surface water influx) was groundwater discharge, rather than tributary transport from wetlands, in-stream MeHg production, or atmospheric Hg deposition. These results illustrate the importance of riparian wetland/floodplain areas as sources of fluvial MeHg and of groundwater Hg transport as a fundamental control on Hg supply to Coastal Plain streams. PMID:22734594

Hydrogeology of the western part of the Salt River Valley area, Maricopa County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, James G.; Pool, D.R.

1989-01-01

The Salt River Valley is a major population and agricultural center of more than 3,000 mi2 in central Arizona (fig. 1). The western part of the Salt River Valley area (area of this report) covers about 1,500 mi2. The Phoenix metropolitan area with a population of more than 1.6 million in 1985 (Valley National Bank, 1987) is located within the valley. The watersheds of the Salt, Verde, and Agua Fria Rivers provide the valley with a reliable but limited surface-water supply that must be augmented with ground water even in years of plentiful rainfall. Large-scale ground-water withdrawals began in the Salt River Valley in the early part of the 20th century; between 1915 and 1983, the total estimated ground-water pumpage was 81 million acre-ft (U.S. Geological Survey, 1984). Because of the low average annual rainfall and high potential evapotranspiration, the principal sources of ground-water recharge are urban runoff, excess irrigation, canal seepage and surface-water flows during years of higher-than-normal rainfall. Withdrawals greatly exceed recharge and, in some area, ground-water levels have declines as much as 350 ft (Laney and other, 1978; Ross, 1978). In the study area, ground-water declines of more than 300 ft have occurred in Deer Valley and from Luke Air Force Base north to Beardsley. As a result, a large depression of the water table has developed west of Luke Air Force Base (fig. 2). Ground-water use has decreased in recent years because precipitation and surface-water supplies have been greater than normal. Increased precipitation also caused large quantities of runoff to be released into the normally dry Salt and Gila River channels. From February 1978 to June 1980, streamflow losses of at least 90,000 acre-ft occurred between Jointhead Dam near the east boundary of the study area and Gillespie Dam several miles southwest of the west edge of the study area (Mann and Rhone, 1983). Consequently, ground-water declines in a large part of the basin have slowed, and ground-water levels in some sarea have risen significantly. In many areas along the Salt River and northeast of the confluence of the Salt and Agua Fria River, ground-water levels rose more than 25 ft between 1978 and 1984 (Reeter and Remick, 1986).

Estimating changes in heat energy stored within a column of wetland surface water and factors controlling their importance in the surface energy budget

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shoemaker, W. Barclay; Sumner, David M.; Castillo, Adrian

2005-01-01

Changes in heat energy stored within a column of wetland surface water can be a considerable component of the surface energy budget, an attribute that is demonstrated by comparing changes in stored heat energy to net radiation at seven sites in the wetland areas of southern Florida, including the Everglades. The magnitude of changes in stored heat energy approached the magnitude of net radiation more often during the winter dry season than during the summer wet season. Furthermore, the magnitude of changes in stored heat energy in wetland surface water generally decreased as surface energy budgets were upscaled temporally. A new method was developed to estimate changes in stored heat energy that overcomes an important data limitation, namely, the limited spatial and temporal availability of water temperature measurements. The new method is instead based on readily available air temperature measurements and relies on the convolution of air temperature changes with a regression‐defined transfer function to estimate changes in water temperature. The convolution‐computed water temperature changes are used with water depths and heat capacity to estimate changes in stored heat energy within the Everglades wetland areas. These results likely can be adapted to other humid subtropical wetlands characterized by open water, saw grass, and rush vegetation type communities.

Analysis of pesticides in surface water, stemflow, and throughfall in an agricultural area in South Georgia, USA.

PubMed

Glinski, Donna A; Purucker, S Thomas; Van Meter, Robin J; Black, Marsha C; Henderson, W Matthew

2018-06-18

To study spray drift contributions to non-targeted habitats, pesticide concentrations in stemflow (water flowing down the trunk of a tree during a rain event), throughfall (water from tree canopy only), and surface water in an agriculturally impacted wetland area near Tifton, Georgia, USA were measured (2015-2016). Agricultural fields and sampling locations were on the University of Georgia's Gibbs Research Farm, Tifton, GA. Samples were screened for more than 160 pesticides, and cumulatively, 32 different pesticides were detected across matrices. Data indicate that herbicides and fungicides were present in all types of environmental samples analyzed while insecticides were only detected in surface water samples. The highest pesticide concentration observed was 10.50 μg/L of metolachlor in an August 2015 surface water sample. Metolachlor, tebuconazole, and fipronil were the most frequently detected herbicide, fungicide, and insecticide, respectively, regardless of sample origin. The most frequently detected pesticide in surface water and stemflow samples was metolachlor (0.09-10.5 μg/L), however, the most commonly detected pesticide in throughfall samples was biphenyl (0.02-0.07 μg/L). These data help determine the importance of indirect chemical exposures to non-targeted habitats by assessing inputs from stemflow and throughfall into surface waters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potentiometric surface of the intermediate aquifer system, west- central Florida, May 1987

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lewelling, B.R.

1988-01-01

The intermediate aquifer system within the Southwest Florida Water Management District underlies a 5,000 sq mi area of De Soto, Sarasota, Hardee, Manatee, and parts of Charlotte, Hillsborough, Highlands, and Polk Counties. The intermediate aquifer system occurs between the overlying surficial aquifer system and the underlying Floridan aquifer system, and consists of layers of sand, shell, clay, marl, limestone, and dolom of the Tamiami, Hawthorn, and Tampa Formations of late Tertiary age. The intermediate aquifer system contains one or more water-bearing units separated by discontinuous confining units. This aquifer system is the principal source of potable water in the southwestern part of the study area and is widely used as a source of water in other parts where wells are open to the intermediate aquifer system or to both the intermediate and Floridan aquifer systems. Yields of individual wells open to the intermediate aquifer system range from a few gallons to several hundred gallons per minute. The volume of water withdrawn from the intermediate aquifer system is considerably less than that withdrawn from the Floridan aquifer system in the study area. The surface was mapped by determining the altitude of water levels in a network of wells and is represented on maps by contours that connect points of equal altitude. The compos potentiometric surface of all water-bearing units within the intermediate aquifer system is shown. In areas where multiple aquifers exist, wells open to all aquifers were selected for water level measurements whenever possible. In the southwestern and lower coastal region of the study area, two aquifers and confining units are described for the intermediate aquifer system: the Tamiami-upper Hawthorn aquifer and the underlying lower Hawthorn-upper Tampa aquifer. The potentiometric surface of the Tamiami-upper Hawthorn aquifer is also shown. Water levels are from wells drilled and open exclusively to that aquifer. The exact boundary for the Tamiami-upper Hawthorn aquifer is undetermined because of limd geohydrologic data available from wells. (Lantz-PTT)

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - Warm Water Pool is Increasing, Nov. 10, 1997

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Nov. 10, 1997. The volume of extra warm surface water (shown in white) in the core of the El Nino continues to increase, especially in the area between 15 degrees south latitude and 15 degrees north latitude in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The area of low sea level (shown in purple) has decreased somewhat from late October. The white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 centimeters and 32 cm (6 inches to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The surface area covered by the warm water mass is about one-and-one-half times the size of the continental United States. The added amount of oceanic warm water near the Americas, with a temperature between 21 to 30 degrees Celsius (70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit), is about 30 times the volume of water in all the U.S. Great Lakes combined. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level.

The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white areas) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using these global data, limited regional measurements from buoys and ships, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmospheric system, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an advisory indicating the presence of a strong El Nino condition throughout the winter.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Estimating wetland connectivity to streams in the Prairie Pothole Region: An isotopic and remote sensing approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooks, J. R.; Mushet, David M.; Vanderhoof, Melanie; Leibowitz, Scott G.; Neff, Brian; Christensen, J. R.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Rugh, W. D.; Alexander, L.C.

2018-01-01

Understanding hydrologic connectivity between wetlands and perennial streams is critical to understanding the reliance of stream flow on inputs from wetlands. We used the isotopic evaporation signal in water and remote sensing to examine wetland‐stream hydrologic connectivity within the Pipestem Creek watershed, North Dakota, a watershed dominated by prairie‐pothole wetlands. Pipestem Creek exhibited an evaporated‐water signal that had approximately half the isotopic‐enrichment signal found in most evaporatively enriched prairie‐pothole wetlands. Groundwater adjacent to Pipestem Creek had isotopic values that indicated recharge from winter precipitation and had no significant evaporative enrichment, indicating that enriched surface water did not contribute significantly to groundwater discharging into Pipestem Creek. The estimated surface water area necessary to generate the evaporation signal within Pipestem Creek was highly dynamic, varied primarily with the amount of discharge, and was typically greater than the immediate Pipestem Creek surface water area, indicating that surficial flow from wetlands contributed to stream flow throughout the summer. We propose a dynamic range of spilling thresholds for prairie‐pothole wetlands across the watershed allowing for wetland inputs even during low‐flow periods. Combining Landsat estimates with the isotopic approach allowed determination of potential (Landsat) and actual (isotope) contributing areas in wetland‐dominated systems. This combined approach can give insights into the changes in location and magnitude of surface water and groundwater pathways over time. This approach can be used in other areas where evaporation from wetlands results in a sufficient evaporative isotopic signal.

Water resources data for Indiana, 1965

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1965-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1965 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Indiana are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of Malcolm D. Hale, district engineer, Surface Water Branch. This report marks the beginning of a new method of presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Indiana were contained in Parts 3A, 4 and 5 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of coterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Modeling groundwater/surface-water interactions in an Alpine valley (the Aosta Plain, NW Italy): the effect of groundwater abstraction on surface-water resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefania, Gennaro A.; Rotiroti, Marco; Fumagalli, Letizia; Simonetto, Fulvio; Capodaglio, Pietro; Zanotti, Chiara; Bonomi, Tullia

2018-02-01

A groundwater flow model of the Alpine valley aquifer in the Aosta Plain (NW Italy) showed that well pumping can induce river streamflow depletions as a function of well location. Analysis of the water budget showed that ˜80% of the water pumped during 2 years by a selected well in the downstream area comes from the baseflow of the main river discharge. Alluvial aquifers hosted in Alpine valleys fall within a particular hydrogeological context where groundwater/surface-water relationships change from upstream to downstream as well as seasonally. A transient groundwater model using MODFLOW2005 and the Streamflow-Routing (SFR2) Package is here presented, aimed at investigating water exchanges between the main regional river (Dora Baltea River, a left-hand tributary of the Po River), its tributaries and the underlying shallow aquifer, which is affected by seasonal oscillations. The three-dimensional distribution of the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer was obtained by means of a specific coding system within the database TANGRAM. Both head and flux targets were used to perform the model calibration using PEST. Results showed that the fluctuations of the water table play an important role in groundwater/surface-water interconnections. In upstream areas, groundwater is recharged by water leaking through the riverbed and the well abstraction component of the water budget changes as a function of the hydraulic conditions of the aquifer. In downstream areas, groundwater is drained by the river and most of the water pumped by wells comes from the base flow component of the river discharge.

Spatiotemporal variation of the surface water effect on the groundwater recharge in a low-precipitation region: Application of the multi-tracer approach to the Taihang Mountains, North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakakibara, Koichi; Tsujimura, Maki; Song, Xianfang; Zhang, Jie

2017-02-01

Groundwater recharge variations in time and space are crucial for effective water management, especially in low-precipitation regions. To determine comprehensive groundwater recharge processes in a catchment with large seasonal hydrological variations, intensive field surveys were conducted in the Wangkuai Reservoir watershed located in the Taihang Mountains, North China, during three different times of the year: beginning of the rainy season (June 2011), mid-rainy season (August 2012), and dry season (November 2012). Oxygen and hydrogen isotope and chemical analyses were conducted on the groundwater, spring water, stream water, and reservoir water of the Wangkuai Reservoir watershed. The results were processed using endmember mixing analysis to determine the amount of contribution of the groundwater recharging processes. Similar isotopic and chemical signatures between the surface water and groundwater in the target area indicate that the surface water in the mountain-plain transitional area and the Wangkuai Reservoir are the principal groundwater recharge sources, which result from the highly permeable geological structure of the target area and perennial large-scale surface water, respectively. Additionally, the widespread and significant effect of the diffuse groundwater recharge on the Wangkuai Reservoir was confirmed with the deuterium (d) excess indicator and the high contribution throughout the year, calculated using endmember mixing analysis. Conversely, the contribution of the stream water to the groundwater recharge in the mountain-plain transitional area clearly decreases from the beginning of the rainy season to the mid-rainy season, whereas that of the precipitation increases. This suggests that the main groundwater recharge source shifts from stream water to episodic/continuous heavy precipitation in the mid-rainy season. In other words, the surface water and precipitation commonly affect the groundwater recharge in the rainy season, whereas the reservoir and stream water play important roles in the groundwater recharge in the low-precipitation period. The results should contribute not only to the understanding of the mountain hydrology but also to groundwater resource management in the North China Plain.

The lunar thermal ice pump

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

Schorghofer, Norbert; Aharonson, Oded, E-mail: norbert@hawaii.edu

2014-06-20

It has long been suggested that water ice can exist in extremely cold regions near the lunar poles, where sublimation loss is negligible. The geographic distribution of H-bearing regolith shows only a partial or ambiguous correlation with permanently shadowed areas, thus suggesting that another mechanism may contribute to locally enhancing water concentrations. We show that under suitable conditions, water molecules can be pumped down into the regolith by day-night temperature cycles, leading to an enrichment of H{sub 2}O in excess of the surface concentration. Ideal conditions for pumping are estimated and found to occur where the mean surface temperature ismore » below 105 K and the peak surface temperature is above 120 K. These conditions complement those of the classical cold traps that are roughly defined by peak temperatures lower than 120 K. On the present-day Moon, an estimated 0.8% of the global surface area experiences such temperature variations. Typically, pumping occurs on pole-facing slopes in small areas, but within a few degrees of each pole the equator-facing slopes are preferred. Although pumping of water molecules is expected over cumulatively large areas, the absolute yield of this pump is low; at best, a few percent of the H{sub 2}O delivered to the surface could have accumulated in the near-surface layer in this way. The amount of ice increases with vapor diffusivity and is thus higher in the regolith with large pore spaces.« less

Bibliography of selected water-resources publications by the U.S. Geological Survey for North Carolina, 1886-1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winner, M.D.

1996-01-01

More than 660 selected publications, written by scientists, engineers, and technicians of the U.S. Geological Survey during the period 1886-1995, compose the bulk of information about North Carolina?s water resources. The bibliography includes interpretive reports on water resources, ground water, surface water, water quality, and public-water supply and water use, as well as data reports on the same subjects. The interpretive reports are organized by geographic areas of the State. These areas include statewide, physiographic province, major river basin, and county. The data reports are listed by water-resource topic, and the introduction to each topic provides historical notes for data-collection and publication activities. Summary tables list Water-Supply Paper numbers for reports containing ground-water, surface-water, and water-quality data by calendar year or water year. A concluding section discusses the availability of U.S. Geological Survey publications.

9 CFR 590.550 - Washing and sanitizing room or area facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... and walls shall have a surface of tile, enamel paint, or other water-resistant material. (c) Floors shall be adequately sloped for proper drainage, be free from cracks or rough surfaces where water and...

Influence of the Hyporheic Zone on Supersaturated Gas Exposure to Incubating Chum Salmon

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

Arntzen, Evan V.; Geist, David R.; Murray, Katherine J.

2009-12-01

Supersaturated total dissolved gas (TDG) is elevated seasonally in the lower Columbia River, with surface water concentrations approaching 120% saturation of TDG. Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) embryos incubating in nearby spawning areas could be affected if depth-compensated TDG concentrations within the hyporheic zone exceed 103% TDG. The objective of this study was to determine if TDG of the hyporheic zone in two chum salmon spawning areas -- one in a side channel near Ives Island, Washington, and another on the mainstem Columbia River near Multnomah Falls, Oregon -- was affected by the elevated TDG of the surface water. Depth-compensated hyporheicmore » TDG did not exceed 103% at the Multnomah Falls site. However, in the Ives Island area, chum salmon redds were exposed to TDG greater than 103% for more than 600 hours. In response to river depth fluctuations, TDG varied significantly in the Ives Island area, suggesting increased interaction between the hyporheic zone and surface water at that site. We conclude from this study that the interaction between surface water and the hyporheic zone affects the concentration of TDG within the hyporheic zone directly via physical mixing as well as indirectly by altering water chemistry and thus dissolved gas solubility. These interactions are important considerations when estimating TDG exposure within egg pocket environments, facilitating improved exposure estimates, and enabling managers to optimize recovery strategies.« less

Adsorption of naphthenic acids on high surface area activated carbons.

PubMed

Iranmanesh, Sobhan; Harding, Thomas; Abedi, Jalal; Seyedeyn-Azad, Fakhry; Layzell, David B

2014-01-01

In oil sands mining extraction, water is an essential component; however, the processed water becomes contaminated through contact with the bitumen at high temperature, and a portion of it cannot be recycled and ends up in tailing ponds. The removal of naphthenic acids (NAs) from tailing pond water is crucial, as they are corrosive and toxic and provide a substrate for microbial activity that can give rise to methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. In this study, the conversion of sawdust into an activated carbon (AC) that could be used to remove NAs from tailings water was studied. After producing biochar from sawdust by a slow-pyrolysis process, the biochar was physically activated using carbon dioxide (CO2) over a range of temperatures or prior to producing biochar, and the sawdust was chemically activated using phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The physically activated carbon had a lower surface area per gram than the chemically activated carbon. The physically produced ACs had a lower surface area per gram than chemically produced AC. In the adsorption tests with NAs, up to 35 mg of NAs was removed from the water per gram of AC. The chemically treated ACs showed better uptake, which can be attributed to its higher surface area and increased mesopore size when compared with the physically treated AC. Both the chemically produced and physically produced AC provided better uptake than the commercially AC.

Ground-water geochemistry of the Albuquerque-Belen Basin, central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderholm, S.K.

1988-01-01

The purpose of this study was to define the areal distribution of different water types, use the distribution to help define the groundwater flow system, and identify processes resulting in differences in groundwater quality in the Albuquerque-Belen Basin in central New Mexico. The chemistry of surface water inflow from adjacent areas, which infiltrates and recharges the aquifer along the basin margin, affects the groundwater quality in the eastern and southeastern areas of the basin. Groundwater in the eastern area generally has a specific conductance less than 400 microsiemens, and calcium and bicarbonate are the dominant ions. Mixing of recharge, groundwater inflow, and surface inflow from adjacent areas, which have different chemical compositions, is the major process affecting groundwater quality in the southwestern, western, and northern areas of the basin. In these areas, there is a large range in specific conductance and distribution of dissolved ions. Groundwater quality in the Rio Grande valley is affected by the infiltration of excess irrigation water. The excess irrigation water generally has a larger specific conductance than other groundwater in the valley, so mixing of these waters results in shallow groundwater generally having larger specific conductance than the deeper groundwater. (USGS)

Hydrogeochemical analysis and evaluation of surface water quality of Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Ashwani Kumar; Singh, Abhay Kumar; Singh, Amit Kumar; Singh, M. P.

2017-07-01

The hydrogeochemical study of surface water in Pratapgarh district has been carried out to assess the major ion chemistry and water quality for drinking and domestic purposes. For this purpose, twenty-five surface water samples were collected from river, ponds and canals and analysed for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, hardness, major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+), major anions (HCO3 -, F-, Cl-, NO3 -, SO4 2-) and dissolved silica concentration. The analytical results show mildly acidic to alkaline nature of surface water resources of Pratapgarh district. HCO3 - and Cl- are the dominant anions, while cation chemistry is dominated by Na+ and Ca2+. The statistical analysis and data plotted on the Piper diagram reveals that the surface water chemistry is mainly controlled by rock weathering with secondary contributions from agriculture and anthropogenic sources. Ca2+-Mg2+-HCO3 -, Ca2+-Mg2+-Cl- and Na+-HCO3 --Cl- are the dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the surface water of the area. For quality assessment, values of analysed parameters were compared with Indian and WHO water quality standards, which shows that the concentrations of TDS, F-, NO3 -, Na+, Mg2+ and total hardness are exceeding the desirable limits in some water samples. Water Quality Index (WQI) is one of the most effective tools to communicate information on the quality of any water body. The computed WQI values of Pratapgarh district surface water range from 28 to 198 with an average value of 82, and more than half of the study area is under excellent to good category.

Assessment of anthropogenic inputs in the surface waters of the southern coastal area of Sfax during spring (Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea).

PubMed

Drira, Zaher; Kmiha-Megdiche, Salma; Sahnoun, Houda; Hammami, Ahmed; Allouche, Noureddine; Tedetti, Marc; Ayadi, Habib

2016-03-15

The coastal marine area of Sfax (Tunisia), which is well-known for its high productivity and fisheries, is also subjected to anthropogenic inputs from diverse industrial, urban and agriculture activities. We investigated the spatial distribution of physical, chemical and biogeochemical parameters in the surface waters of the southern coastal area of Sfax. Pertinent tracers of anthropogenic inputs were identified. Twenty stations were sampled during March 2013 in the vicinity of the coastal areas reserved for waste discharge. Phosphogypsum wastes dumped close to the beaches were the main source of PO4(3-), Cl(-) and SO4(2-) in seawater. The high content in total polyphenolic compounds was due to the olive oil treatment waste water released from margins. These inorganic and organic inputs in the surface waters were associated with elevated COD. The BOD5/COD (<0.5) and COD/BOD5 (>3) ratios highlighted a chemical pollution with organic load of a low biodegradability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potentiometric surfaces of the intermediate aquifer system, west-central Florida, May, 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mularoni, R.A.

1994-01-01

The intermediate aquifer system underlies a 5000-sq-mi area including De Soto, Sarasota, Hardee, Manatee, and parts of Charlotte, Hillsborough, Highlands, and Polk Counties, Florida. It is overlain by the surf@cial aquifer system and underlain by the Floridan aquifer system. The potentiometric surface of the intermediate aquifer system was mapped by determining the altitude of water levels in a network of wells and represented on a map by contours that connect points of equal altitude. This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the spring dry season when ground- water withdrawals for agricultural use were high. The cumulative rainfall for the study area was 4.84 inches above normal for the period from June 1992 to May 1993. Hydrographs for selected wells indicated that the annual and seasonal fluctuations of the water levels were generally large (greater than 15 feet) in the central interior region where water demand for irrigation is high during the fall and spring. Seasonal fluctuations were smaller in the northern recharge area where water use is predominantly for public supply. Water levels measured in May 1993 for the composite intermediate aquifer potentiometric surface were lower than those measured in May or September 1992. A cone of depression exists in the potentiometric surface for the composite aquifer system at Warm Mineral Springs, which is a natural discharge point from this system.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper and Lower Aquifers of the North Coast Limestone Aquifer System and Hydrologic Conditions in the Arecibo-Manati Area, Puerto Rico, November 27-December 1, 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rodriguez, Jose M.; Gómez-Gómez, Fernando

2008-01-01

A ground-water level synoptic survey of the limestone aquifer in the Arecibo to Manati area, Puerto Rico, was conducted from November 27 through December 1, 2006 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. The purpose of the study was to define the spatial distribution of the potentiometric surface of the upper and lower aquifers of the North Coast limestone aquifer system. A potentiometric surface is defined as an areal representation of the levels to which water would rise in tightly cased wells open to an aquifer (Fetter, 1988). These potentiometric surface maps can be used by water-resources planners to understand the general direction of ground-water flow and to evaluate ground-water conditions for water supply and resource protection. The study was conducted during a period of rising ground-water levels resulting from above-normal rainfall during October and November 2006 when rainfall amount was about 30 percent above normal. The study area encompassed 125 square miles and was bounded to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the southern extension of the limestone units, to the west by the Rio Grande de Arecibo, and to the east by the Rio Grande de Manati (pls. 1 and 2; inset).

33 CFR 334.1180 - Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. 334.1180 Section 334.1180 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.1180 Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. (a) The...

33 CFR 334.1180 - Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. 334.1180 Section 334.1180 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.1180 Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. (a) The...

33 CFR 334.1180 - Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. 334.1180 Section 334.1180 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.1180 Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. (a) The...

33 CFR 334.1180 - Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. 334.1180 Section 334.1180 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.1180 Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. (a) The...

33 CFR 334.1180 - Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. 334.1180 Section 334.1180 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.1180 Strait of Juan de Fuca, Wash.; air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area. (a) The...

Salinity minima, water masses and surface circulation in the Eastern Tropical Pacific off Mexico and surrounding areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portela, Esther; Beier, Emilio; Godínez, Victor; Castro, Rubén; Desmond Barton, Eric

2016-04-01

The seasonal variations of the water masses and their interactions are analyzed in the Tropical Pacific off Mexico (TPOM) and four contiguous areas of on the basis of new extensive hydrographic database. The regional water masses intervals are redefined in terms of Absolute Salinity (SA) in g kg-1 and Conservative Temperature (Θ) according to TEOS - 10. The California Current System Water (CCSW) mass is introduced as an improved description of the former California Current Water (CCW) together with the Subarctic Water (SAW) to describe better the characteristics of the components of the California Current System. Hydrographic data, Precipitation-Evaporation balance and geostrophic currents were used to investigate the origin and seasonality of two salinity minima in the area. The shallow salinity minimum of around 33.5 g kg-1 originated in the California Current System and became saltier but less dense water as it traveled to the southeast. It can be identified as a mixture of CCSW and tropical waters. The surface salinity minimum of 32 - 33 g kg-1 was seen as a sharp surface feature in the TPOM from August to November. It was produced by the arrival of tropical waters from the south in combination with the net precipitation in the area during these months. This result provides new evidence of the presence of the poleward-flowing Mexican Coastal Current and, for the first time, of its seasonal pattern of variation.

Hydrology and geochemistry of a surface coal mine in northwestern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, R.S.; Clark, G.M.

1994-01-01

The hydrology and geochemistry of a reclaimed coal mine in northwestern Colorado were monitored during water years 1988 and 1989. Some data also were collected in water years 1987 and 1990. This report describes (1) the sources of hydrologic recharge to and discharge from reclaimed spoil, (2) the relative contributions of recharge to the reclaimed spoil aquifer from identified source waters and the rate of water movement from those sources to the reclaimed spoil, and (3) the geochemical reactions that control water quality in reclaimed spoil. The study area was at a dip-slope coal mine encompassing about 7 square miles with land slopes of varying aspect. The area was instrumented and monitored at five sites; two sites had unmined and reclaimed- spoil areas adjacent to each other and three sites were unmined. The mined areas had been reclaimed. Instrumentation at the study sites included 1 climate station, 3 rain gages, 19 soil-water access tubes, 2 lysimeters, 18 wells completed in bedrock, 7 wells completed in reclaimed spoil, and 2 surface- water gaging stations. The results of the study indicate that the reclaimed spoil is recharged from surface recharge and underburden aquifers. Discharge, as measured by lysimeters, was about 3 inches per year and occurred during and after snowmelt. Hydraulic-head measurements indicated a potential for ground-water movement from deeper to shallower aquifers. Water levels rose in the reclaimed-spoil aquifer and spring discharge at the toe of the spoil slopes increased rapidly in response to snowmelt. Water chemistry, stable isotopes, geochemical models, and mass-balance calculations indicate that surface recharge and the underburden aquifers each contribute about 50 percent of the water to the reclaimed-spoil aquifers. Geochemical information indicates that pyrite oxidation and dissolution of carbonate and efflorescent sulfate minerals control the water chemistry of the reclaimed-spoil aquifer.

Fluoride: A naturally-occurring health hazard in drinking-water resources of Northern Thailand.

PubMed

Chuah, C Joon; Lye, Han Rui; Ziegler, Alan D; Wood, Spencer H; Kongpun, Chatpat; Rajchagool, Sunsanee

2016-03-01

In Northern Thailand, incidences of fluorosis resulting from the consumption of high-fluoride drinking-water have been documented. In this study, we mapped the high-fluoride endemic areas and described the relevant transport processes of fluoride in enriched waters in the provinces of Chiang Mai and Lamphun. Over one thousand surface and sub-surface water samples including a total of 995 collected from shallow (depth: ≤ 30 m) and deep (> 30 m) wells were analysed from two unconnected high-fluoride endemic areas. At the Chiang Mai site, 31% of the shallow wells contained hazardous levels (≥ 1.5 mg/L) of fluoride, compared with the 18% observed in the deep wells. However, at the Lamphun site, more deep wells (35%) contained water with at least 1.5mg/L fluoride compared with the shallow wells (7%). At the Chiang Mai site, the high-fluoride waters originate from a nearby geothermal field. Fluoride-rich geothermal waters are distributed across the area following natural hydrological pathways of surface and sub-surface water flow. At the Lamphun site, a well-defined, curvilinear high-fluoride anomalous zone, resembling that of the nearby conspicuous Mae Tha Fault, was identified. This similarity provides evidence of the existence of an unmapped, blind fault as well as its likely association to a geogenic source (biotite-granite) of fluoride related to the faulted zone. Excessive abstraction of ground water resources may also have affected the distribution and concentration of fluoride at both sites. The distribution of these high-fluoride waters is influenced by a myriad of complex natural and anthropogenic processes which thus created a challenge for the management of water resources for safe consumption in affected areas. The notion of clean and safe drinking water can be found in deeper aquifers is not necessarily true. Groundwater at any depth should always be tested before the construction of wells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatially variable stage-driven groundwater-surface water interaction inferred from time-frequency analysis of distributed temperature sensing data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mwakanyamale, Kisa; Slater, Lee; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Elwaseif, Mehrez; Johnson, Carole D.

2012-01-01

Characterization of groundwater-surface water exchange is essential for improving understanding of contaminant transport between aquifers and rivers. Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FODTS) provides rich spatiotemporal datasets for quantitative and qualitative analysis of groundwater-surface water exchange. We demonstrate how time-frequency analysis of FODTS and synchronous river stage time series from the Columbia River adjacent to the Hanford 300-Area, Richland, Washington, provides spatial information on the strength of stage-driven exchange of uranium contaminated groundwater in response to subsurface heterogeneity. Although used in previous studies, the stage-temperature correlation coefficient proved an unreliable indicator of the stage-driven forcing on groundwater discharge in the presence of other factors influencing river water temperature. In contrast, S-transform analysis of the stage and FODTS data definitively identifies the spatial distribution of discharge zones and provided information on the dominant forcing periods (≥2 d) of the complex dam operations driving stage fluctuations and hence groundwater-surface water exchange at the 300-Area.

Using High Frequency Focused Water-Coupled Ultrasound for 3-D Surface Depression Profiling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, Don J.; Whalen, Mike F.; Hendricks, J. Lynne; Bodis, James R.

1999-01-01

Surface topography is an important variable in the performance of many industrial components and is normally measured with diamond-tip profilometry over a small area or using optical scattering methods for larger area measurement. A prior study was performed demonstrating that focused air-coupled ultrasound at 1 MHz was capable of profiling surfaces with 25 micron depth resolution and 400 micron lateral resolution over a 1.4 mm depth range. In this article, the question of whether higher-frequency focused water-coupled ultrasound can improve on these specifications is addressed. 10 and 25 MHz focused ultrasonic transducers were employed in the water-coupled mode. Time-of-flight images of the sample surface were acquired and converted to depth / surface profile images using the simple relation (d = V*t/2) between distance (d), time-of-flight (t), and the velocity of sound in water (V). Results are compared for the two frequencies used and with those from the 1 MHz air-coupled configuration.

Surface water change as a significant contributor to global evapotranspiration change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, S.; Song, C.

2017-12-01

Water comprises a critical component of global/regional hydrological and biogeochemical cycles and is essential to all organisms including humans. In the past several decades, climate change has intensified the hydrological cycle, with significant implications for ecosystem services and feedback to regional and global climate. Evapotranspiration (ET) as a linking mechanism between land surface and atmosphere is central to the water cycle and an excellent indicator of the intensity of water cycle. Knowledge of the temporal changes of ET is crucial for accurately estimating global or regional water budgets and better understanding climate and hydrological interactions. While studies have examined changes in global ET, they were conducted using a constant land and surface water (SW) area. However, as many studies have found that global SW is very dynamic and their surface areas have generally been increasing since the 1980s. The conversion from land to water and vice versa significantly changes the local ET since water bodies evaporate at a rate that can be much higher than that of the land. Here, we quantify the global changes in ET caused by such land-water conversion using remotely-sensed SW area and various ET and potential ET products. New SW and lost SW between circa-1985 and circa-2015 were derived from remote sensing and were used to modify the local ET estimates. We found an increase in ET in all continents as consistent with the net increase in SW area. The increasing SW area lead to a global increase in ET by 30.38 ± 5.28 km3/yr. This is a significant contribution when compared to the 92.95 km3/yr/yr increase in ET between 1982-1997 and 103.43 km3/yr/yr decrease between 1998-2008 by Jung et al., (2010) assuming a constant SW. The results enhance our understanding of the water fluxes between the land and atmosphere and supplement land water budget estimates. We conclude that changes in SW lead to a significant change in global ET that cannot be neglected in global ET trend studies and should also be included in global water budget studies.

Preliminary appraisal of the hydrology of the Red Oak area, Latimer County, Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marcher, M.V.; Bergman, D.L.; Stoner, J.D.; Blumer, S.P.

1983-01-01

Bed rock in the Red Oak area consists of shale, siltstone, and sandstone of the McAlester and Savanna Formations of Pennsylvanian age. Water in bedrock occurs in bedding planes, joints, and fractures and is confined. The potentiometric surface generally is less than 20 feet below the land surface. Wells yield enough water for domestic and stock use, but larger amounts of ground water are not available. Ground water commonly is a sodium or mixed cation carbonate/bicarbonate type with dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 321 to 714 milligrams per liter. Although variable in quality, ground water generally is suitable for domestic use. No relationship between water chemistry and well depth or location is apparent. Brazil Creek, the principal stream in the area, has no flow 15 percent of the time, and flow is less than 1 cubic foot per second about 25 percent of the time. Water in Brazil Creek is a mixed cation carbonate/bicarbonate type. Dissolved-solids concentrations in Brazil Creek upstream from areas of old and recent mining ranged from 31 to 99 milligrams per liter with a mean of 58 milligrams per liter, whereas concentrations downstream from the mine areas ranged from 49 to 596 milligrams per liter with a mean of 132 milligrams per liter. Water in Brazil and Rock Creeks had concentrations of cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury that exceeded maximum contaminant levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at least once during the 1979-81 water years. Maximum suspended-sediment discharge, in tons per day, was 2,500 for Brazil Creek and 3,318 for Rock Creek. Silt-clay particles (diameters less than 0.062 millimeter) were the dominant sediment size. A significant hydrologic effect of surface mining is creation of additional water storage in mine ponds; one such pond supplies water for the town of Red Oak. Other effects or potential effects of surface mining include changes in rock permeability and ground-water storage, changes in drainage patterns, and changes in the chemical quality and sediment loads of streams.

Impact of industrial wastewater disposal on surface water bodies in Mostord area, north greater Cairo.

PubMed

Abdel-Sabour, M F; Rabie, F H; Mostafa, T; Hassan, S A

2001-10-01

The studied area (Shoubra El-Khima, Bahteem and Mostorod) lies in the industrial area north of Greater Cairo. The area suffers from several environmental problems such as sewage and disposal of pollutants from the surrounding factories into the surface water pathways in the area. Water samples were collected seasonally from different waterways found in the area, domestic and or industrial liquid wastes from 12 discharge tubes of different factories (as a point source of pollution). Chemical characteristics of different water samples and its heavy metals content were determined using ion coupled plasma technique (ICP). Results indicate that industrial and domestic wastewater samples contain several toxic levels of tested heavy metals (Cd, Co, Pb and Ni) which have a serious impact on surface waterways in the area. Shebin El-Qanater collector drain samples exhibited the highest levels of Cd, Co, Pb and Ni compared to other tested water bodies. Mostorod collector drain samples showed the highest levels of Zn and Cu. Industrial effluent samples collected from Cairo Company for Fabric industry had the highest amounts of total Zn Cu, Cd, Co and Pb, while Delta steel company discharges the highest amounts of total Fe and Mn. Al-Ahleya Plastic Company discharges the highest amounts of total-Ni. Generally, it is necessary to impose the environmental laws and its regulation regarding the industrial wastewater treatments and disposals to minimize the risk of the adverse effects of these pollutants.

Remote Sensing Analysis of Volume in Taihu Lake: Application for Icesat/hydroweb and Landsat Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Li, Y.; Lu, Y.; Yue, H.

2018-04-01

In order to evaluate the fluctuation of Taihui Lake, ICESat/Hydroweb and Landsat data recorded from 1975 to 2015 were used to examine changes in lake level and area, derived from Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), which are combined to indirectly evaluate water volume variations and water balance of Taihu Lake. The results show that the time series of lake area and volume variations of Taihu Lake exhibit a gradually increasing trend from 1975 to 2015 and the value rose from 2320.07 km2 and -0.0470 km3, respectively in 1975 to 2341.06 km2 and 0.2759 km3, respectively in 2015. The water level of Taihu Lake demonstrates a fluctuating trend during 1975-2015 and the value changed from 0.9826 m in 1975 to 1.1359 m in 2015. There was a moderate correlation for Taihu Lake (R2 ≈ 0.65) between water level and surface area. The water volume changes was in very good agreement for lake level changes and surface area variations (R2 > 0.85). Combining with lake level and area changes, water balance of Taihu Lake was acquired and it shows a positive water budgets of 0.0092 km3 during past 40 years.

Surface water classification and monitoring using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irwin, Katherine Elizabeth

Surface water classification using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an established practice for monitoring flood hazards due to the high temporal and spatial resolution it provides. Surface water change is a dynamic process that varies both spatially and temporally, and can occur on various scales resulting in significant impacts on affected areas. Small-scale flooding hazards, caused by beaver dam failure, is an example of surface water change, which can impact nearby infrastructure and ecosystems. Assessing these hazards is essential to transportation and infrastructure maintenance. With current satellite missions operating in multiple polarizations, spatio-temporal resolutions, and frequencies, a comprehensive comparison between SAR products for surface water monitoring is necessary. In this thesis, surface water extent models derived from high resolution single-polarization TerraSAR-X (TSX) data, medium resolution dual-polarization TSX data and low resolution quad-polarization RADARSAT-2 (RS-2) data are compared. There exists a compromise between acquiring SAR data with a high resolution or high information content. Multi-polarization data provides additional phase and intensity information, which makes it possible to better classify areas of flooded vegetation and wetlands. These locations are often where fluctuations in surface water occur and are essential for understanding dynamic underlying processes. However, often multi-polarized data is acquired at a low resolution, which cannot image these zones effectively. High spatial resolution, single-polarization TSX data provides the best model of open water. However, these single-polarization observations have limited information content and are affected by shadow and layover errors. This often hinders the classification of other land cover types. The dual-polarization TSX data allows for the classification of flooded vegetation, but classification is less accurate compared to the quad-polarization RS-2 data. The RS-2 data allows for the discrimination of open water, marshes/fields and forested areas. However, the RS-2 data is less applicable to small scale surface water monitoring (e.g. beaver dam failure), due to its low spatial resolution. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of available SAR technology, an appropriate product can be chosen for a specific target application involving surface water change. This research benefits the eventual development of a space-based monitoring strategy over longer periods.

Water-quality data for selected North Carolina streams and reservoirs in the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, 1988-92

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garrett, Ronald G.; Taylor, John E.; Middleton, Terry L.

1994-01-01

The Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project was developed to assess regional water-quality characteristics in drinking-water supplies and to provide a basis for determining trends in water quality for the Research Triangle area, which is one of the fastest growing areas in North Carolina. The study area is in the upper Neuse River Basin and the upper Cape Fear River Basin in the north-central Piedmont Province of the State. Hydrologic data were collected at 21 reservoir sites and 30 stream sites from October 1988 through September 1992 to define water-quality characteristics. The data collected at these sites include streamflow data and approximately 275 physical properties and chemical characteristics of surface water.

Water resources data for New Mexico, water year 1965; Part 1. Surface water records

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1966-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1965 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of New Mexico are given in this report. For convenience there are also Included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of W. E. Hale, District Chief, Water Resources Division. This report is the fifth In a series presenting, annually, basic data on surface-water records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U. S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled Surface Water Supply of the United States. Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in New Mexico were contained in Parts 7, 8 and 9 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5~year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compi led On the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of conterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Water quality impacts of forest fires

Treesearch

Tecle Aregai; Daniel Neary

2015-01-01

Forest fires have been serious menace, many times resulting in tremendous economic, cultural and ecological damage to many parts of the United States. One particular area that has been significantly affected is the water quality of streams and lakes in the water thirsty southwestern United States. This is because the surface water coming off burned areas has resulted...

High-resolution mapping of global surface water and its long-term changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pekel, Jean-François; Cottam, Andrew; Gorelick, Noel; Belward, Alan S.

2016-12-01

The location and persistence of surface water (inland and coastal) is both affected by climate and human activity and affects climate, biological diversity and human wellbeing. Global data sets documenting surface water location and seasonality have been produced from inventories and national descriptions, statistical extrapolation of regional data and satellite imagery, but measuring long-term changes at high resolution remains a challenge. Here, using three million Landsat satellite images, we quantify changes in global surface water over the past 32 years at 30-metre resolution. We record the months and years when water was present, where occurrence changed and what form changes took in terms of seasonality and persistence. Between 1984 and 2015 permanent surface water has disappeared from an area of almost 90,000 square kilometres, roughly equivalent to that of Lake Superior, though new permanent bodies of surface water covering 184,000 square kilometres have formed elsewhere. All continental regions show a net increase in permanent water, except Oceania, which has a fractional (one per cent) net loss. Much of the increase is from reservoir filling, although climate change is also implicated. Loss is more geographically concentrated than gain. Over 70 per cent of global net permanent water loss occurred in the Middle East and Central Asia, linked to drought and human actions including river diversion or damming and unregulated withdrawal. Losses in Australia and the USA linked to long-term droughts are also evident. This globally consistent, validated data set shows that impacts of climate change and climate oscillations on surface water occurrence can be measured and that evidence can be gathered to show how surface water is altered by human activities. We anticipate that this freely available data will improve the modelling of surface forcing, provide evidence of state and change in wetland ecotones (the transition areas between biomes), and inform water-management decision-making.

Monitoring of the Earth's surface deformation in the area of water dam Zarnowiec

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mojzes, Marcel; Wozniak, Marek; Habel, Branislav; Macak, Marek

2017-04-01

Mathematical and physical research directly motivates geodetic community which can provide very accurate measurements for testing of the proposed models Earth's surface motion near the water dams should be monitored due to the security of the area. This is a process which includes testing of existing models and their physical parameters. Change of the models can improve the practical results for analyzing the trends of motion in the area of upper reservoir of water dam Zarnowiec. Since 1998 Warsaw University of Technology realized a research focused on the horizontal displacements of the upper reservoir of water dam Zarnowiec. The 15 selected control points located on the upper reservoir crown of the water dam were monitored by classical distance measurements. It was found out that changes in the object's geometry occur due to the variation of the water level. The control measurements of the changes in the object's geometry occurring during the process of emptying and filling of the upper reservoir of water dam were compared with the deformations computed using improved Boussinesqués method programmed in the software MATLAB and ANSYS for elastic and isotropic half space as derivation of suitable potentials extended to the loaded region. The details and numerical results of this process are presented This presentation was prepared within the project "National Centre for Diagnostic of the Earth's Surface Deformations in the Area of Slovakia", ITMS code: 26220220108.

Water resources of Clallam County, Washington; Phase I report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drost, B.W.

1983-01-01

An inventory of the water resources of Clallam County, Washington, showed that sufficient water is available to supply all present demands. Domestic water supplies can be obtained from wells drilled 100 ft or less into glacial and alluvial deposits; in areas underlain by bedrock, wells more than 100 ft deep can generally supply one home per well. Surface water is abundant, and is the source for most public water systems. Extreme low flows were observed only in small drainage basins in bedrock in the mountainous interior and along parts of the coastline in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The quality of ground and surface waters is generally excellent. In coastal areas, some wells may yield water with large concentrations of chloride and dissolved solids. A quarter of the wells tested had excessive concentrations of iron and (or) manganese. High values of turbidity, color, and coliform bacteria are widespread surface water problems, but standard filtering and chlorination treatment make the water suitable for public supplies. High concentrations of coliform bacteria apparently originate naturally in soils. High ammonia concentration observed at one site is probably caused by sewage disposal practices. (USGS)

Response of water temperatures and stratification to changing climate in three lakes with different morphometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magee, Madeline R.; Wu, Chin H.

2017-12-01

Water temperatures and stratification are important drivers for ecological and water quality processes within lake systems, and changes in these with increases in air temperature and changes to wind speeds may have significant ecological consequences. To properly manage these systems under changing climate, it is important to understand the effects of increasing air temperatures and wind speed changes in lakes of different depths and surface areas. In this study, we simulate three lakes that vary in depth and surface area to elucidate the effects of the observed increasing air temperatures and decreasing wind speeds on lake thermal variables (water temperature, stratification dates, strength of stratification, and surface heat fluxes) over a century (1911-2014). For all three lakes, simulations showed that epilimnetic temperatures increased, hypolimnetic temperatures decreased, the length of the stratified season increased due to earlier stratification onset and later fall overturn, stability increased, and longwave and sensible heat fluxes at the surface increased. Overall, lake depth influences the presence of stratification, Schmidt stability, and differences in surface heat flux, while lake surface area influences differences in hypolimnion temperature, hypolimnetic heating, variability of Schmidt stability, and stratification onset and fall overturn dates. Larger surface area lakes have greater wind mixing due to increased surface momentum. Climate perturbations indicate that our larger study lakes have more variability in temperature and stratification variables than the smaller lakes, and this variability increases with larger wind speeds. For all study lakes, Pearson correlations and climate perturbation scenarios indicate that wind speed has a large effect on temperature and stratification variables, sometimes greater than changes in air temperature, and wind can act to either amplify or mitigate the effect of warmer air temperatures on lake thermal structure depending on the direction of local wind speed changes.

Exploring the spatio-temporal interrelation between groundwater and surface water by using the self-organizing maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, I.-Ting; Chang, Li-Chiu; Chang, Fi-John

2018-01-01

In this study, we propose a soft-computing methodology to visibly explore the spatio-temporal groundwater variations of the Kuoping River basin in southern Taiwan. The self-organizing map (SOM) is implemented to investigate the interactive mechanism between surface water and groundwater over the river basin based on large high-dimensional data sets coupled with their occurrence times. We find that extracting the occurrence time from each 30-day moving average data set in the clustered neurons of the SOM is a crucial step to learn the spatio-temporal interaction between surface water and groundwater. We design 2-D Topological Bubble Map to summarize all the groundwater values of four aquifers in a neuron, which can visibly explore the major features of the groundwater in the vertical direction. The constructed SOM topological maps nicely display that: (1) the groundwater movement, in general, extends from the eastern area to the western, where groundwater in the eastern area can be easily recharged from precipitation in wet seasons and discharged into streams during dry seasons due to the high permeability in this area; (2) the water movements in the four aquifers of the study area are quite different, and the seasonal variations of groundwater in the second and third aquifers are larger than those of the others; and (3) the spatial distribution and seasonal variations of groundwater and surface water are comprehensively linked together over the constructed maps to present groundwater characteristics and the interrelation between groundwater and surface water. The proposed modeling methodology not only can classify the large complex high-dimensional data sets into visible topological maps to effectively facilitate the quantitative status of regional groundwater resources but can also provide useful elaboration for future groundwater management.

10 CFR 63.302 - Definitions for Subpart L.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...; and (5) The lithosphere. Aquifer means a water-bearing underground geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation (excluding perched water bodies) that can yield a significant amount of ground water to a well or spring. Controlled area means: (1) The surface area, identified by passive...

10 CFR 63.302 - Definitions for Subpart L.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...; and (5) The lithosphere. Aquifer means a water-bearing underground geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation (excluding perched water bodies) that can yield a significant amount of ground water to a well or spring. Controlled area means: (1) The surface area, identified by passive...

MODFLOW-based coupled surface water routing and groundwater-flow simulation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hughes, Joseph D.; Langevin, Christian D.; White, Jeremy T.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a flexible approach for simulating one- and two-dimensional routing of surface water using a numerical surface water routing (SWR) code implicitly coupled to the groundwater-flow process in MODFLOW. Surface water routing in SWR can be simulated using a diffusive-wave approximation of the Saint-Venant equations and/or a simplified level-pool approach. SWR can account for surface water flow controlled by backwater conditions caused by small water-surface gradients or surface water control structures. A number of typical surface water control structures, such as culverts, weirs, and gates, can be represented, and it is possible to implement operational rules to manage surface water stages and streamflow. The nonlinear system of surface water flow equations formulated in SWR is solved by using Newton methods and direct or iterative solvers. SWR was tested by simulating the (1) Lal axisymmetric overland flow, (2) V-catchment, and (3) modified Pinder-Sauer problems. Simulated results for these problems compare well with other published results and indicate that SWR provides accurate results for surface water-only and coupled surface water/groundwater problems. Results for an application of SWR and MODFLOW to the Snapper Creek area of Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA are also presented and demonstrate the value of coupled surface water and groundwater simulation in managed, low-relief coastal settings.

Tracing sources of sulfur in the Florida everglades

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bates, A.L.; Orem, W.H.; Harvey, J.W.; Spiker, E. C.

2002-01-01

We examined concentrations and sulfur isotopic ratios (34S/32S, expressed as ??34S in parts per thousand [???] units) of sulfate in surface water, ground water, and rain water from sites throughout the northern Everglades to establish the sources of sulfur to the ecosystem. The geochemistry of sulfur is of particular interest in the Everglades because of its link, through processes mediated by sulfate -reducing bacteria, to the production of toxic methylmercury in this wetland ecosystem. Methylmercury, a neurotoxin that is bioaccumulated, has been found in high concentrations in freshwater fish from the Everglades, and poses a potential threat to fish-eating wildlife and to human health through fish consumption. Results show that surface water in large portions of the Everglades is heavily contaminated with sulfate, with the highest concentrations observed in canals and marsh areas receiving canal discharge. Spatial patterns in the range of concentrations and ??34S values of sulfate in surface water indicate that the major source of sulfate in sulfur-contaminated marshes is water from canals draining the Everglades Agricultural Area. Shallow ground water underlying the Everglades and rain water samples had much lower sulfate concentrations and ??34S values distinct from those found in surface water. The ??34S results implicate agricultural fertilizer as a major contributor to the sulfate contaminating the Everglades, but ground water under the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) may also be a contributing source. The contamination of the northern Everglades with sulfate from canal discharge may be a key factor in controlling the distribution and extent of methylmercury production in the Everglades.

Spatial variability of specific surface area of arable soils in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolowski, S.; Sokolowska, Z.; Usowicz, B.

2012-04-01

Evaluation of soil spatial variability is an important issue in agrophysics and in environmental research. Knowledge of spatial variability of physico-chemical properties enables a better understanding of several processes that take place in soils. In particular, it is well known that mineralogical, organic, as well as particle-size compositions of soils vary in a wide range. Specific surface area of soils is one of the most significant characteristics of soils. It can be not only related to the type of soil, mainly to the content of clay, but also largely determines several physical and chemical properties of soils and is often used as a controlling factor in numerous biological processes. Knowledge of the specific surface area is necessary in calculating certain basic soil characteristics, such as the dielectric permeability of soil, water retention curve, water transport in the soil, cation exchange capacity and pesticide adsorption. The aim of the present study is two-fold. First, we carry out recognition of soil total specific surface area patterns in the territory of Poland and perform the investigation of features of its spatial variability. Next, semivariograms and fractal analysis are used to characterize and compare the spatial variability of soil specific surface area in two soil horizons (A and B). Specific surface area of about 1000 samples was determined by analyzing water vapor adsorption isotherms via the BET method. The collected data of the values of specific surface area of mineral soil representatives for the territory of Poland were then used to describe its spatial variability by employing geostatistical techniques and fractal theory. Using the data calculated for some selected points within the entire territory and along selected directions, the values of semivariance were determined. The slope of the regression line of the log-log plot of semi-variance versus the distance was used to estimate the fractal dimension, D. Specific surface area in A and B horizons was space-dependent, with the range of spatial dependence of about 2.5°. Variogram surfaces showed anisotropy of the specific surface area in both horizons with a trend toward the W to E directions. The smallest fractal dimensions were obtained for W to E directions and the highest values - for S to N directions. * The work was financially supported in part by the ESA Programme for European Cooperating States (PECS), No.98084 "SWEX-R, Soil Water and Energy Exchange/Research", AO3275.

Temporal and spatial characteristics of water resources in the Yeerqiang River Basin based on remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Y Ran, Q.; Y Bai, L.; Feng, J. Z.; Yang, Y. M.; Guo, M. Q.; Li, H. L.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, P.; Cao, D.

2017-07-01

Surface water resources play an important role in the economic and social developments as well as the protection of natural ecological environment in the Yeerqiang River Basin. Based upon the six stages of land use data from 1990 to 2015, the temporal and spatial variation of surface water resources in the Yerqiang River Basin have been explored and analyzed. The results show that: (1) From 1990 to 2015, the area of natural landscape initially increased and then decreased, while the area of artificial landscape increased, which caused a slight increase in the land use degree in the study area. (2) The dynamic changes of water and glacier areas are somewhat consistent over the past 25 years, with a sharp decline between 2005-2010 and a small increase in the remaining years. The dynamic changes in areas of non-glacial water were moderate, with decrease in area of 9 km2 from 1990 to 2015. The beach area decreased, and the other water sub-classes initially increased and then decreased. (3) Over the past 25 years, the proportion of unchanged water area is 73.22%, the transfer-out proportion is 19.19%, and the transfer-in proportion is 7.59%. Generally, water types transferred to grassland and unused land. Additionally, significant transfers were observed for the conversions between glaciers and woodland, conversions between canal, lake, reservoir and beach, and conversions between beach and farmland.

30 CFR 72.620 - Drill dust control at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... collared and drilled wet, or other effective dust control measures shall be used, when drilling non-water-soluble material. Effective dust control measures shall be used when drilling water-soluble material. ...

30 CFR 72.620 - Drill dust control at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... collared and drilled wet, or other effective dust control measures shall be used, when drilling non-water-soluble material. Effective dust control measures shall be used when drilling water-soluble material. ...

30 CFR 72.620 - Drill dust control at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... collared and drilled wet, or other effective dust control measures shall be used, when drilling non-water-soluble material. Effective dust control measures shall be used when drilling water-soluble material. ...

30 CFR 72.620 - Drill dust control at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... collared and drilled wet, or other effective dust control measures shall be used, when drilling non-water-soluble material. Effective dust control measures shall be used when drilling water-soluble material. ...

30 CFR 72.620 - Drill dust control at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... collared and drilled wet, or other effective dust control measures shall be used, when drilling non-water-soluble material. Effective dust control measures shall be used when drilling water-soluble material. ...

Ground-water conditions in the Green Bay area, Wisconsin, 1950-60

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knowles, Doyle B.

1964-01-01

The Green Bay area, which includes parts of Brown, Outagamie, and Shawano Counties, has an area of about 525 square miles in eastern Wisconsin at the south end of Green Bay. In 1960, it had a population estimated at 124,000; Green Bay, the largest city in the area, had a population of 62,888. The Green Bay area is underlain by a basement complex of crystalline rocks of Precambrian age. Sedimentary rocks of Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian ages overlie the crystalline rocks. These rocks are divided, in ascending order, as follows: The Dresbach Group, Franconia Sandstone, and Trempealeau Formation of Cambrian age; the Prairie du Chien Group, St. Peter Sandstone, Platteville Formation, and Maquoketa Shale of Ordovician age; and the Niagara Dolomite of Silurian age. The Maquoketa Shale and Niagara Dolomite are present only in the eastern part of the area. Unconsolidated deposits, largely of Pleistocene age and glacial origin, overlie the older rocks in most of the area. The rocks of the Dresbach Group, Franconia Sandstone, Trempealeau Formation, Prairie du Chien Group, and St. Peter Sandstone are connected hydraulically and can be considered to form one aquifer, called the sandstone aquifer. The sandstone aquifer is the principal source of ground-water supply in the Green Bay area and is one of the most productive water-bearing units in Wisconsin. All the public water supplies in the area, except the supply for the city of Green Bay, and many of the industrial water supplies are obtained from wells tapping the sandstone aquifer. Rates of discharge of individual wells range from about 200 to 1,000 gallous per minute. The city of Green Bay also obtained its water supply from wells tapping the sandstone aquifer until August 1957, when it began using Lake Michigan as a source of water supply. Several industries also use large quantities of surface water. The Niagara Dolomite, although largely undeveloped, is potentially an important aquifer, in the eastern part of the area. Small amounts of water are obtained from dolomite of the Platteville Formation and from sand and gravel deposits of Pleistocene age. Recharge to the sandstone aquifer in the Green Bay area is derived chiefly from precipitation that infiltrates at or near the outcrop area of the aquifer in northwestern Brown County, eastern Outagamie and Shawano Counties, and southern Oconto County. The amount of recharge is estimated to be at least 30 mgd (million gallons per day). Withdrawals of water from wells tapping the sandstone aquifer in the area began when the first well was drilled in 1886. The withdrawals gradually increased to an average of about 6 mgd in 1940, about 10 mgd in 1950, and about 13 mgd in January-July of 1957, after which time the city of Green Bay discontinued pumping from wells. From August 1957 through 1960, average annual withdrawals of water remained relatively constant at about 5 mgd. Water levels in wells tapping the sandstone aquifer persistently declined until August 1957 as a result of the gradually increasing withdrawals of water. In the area of concentrated ground-water withdrawals in downtown Green Bay, the piezometric surface, which had been about 100 feet above land surface in 1886, was about 340 feet below land surface in 1957. The cessation of pumping by the city of Green Bay in August 1957 resulted in a decrease in withdrawals of ground water from about 13.1 mgd in the first half of 1957 to about 5.3 mgd in the last half and a rapid recovery in water levels. ]n the area of concentrated withdrawals, the piezometric surface had recovered about 300 feet by September 1960. Rises in water levels were recorded throughout the Green Bay area, with the amount of the rise depending on the distance from the Green Bay city wells. In September 1960, water levels appeared to be affected more by local variations in the rates of pumping than by the recovery resulting from 1957 reduction in pumping. Much additional ground water could

An upscaled rate law for magnesite dissolution in heterogeneous porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Hang; Li, Li

2017-08-01

Spatial heterogeneity in natural subsurface systems governs water fluxes and residence time in reactive zones and therefore determines effective rates of mineral dissolution. Extensive studies have documented mineral dissolution rates in natural systems, although a general rate law has remain elusive. Here we fill this gap by answering two questions: (1) how and to what extent does spatial heterogeneity affect water residence time and effectively-dissolving surface area? (2) what is the upscaled rate law that quantifies effective dissolution rates in natural, heterogeneous media? With data constraints from experimental work, 240 Monte-Carlo numerical experiments of magnesite dissolution within quartz matrix were run with spatial distributions characterized by a range of permeability variance σ2lnκ (0.5-6.0) and correlation length (2-50 cm). Although the total surface area and global residence time (τa) are the same in all experiments, the water fluxes through reactive magnesite zones varies between 0.7 and 72.8% of the total water fluxes. Highly heterogeneous media with large σ2lnκ and long λ divert water mostly into non-reactive preferential flow paths, therefore bypassing and minimizing flow in low permeability magnesite zones. As a result, the water residence time in magnesite zones (i.e., reactive residence time τa,r) is long and magnesite dissolution quickly reaches local equilibrium, which leads to small effective surface area and low dissolution rates. Magnesite dissolution rates in heterogeneous media vary from 2.7 to 100% of the rates in the equivalent homogeneous media, with effectively-dissolving surface area varying from 0.18 to 6.83 m2 (out of 51.71 m2 total magnesite surface area). Based on 240 numerical experiments and 45 column experiments, a general upscaled rate law in heterogeneous media, RMgCO3,ht =kAe,hm(1 - exp(-τa/τa,r))α, was derived to quantify effective dissolution rates. The dissolution rates in heterogeneous media are a function of the rate constants k being those measured under well-mixed conditions, effective surface area in equivalent homogeneous media Ae,hm, and the heterogeneity factor (1 - exp(-τa/τa,r))α. The heterogeneity factor quantify heterogeneity effects and depends on the relative magnitude of global residence time (τa) and reactive residence time (τa,r), as well as the shape factor α(= 5 σlnκ2) of the gamma distribution for reactive residence times. Exponential forms of rate laws have been used at the micro-scale describing direct interactions among water and mineral surface, and at the catchment scale describing weathering rates and concentration-discharge relationships. These observations highlight the key role of mineral-water contact time in determining dissolution rates at different scales. This work also emphasizes the importance of critical interfaces between reactive and non-reactive zones as determined by the details of spatial patterns and effective surface area as a scaling factor that quantifies dissolution rates in heterogeneous media across scales.

Distribution and mass loss of volatile organic compounds in the surficial aquifer at sites FT03, LF13, and WP14/LF15, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, November 2000-February 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barbaro, Jeffrey R.; Neupane, Pradumna P.

2002-01-01

Ground-water and surface-water sampling was conducted in the natural attenuation study area in the East Management Unit of Dover Air Force Base, Delaware to determine the distributions of volatile organic compounds in the vicinity of four sites?Fire Training Area Three, the Rubble Area Landfill, the Receiver Station Landfill, and the Liquid Waste Disposal Landfill. This work was done by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, as part of an ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of natural attenuation at these sites. The specific objectives of the study were to (1) determine the areal and vertical extent of the contaminant plumes and source areas, (2) measure volatile organic compound concentrations in ground-water discharge areas and in surface water under base-flow conditions, (3) evaluate the potential for off-site migration of the mapped plumes, and (4) estimate the amount of mass loss downgradient of the Liquid Waste Disposal and Receiver Station Landfills. A direct-push drill rig and previously installed multi-level piezometers were used to determine the three-dimensional distributions of volatile organic compounds in the 30?60-foot-thick surficial aquifer underlying the natural attenuation study area. A hand -driven mini-piezometer was used to collect ground-water samples in ground-water discharge areas. A total of 319 ground-water and 4 surface-water samples were collected from November 2000 to February 2001 and analyzed for chlorinated solvents and fuel hydrocarbons. The contaminant plumes migrating from Fire Training Area Three and the Rubble Area Landfill are approximately 500 feet and 800 feet, respectively, in length. These plumes consist predominantly of cis-1,2-dichloroethene, a daughter product, indicating that extensive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene has occurred at these sites. With an approximate length of 2,200 feet, the plume migrating from the Receiver Station and Liquid Waste Disposal Landfills is the largest of the three plumes in the East Management Unit. In this plume, the parent compounds, tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene, as well as cis-1,2-dichloroethene, are present downgradient of the source. Vinyl chloride was not detected in the natural attenuation study area. Vertical water-quality profiles indicate that volatile organic compounds are present mainly in the upper part of the surficial aquifer. Plumes of fuel hydrocarbon constituents were not detected in the natural attenuation study area. Volatile organic compounds were present at concentrations above detection limits in 6 of 14 samples collected from the aquifer underlying the bed of Pipe Elm Branch and the drainage ditch adjacent to Fire Training Area Three, indicating that the plumes migrating from Fire Training Area Three and the Receiver Station and Liquid Waste Disposal Landfills are reaching these ground-water discharge areas. In contrast, sampling results indicated that the plume from the Rubble Area Landfill does not reach these ground-water discharge areas. Trichloroethene was present above detection limits in one of four surface-water samples collected from Pipe Elm Branch and the drainage ditch adjacent to Fire Training Area Three. The trichloroethene concentration is below applicable Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control surface-water-quality standards for human health. An assessment of chlorinated-solvent mass loss in the plume migrating from the Receiver Station and Liquid Waste Disposal Landfills indicates that tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene mass loss downgradient of the source is negligible. Cis-1,2-dichloroethene, however, appears to biodegrade by an unidentified reaction in the plume. Plan-view maps of the plume migrating from the Receiver Station and Liquid Waste Disposal Landfills indicate that tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, and cis-1,2-dichloroethene may migrate off Dover Air Force Base property approximately 1,500 f

Mapping and modeling the biogeochemical cycling of turf grasses in the United States.

PubMed

Milesi, Cristina; Running, Steven W; Elvidge, Christopher D; Dietz, John B; Tuttle, Benjamin T; Nemani, Ramakrishna R

2005-09-01

Turf grasses are ubiquitous in the urban landscape of the United States and are often associated with various types of environmental impacts, especially on water resources, yet there have been limited efforts to quantify their total surface and ecosystem functioning, such as their total impact on the continental water budget and potential net ecosystem exchange (NEE). In this study, relating turf grass area to an estimate of fractional impervious surface area, it was calculated that potentially 163,800 km2 (+/- 35,850 km2) of land are cultivated with turf grasses in the continental United States, an area three times larger than that of any irrigated crop. Using the Biome-BGC ecosystem process model, the growth of warm-season and cool-season turf grasses was modeled at a number of sites across the 48 conterminous states under different management scenarios, simulating potential carbon and water fluxes as if the entire turf surface was to be managed like a well-maintained lawn. The results indicate that well-watered and fertilized turf grasses act as a carbon sink. The potential NEE that could derive from the total surface potentially under turf (up to 17 Tg C/yr with the simulated scenarios) would require up to 695 to 900 liters of water per person per day, depending on the modeled water irrigation practices, suggesting that outdoor water conservation practices such as xeriscaping and irrigation with recycled waste-water may need to be extended as many municipalities continue to face increasing pressures on freshwater.

Interaction of hydrogen chloride with alumina. [atmospheric effluent concentrations and interaction of solid rocket propellants used in space shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, R. R.; Wightman, J. P.

1978-01-01

The influence of temperature, pressure, and outgas conditions on the absorption of hydrogen chloride and water vapor on both alpha and gamma alumina was studied. Characterization of the adsorbents was performed using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), low temperature nitrogen adsorption desorption measurements, BET nitrogen surface area measurements and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). Water vapor adsorption isotherms at 30, 40, and 50 C were measured on alpha and gamma alumina after outgassing at 80, 200, and 400 C. Both outgas temperature and adsorption temperature influenced the adsorption of water vapor on the aluminas. The water vapor adsorption was completely reversible. Alpha alumina absorbed more water per unit area than gamma alumina. Differences in the adsorption capacity for water vapor of the two aluminas were explained on the basis of ideal surface models of alpha and gamma alumina. Isosteric heats of adsorption for water vapor on the aluminas were determined over a limited range of surface coverage.

Fish Mercury and Surface Water Sulfate Relationships in the Everglades Protection Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabriel, Mark C.; Howard, Nicole; Osborne, Todd Z.

2014-03-01

Few published studies present data on relationships between fish mercury and surface or pore water sulfate concentrations, particularly on an ecosystem-wide basis. Resource managers can use these relationships to identify the sulfate conditions that contain fish with health-concerning total mercury (THg) levels and to evaluate the role of sulfate in methyl-mercury (MeHg) production. In this study, we derived relationships between THg in three fish trophic levels (mosquitofish, sunfish, and age-1 largemouth bass) and surface water sulfate from 1998 to 2009 for multiple stations across the Everglades Protection Area (EPA). Results show the relationship between sulfate and fish THg in each fish type is nonlinear and largely skewed, similar to the relationship between MeHg production and sulfate concentration in peatland sediment pore water identified by other researchers. Peak fish THg levels occurred in ~1 to 12 mg/L sulfate conditions. There was significant variability in the fish THg data, and there were several instances of high-fish THg levels in high-sulfate conditions (>30 mg/L). Health-concerning fish THg levels were present in all surface water sulfate conditions; however, most of these levels occurred in 1-20 mg/L sulfate. The data in this study, including recent studies, show consistent and identifiable areas of high- and low-fish THg across the spectrum of surface water sulfate concentration, therefore, applying an ecosystem-wide sulfur strategy may be an effective management approach as it would significantly reduce MeHg risk in the EPA.

Pilot monitoring study of ibuprofen in surface waters of north of Portugal.

PubMed

Paíga, Paula; Santos, Lúcia H M L M; Amorim, Célia G; Araújo, Alberto N; Montenegro, M Conceição B S M; Pena, Angelina; Delerue-Matos, Cristina

2013-04-01

Ibuprofen is amongst the most worldwide consumed pharmaceuticals. The present work presents the first data in the occurrence of ibuprofen in Portuguese surface waters, focusing in the north area of the country, which is one of the most densely populated areas of Portugal. Analysis of ibuprofen is based on pre-concentration of the analyte with solid phase extraction and subsequent determination with liquid chromatography coupled to fluorescence detection. A total of 42 water samples, including surface waters, landfill leachates, Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), and hospital effluents, were analyzed in order to evaluate the occurrence of ibuprofen in the north of Portugal. In general, the highest concentrations were found in the river mouths and in the estuarine zone. The maximum concentrations found were 48,720 ng L(-1) in the landfill leachate, 3,868 ng L(-1) in hospital effluent, 616 ng L(-1) in WWTP effluent, and 723 ng L(-1) in surface waters (Lima river). Environmental risk assessment was evaluated and at the measured concentrations only landfill leachates reveal potential ecotoxicological risk for aquatic organisms. Owing to a high consumption rate of ibuprofen among Portuguese population, as prescribed and non-prescribed medicine, the importance of hospitals, WWTPs, and landfills as sources of entrance of pharmaceuticals in the environment was pointed out. Landfill leachates showed the highest contribution for ibuprofen mass loading into surface waters. On the basis of our findings, more studies are needed as an attempt to assess more vulnerable areas.

Fish mercury and surface water sulfate relationships in the Everglades Protection Area.

PubMed

Gabriel, Mark C; Howard, Nicole; Osborne, Todd Z

2014-03-01

Few published studies present data on relationships between fish mercury and surface or pore water sulfate concentrations, particularly on an ecosystem-wide basis. Resource managers can use these relationships to identify the sulfate conditions that contain fish with health-concerning total mercury (THg) levels and to evaluate the role of sulfate in methyl-mercury (MeHg) production. In this study, we derived relationships between THg in three fish trophic levels (mosquitofish, sunfish, and age-1 largemouth bass) and surface water sulfate from 1998 to 2009 for multiple stations across the Everglades Protection Area (EPA). Results show the relationship between sulfate and fish THg in each fish type is nonlinear and largely skewed, similar to the relationship between MeHg production and sulfate concentration in peatland sediment pore water identified by other researchers. Peak fish THg levels occurred in ~1 to 12 mg/L sulfate conditions. There was significant variability in the fish THg data, and there were several instances of high-fish THg levels in high-sulfate conditions (>30 mg/L). Health-concerning fish THg levels were present in all surface water sulfate conditions; however, most of these levels occurred in 1-20 mg/L sulfate. The data in this study, including recent studies, show consistent and identifiable areas of high- and low-fish THg across the spectrum of surface water sulfate concentration, therefore, applying an ecosystem-wide sulfur strategy may be an effective management approach as it would significantly reduce MeHg risk in the EPA.

Surface and ground water quality in a restored urban stream affected by road salts

EPA Science Inventory

In 2001 research began in Minebank Run, MD to examine the impact of restoration on water quality. Our research area was to determine if road salts in the surface and ground waters are detrimental to the stream channel restoration. The upstream reach (UP), above the Baltimore I-...

Air-sea fluxes and satellite-based estimation of water masses formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabia, Roberto; Klockmann, Marlene; Fernandez-Prieto, Diego; Donlon, Craig

2015-04-01

Recent work linking satellite-based measurements of sea surface salinity (SSS) and sea surface temperature (SST) with traditional physical oceanography has demonstrated the capability of generating routinely satellite-derived surface T-S diagrams [1] and analyze the distribution/dynamics of SSS and its relative surface density with respect to in-situ measurements. Even more recently [2,3], this framework has been extended by exploiting these T-S diagrams as a diagnostic tool to derive water masses formation rates and areas. A water mass describes a water body with physical properties distinct from the surrounding water, formed at the ocean surface under specific conditions which determine its temperature and salinity. The SST and SSS (and thus also density) at the ocean surface are largely determined by fluxes of heat and freshwater. The surface density flux is a function of the latter two and describes the change of the density of seawater at the surface. To obtain observations of water mass formation is of great interest, since they serve as indirect observations of the thermo-haline circulation. The SSS data which has become available through the SMOS [4] and Aquarius [5] satellite missions will provide the possibility of studying also the effect of temporally-varying SSS fields on water mass formation. In the present study, the formation of water masses as a function of SST and SSS is derived from the surface density flux by integrating the latter over a specific area and time period in bins of SST and SSS and then taking the derivative of the total density flux with respect to density. This study presents a test case using SMOS SSS, OSTIA SST, as well as Argo ISAS SST and SSS for comparison, heat fluxes from the NOCS Surface Flux Data Set v2.0, OAFlux evaporation and CMORPH precipitation. The study area, initially referred to the North Atlantic, is extended over two additional ocean basins and the study period covers the 2011-2012 timeframe. Yearly, seasonal and monthly water mass formation rates for different SST and SSS ranges are presented. The formation peaks are remapped geographically, to analyze the extent of the formation area. Water mass formation derived from SMOS and OSTIA compares well with the results obtained from in-situ data, although slight differences in magnitude and peak location occur. Known water masses can then be identified. Ongoing/future work aims at extending this study along different avenues by: 1) expand systematically the spatial and temporal domain of the study to additional ocean basins and to the entire time period of available SSS observations from SMOS/Aquarius; 2) perform a thorough error propagation to assess how errors in satellite SSS and SST translate into errors in water masses formation rates and geographical areas extent; and 3) explore the different options to connect the surface information to the vertical buoyancy structure to assess potential density instability (e.g., Turner angle). References [1] Sabia, R., M. Klockmann, D. Fernández-Prieto, and C. Donlon (2014), A first estimation of SMOS-based ocean surface T-S diagrams, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 119, 7357-7371, doi:10.1002/2014JC010120. [2] Klockmann, M., R. Sabia, D. Fernández-Prieto, C. Donlon, J. Font; Towards an estimation of water masses formation areas from SMOS-based T-S diagrams; EGU general assembly 2014, April 27-May 2, 2014. [3] Klockmann, M., R. Sabia, D. Fernández-Prieto, C. Donlon, Linking satellite SSS and SST to water mass formation; Ocean salinity science and salinity remote sensing workshop, Exeter, UK, November 26-28, 2014. [4] Font, J., A. Camps, A. Borges, M. Martín-Neira, J. Boutin, N. Reul, Y. H. Kerr, A. Hahne, and S. Mecklenburg, "SMOS: The challenging sea surface salinity measurement from space," Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 98, pp. 649-665, 2010. [5] Le Vine, D.M.; Lagerloef, G.S.E.; Torrusio, S.E.; "Aquarius and Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Salinity from Space," Proceedings of the IEEE , vol.98, no.5, pp.688-703, May 2010, doi: 10.1109/JPROC.2010.2040550.

Groundwater and surface-water interactions near White Bear Lake, Minnesota, through 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Perry M.; Trost, Jared J.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Jackson, P. Ryan; Bode, Jenifer A.; O'Grady, Ryan M.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the White Bear Lake Conservation District, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and other State, county, municipal, and regional planning agencies, watershed organizations, and private organizations, conducted a study to characterize groundwater and surface-water interactions near White Bear Lake through 2011. During 2010 and 2011, White Bear Lake and other lakes in the northeastern part of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area were at historically low levels. Previous periods of lower water levels in White Bear Lake correlate with periods of lower precipitation; however, recent urban expansion and increased pumping from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer have raised the question of whether a decline in precipitation is the primary cause for the recent water-level decline in White Bear Lake. Understanding and quantifying the amount of groundwater inflow to a lake and water discharge from a lake to aquifers is commonly difficult but is important in the management of lake levels. Three methods were used in the study to assess groundwater and surface-water interactions on White Bear Lake: (1) a historical assessment (1978-2011) of levels in White Bear Lake, local groundwater levels, and their relation to historical precipitation and groundwater withdrawals in the White Bear Lake area; (2) recent (2010-11) hydrologic and water-quality data collected from White Bear Lake, other lakes, and wells; and (3) water-balance assessments for White Bear Lake in March and August 2011. An analysis of covariance between average annual lake-level change and annual precipitation indicated the relation between the two variables was significantly different from 2003 through 2011 compared with 1978 through 2002, requiring an average of 4 more inches of precipitation per year to maintain the lake level. This shift in the linear relation between annual lake-level change and annual precipitation indicated the net effect of the non-precipitation terms on the water balance has changed relative to precipitation. The average amount of precipitation required each year to maintain the lake level has increased from 33 inches per year during 1978-2002 to 37 inches per year during 2003-11. The combination of lower precipitation and an increase in groundwater withdrawals can explain the change in the lake-level response to precipitation. Annual and summer groundwater withdrawals from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer have more than doubled from 1980 through 2010. Results from a regression model constructed with annual lake-level change, annual precipitation minus evaporation, and annual volume of groundwater withdrawn from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer indicated groundwater withdrawals had a greater effect than precipitation minus evaporation on water levels in the White Bear Lake area for all years since 2003. The recent (2003-11) decline in White Bear Lake reflects the declining water levels in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer; increases in groundwater withdrawals from this aquifer are a likely cause for declines in groundwater levels and lake levels. Synoptic, static groundwater-level and lake-level measurements in March/April and August 2011 indicated groundwater was potentially flowing into White Bear Lake from glacial aquifers to the northeast and south, and lake water was potentially discharging from White Bear Lake to the underlying glacial and Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifers and glacial aquifers to the northwest. Groundwater levels in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer below White Bear Lake are approximately 0 to 19 feet lower than surface-water levels in the lake, indicating groundwater from the aquifer likely does not flow into White Bear Lake, but lake water may discharge into the aquifer. Groundwater levels from March/April to August 2011 declined more than 10 feet in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer south of White Bear Lake and to the north in Hugo, Minnesota. Water-quality analyses of pore water from nearshore lake-sediment and well-water samples, seepage-meter measurements, and hydraulic-head differences measured in White Bear Lake also indicated groundwater was potentially flowing into White Bear Lake from shallow glacial aquifers to the east and south. Negative temperature anomalies determined in shallow waters in the water-quality survey conducted in White Bear Lake indicated several shallow-water areas where groundwater may be flowing into the lake from glacial aquifers below the lake. Cool lake-sediment temperatures (less than 18 degrees Celsius) were measured in eight areas along the northeast, east, south, and southwest shores of White Bear Lake, indicating potential areas where groundwater may flow into the lake. Stable isotope analyses of well-water, precipitation, and lake-water samples indicated wells downgradient from White Bear Lake screened in the glacial buried aquifer or open to the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer receive a mixture of surface water and groundwater; the largest surface-water contributions are in wells closer to White Bear Lake. A wide range in oxygen-18/oxygen-16 and deuterium/protium ratios was measured in well-water samples, indicating different sources of water are supplying water to the wells. Well water with oxygen-18/oxygen-16 and deuterium/protium ratios that plot close to the meteoric water line consisted mostly of groundwater because deuterium/protium ratios for most groundwater usually are similar to ratios for rainwater and snow, plotting close to meteoric water lines. Well water with oxygen-18/oxygen-16 and deuterium/protium ratios that plot between the meteoric water line and ratios for the surface-water samples from White Bear Lake consists of a mixture of surface water and groundwater; the percentage of each source varies relative to its ratios. White Bear Lake is the likely source of the surface water to the wells that have a mixture of surface water and groundwater because (1) it is the only large, deep lake near these wells; (2) these wells are near and downgradient from White Bear Lake; and (3) these wells obtain their water from relatively deep depths, and White Bear Lake is the deepest lake in that area. The percentages of surface-water contribution to the three wells screened in the glacial buried aquifer receiving surface water were 16, 48, and 83 percent. The percentages of surface-water contribution ranged from 5 to 79 percent for the five wells open to the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer receiving surface water; wells closest to White Bear Lake had the largest percentages of surface-water contribution. Water-balance analysis of White Bear Lake in March and August 2011 indicated a potential discharge of 2.8 and 4.5 inches per month, respectively, over the area of the lake from the lake to local aquifers. Most of the sediments from a 12.4-foot lake core collected at the deepest part of White Bear Lake consisted of silts, sands, and gravels likely slumped from shallower waters, with a very low amount of low-permeability, organic material.

Enhancement of sediment phosphorus release during a tunnel construction across an urban lake (Lake Donghu, China).

PubMed

Wang, Siyang; Li, Hui; Xiao, Jian; Zhou, Yiyong; Song, Chunlei; Bi, Yonghong; Cao, Xiuyun

2016-09-01

Tunnel construction in watershed area of urban lakes would accelerate eutrophication by inputting nutrients into them, while mechanisms underlying the internal phosphorus cycling as affected by construction events are scarcely studied. Focusing on two main pathways of phosphorus releasing from sediment (enzymatic mineralization and anaerobic desorption), spatial and temporal variations in phosphorus fractionation, and activities of extracellular enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, β-1,4-glucosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, dehydrogenase, lipase) in sediment were examined, together with relevant parameters in interstitial and surface waters in a Chinese urban lake (Lake Donghu) where a subaqueous tunnel was constructed across it from October 2013 to July 2014. Higher alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) indicated phosphorus deficiency for phytoplankton, as illustrated by a significantly negative relationship between APA and concentration of dissolved total phosphorus (DTP). Noticeably, in the construction area, APAs in both sediment and surface water were significantly lower than those in other relevant basins, suggesting a phosphorus supply from some sources in this area. In parallel, its sediment gave the significantly lower iron-bound phosphorus (Fe(OOH)∼P) content, coupled with significantly higher ratio of iron (II) to total iron content (Fe(2+)/TFe) and dehydrogenase activities (DHA). Contrastingly, difference in the activities of sediment hydrolases was not significant between the construction area and other basins studied. Thus, in the construction area, subsidy of bioavailable phosphorus from sediment to surface water was attributable to the anaerobic desorption of Fe(OOH)∼P rather than enzymatic mineralization. Finally, there existed a significantly positive relationship between chlorophyll a concentration in surface water and Fe(OOH)∼P content in sediment. In short, construction activities within lakes may interrupt cycling patterns of phosphorus across sediment-water interface by enhancing release of redox-sensitive phosphate, and thereby facilitating phytoplankton growth in water column.

Land use and land cover changes in Zêzere watershed (Portugal)--Water quality implications.

PubMed

Meneses, B M; Reis, R; Vale, M J; Saraiva, R

2015-09-15

To understand the relations between land use allocation and water quality preservation within a watershed is essential to assure sustainable development. The land use and land cover (LUC) within Zêzere River watershed registered relevant changes in the last decades. These land use and land cover changes (LUCCs) have impacts in water quality, mainly in surface water degradation caused by surface runoff from artificial and agricultural areas, forest fires and burnt areas, and caused by sewage discharges from agroindustry and urban sprawl. In this context, the impact of LUCCs in the quality of surface water of the Zêzere watershed is evaluated, considering the changes for different types of LUC and establishing their possible correlations to the most relevant water quality changes. The results indicate that the loss of coniferous forest and the increase of transitional woodland-shrub are related to increased water's pH; while the growth in artificial surfaces and pastures leads mainly to the increase of soluble salts and fecal coliform concentration. These particular findings within the Zêzere watershed, show the relevance of addressing water quality impact driven from land use and should therefore be taken into account within the planning process in order to prevent water stress, namely within watersheds integrating drinking water catchments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potentiometric Surface of the Lower Patapsco Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Staley, Andrew W.

2009-01-01

This report presents a map showing the potentiometric surface of the lower Patapsco aquifer in the Patapsco Formation of Early Cretaceous age in Southern Maryland during September 2007. The map is based on water-level measurements in 65 wells. The highest measured water level was 111 feet above sea level near the northwestern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in northern Prince George's County. From this area, the potentiometric surface declined towards well fields at Severndale and Arnold. The measured ground-water levels were 87 feet below sea level at Severndale, and 42 feet below sea level at Arnold. There was also a cone of depression covering a large area in Charles County that includes Waldorf, La Plata, Indian Head, and the Morgantown power plant. The ground-water levels measured were as low as 219 feet below sea level at Waldorf, 187 feet below sea level at La Plata, 106 feet below sea level at Indian Head, and 89 feet below sea level at the Morgantown power plant.

Potentiometric Surface of the Aquia Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Staley, Andrew W.

2009-01-01

This report presents a map showing the potentiometric surface of the Aquia aquifer in the Aquia Formation of Paleocene age in Southern Maryland during September 2007. The map is based on water-level measurements in 85 wells. The highest measured water level was 50 feet above sea level near the northern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in the central part of Anne Arundel County, and was below sea level just south of this area and in the remainder of the study area. The hydraulic gradient increased southeastward toward an extensive cone of depression around well fields at Lexington Park and Solomons Island. A water level measured west of the Cheasapeake Beach area has declined to 57 feet below sea level due to increased withdrawals. The lowest water level measured was 162 feet below sea level at the center of a cone of depression at Lexington Park.

Water for cranberry culture in the Cranmoor area of central Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, Louis J.

1972-01-01

The Cranmoor area of central Wisconsin is the principal cranberry producing area of the State. Cranberries are grown in only about 2.5 square miles of an 80-square-mile marsh and swamp in the Cranberry Creek basin. Cranberry growers have built reservoirs and ditches throughout 25 square miles of marsh for better management of the area's natural water supply. Additional water is diverted into the basin to supplement the cranberry needs. In the 1966-67 hydrologic budget for Cranberry Creek basin, annual inputs were 27.8 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of surface-water diversion into the basin, and 1.1 inches decrease in stored water. Annual outputs were. 20.8 inches of evapotranspiration, 11.7 inches of runoff, and 0.2 inch of groundwater outflow. During the 1966-67 period, precipitation averaged about 3 inches per year below normal. The water used for cranberry culture is almost exclusively surface water. Efficient management of the basin's water supply, plus intermittent diversions of about 100 cubic feet per second from outside the basin, provide cranberry growers with a sufficient quantity of water. Although the quantity of surface water is adequate, the pH (generally 5.7-6.7) is slightly high for optimum use. Dissolved oxygen is slightly low, generally between 4 and 10 milligrams per liter. The water is soft; iron and manganese contents vary seasonally, being high in winter and summer and low in spring. Additional supplies of surface water can be obtained by increasing diversions from outside the basin and by increasing reservoir capacity within the basin. Ground water, although not presently used for cranberries, is available in the central, southern, and eastern parts of the basin, where the thickness of the saturated alluvium exceeds 50 feet. Well yields in these areas might be as much as 1,000 gpm (gallons per minute). Additionally, well yields of as much as 1,000 gpm may be expected from saturated alluvium southeast of Cranberry Creek basin. Where saturated alluvium is less than 50 feet thick, in the northern and western parts of the basin, well yields generally are less than 50 gpm. Ground water is also available from sandstone in the western part of the basin. Where the sandstone is thickest (about 60 ft.), well yields may be as much as 200 gpm. The quality of ground water is similar to that of surface water. The pH of water from the shallow alluvium ranges between 6.0 and 6,6; the pH of water from the deep alluvium is about 7.0. Ground water is soft to moderately hard, 22 to 88 milligrams per liter, and contains excessive amounts of iron and manganese.

Water resources data for New Mexico, water year 1964; Part I. Surface water records

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1965-01-01

The surface-water records for the 1964 water year for gaging stations, partialrecord stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of New Mexico are given in this report. For convenience there are also included records for a few pertinent gaging stations in bordering States. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey, under the direction of W. L. Heckler, district engineer, Surface Water Branch. This report is the fourth in a series presenting, annually, basic data on surfacewater records by States. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U. S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in New Mexico were contained in Parts 7, 8, and 9 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data will be released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports will be limited and primarily for local needs. The records later will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of conterminous United States will be further subdivided.

Surface-water characteristics and quality on the Osage Reservation, Osage County, Oklahoma, 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Abbott, Marvin M.; Tortorelli, Robert L.

2002-01-01

Concern about the effects of early oil-industry practices of surface disposal of produced-brine water prompted an investigation of the surface-water quality on the Osage Reservation. About 38,600 oil wells have been drilled on the Osage Reservation since drilling began in 1896. The Osage Reservation comprises three major drainage basins. The Caney River Basin is in the northeast, the Bird Creek Basin is in the southeast, and the Salt Creek Basin in the west. Variations in streamflow on the Osage Reservation during a year primarily result from variations in the quantity and frequency of rainfall, evapotranspiration, and reservoir operations. Most streams do not flow during low rainfall periods in late summer, early fall, and in winter. Percent of mean annual discharge is largest during March through June, averaging 54 to 62 percent and smallest during December, January, July, and August, averaging only 14 to 21 percent. The basin areas of Caney River in the reservation (251 square miles), Salt Creek (273 square miles), and Sand Creek (227 square miles) are about the same and the basin areas of the Bird Creek Basin (418 square miles) and Homily Creek Basin (383 square miles) are similar in area. One hundred forty surface-water sites were sampled once during either February, March or August 1999. The surface-drainage areas, incremental basins, between sample sites along a stream, range in size from 0.26 to 123 square miles with a median of 8.6 square miles. Total number of oil wells upgradient of the samples sites is 31,432 or 80 percent of the total in the reservation. The total number of oil wells in the Caney River Basin in the reservation (2,975 wells), Salt Creek Basin (4,619 wells), and Sand Creek Basin (3,858 wells) are about the same and the total number of oil wells in the Bird Creek Basin (8,858 wells) and Hominy Creek Basin (7,842 wells) are similar. The number of oil wells per square mile in the incremental basins ranges for 0.86 to 154. Surface-water quality monitoring had been conducted previously at two sites included in this study. Dissolved chloride concentrations for the two samples collected during 1999 were equaled or exceeded at both sites by the historical data. There is no statistically significant difference between the distribution of the dissolved chloride concentrations from the surface water and nearby ground-water samples. The surface-water quality samples had significantly lesser concentrations of dissolved solids, sulfate, and nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen than the ground-water samples. Chloride yield, reported in tons per day per square mile, is the chloride load divided by the basin area upstream of the sample site. The mean of the chloride yields for all the samples was 0.07 ton per day per square mile. Many sample locations where yields were greater than 0.07 ton per day per square mile were areas where dissolved chloride concentrations from surface-water samples were greater than 250 milligrams per liter in an earlier water-quality investigation. An investigation of possible relations between the surface-water quality data and the oil-well construction data for the incremental basins and for 1-mile radial distance upstream in the incremental basins was conducted. The oil-well data also were grouped by the time periods of activity into pre-1930, 1930 to 1970, and post-1970. These groups attempt to account for differences in industry drilling and producing practices associated with various periods. No statistically significant correlations were found between the surface-water quality data and the oil-well construction data.

30 CFR 779.25 - Cross sections, maps, and plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... locations of monitoring stations used to gather data for water quality and quantity, fish and wildlife, and... encountered, within the proposed permit or adjacent areas; (7) Location of surface water bodies such as... the proposed permit area; (9) Location and dimensions of existing areas of spoil, waste, and non-coal...

30 CFR 779.25 - Cross sections, maps, and plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... locations of monitoring stations used to gather data for water quality and quantity, fish and wildlife, and... encountered, within the proposed permit or adjacent areas; (7) Location of surface water bodies such as... the proposed permit area; (9) Location and dimensions of existing areas of spoil, waste, and non-coal...

30 CFR 779.25 - Cross sections, maps, and plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... locations of monitoring stations used to gather data for water quality and quantity, fish and wildlife, and... encountered, within the proposed permit or adjacent areas; (7) Location of surface water bodies such as... the proposed permit area; (9) Location and dimensions of existing areas of spoil, waste, and non-coal...

30 CFR 779.25 - Cross sections, maps, and plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... locations of monitoring stations used to gather data for water quality and quantity, fish and wildlife, and... encountered, within the proposed permit or adjacent areas; (7) Location of surface water bodies such as... the proposed permit area; (9) Location and dimensions of existing areas of spoil, waste, and non-coal...

30 CFR 779.25 - Cross sections, maps, and plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... locations of monitoring stations used to gather data for water quality and quantity, fish and wildlife, and... encountered, within the proposed permit or adjacent areas; (7) Location of surface water bodies such as... the proposed permit area; (9) Location and dimensions of existing areas of spoil, waste, and non-coal...

Simulation and assessment of groundwater flow and groundwater and surface-water exchanges in lakes of the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, 2003 through 2013: Chapter B of Water levels and groundwater and surface-water exchanges in lakes of the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, 2002 through 2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Perry M.; Roth, Jason L.; Trost, Jared J.; Christenson, Catherine A.; Diekoff, Aliesha L.; Erickson, Melinda L.

2017-09-05

Water levels during 2003 through 2013 were less than mean water levels for the period 1925–2013 for several lakes in the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area in Minnesota. Previous periods of low lake-water levels generally were correlated with periods with less than mean precipitation. Increases in groundwater withdrawals and land-use changes have brought into question whether or not recent (2003–13) lake-water-level declines are solely caused by decreases in precipitation. A thorough understanding of groundwater and surface-water exchanges was needed to assess the effect of water-management decisions on lake-water levels. To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Health, developed and calibrated a three-dimensional, steady-state groundwater-flow model representing 2003–13 mean hydrologic conditions to assess groundwater and lake-water exchanges, and the effects of groundwater withdrawals and precipitation on water levels of 96 lakes in the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.Lake-water budgets for the calibrated groundwater-flow model indicated that groundwater is flowing into lakes in the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area and lakes are providing water to underlying aquifers. Lake-water outflow to the simulated groundwater system was a major outflow component for Big Marine Lake, Lake Elmo, Snail Lake, and White Bear Lake, accounting for 45 to 64 percent of the total outflows from the lakes. Evaporation and transpiration from the lake surface ranged from 19 to 52 percent of the total outflow from the four lakes. Groundwater withdrawals and precipitation were varied from the 2003‒13 mean values used in the calibrated model (30-percent changes in groundwater withdrawals and 5-percent changes in precipitation) for hypothetical scenarios to assess the effects of groundwater withdrawals and precipitation on water budgets and levels in Big Marine Lake, Snail Lake, and White Bear Lake. Simulated lake-water levels and budgets for Snail Lake and White Bear Lake were affected by 30-percent changes in groundwater withdrawals and 5-percent changes in precipitation in the area, whereas the water level in Big Marine Lake was mainly affected by 5-percent precipitation changes. The effects of groundwater withdrawals on the lake-water levels depend on the number of wells and amount of withdrawals from wells near the lakes. Although lake-water levels are sensitive to precipitation changes, increases in groundwater withdrawals during dry periods exacerbate lake-water level declines. The calibrated, groundwater-flow model is a tool that water-resources managers can use to address future water management issues in the northeast Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Sources of Water to Wells for Transient Cyclic Systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reilly, T.E.; Pollock, D.W.

1996-01-01

Many state agencies are currently (1995) developing wellhead protection programs. The thrust of some of these programs is to protect water supplies by determining the areas contributing recharge to water-supply wells and by specifying regulations to minimize the opportunity for contamination of the recharge water by activities at the land surface. The area contributing recharge to a discharging well is the surface area at the water table through which the water flowing to the well entered the ground-water system. In the analyses of ground-water flow systems, steady-state average conditions are commonly used to simplify the problem and make a solution tractable. However, recharge is usually cyclic in nature, with seasonal cycles and longer term climatic cycles. The effect of these cyclic stresses on the area contributing recharge to wells is quantitatively analyzed for a hypothetical alluvial valley aquifer system that is representative of a large class of ground-water systems that are extensively developed for water supply. The analysis shows that, in many cases, these cyclic changes in the recharge rates do not significantly affect the location and size of the areas contributing recharge to wells. The ratio of the mean travel time to the length of the cyclic stress period appears to be an indicator of whether the transient effects of the cyclic stress must be explicitly represented in the analysis of contributing areas to wells. For the cases examined, if the ratio of the mean travel time to the period of the cyclic stress was much greater than one, then the transient area contributing recharge to wells was similar to the area calculated using an average steady-state condition. However, cyclic stresses on systems with ratios less than one do have an effect on the location and size of the areas contributing recharge to wells.

Wollastonite Carbonation in Water-Bearing Supercritical CO2: Effects of Particle Size.

PubMed

Min, Yujia; Li, Qingyun; Voltolini, Marco; Kneafsey, Timothy; Jun, Young-Shin

2017-11-07

The performance of geologic CO 2 sequestration (GCS) can be affected by CO 2 mineralization and changes in the permeability of geologic formations resulting from interactions between water-bearing supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 ) and silicates in reservoir rocks. However, without an understanding of the size effects, the findings in previous studies using nanometer- or micrometer-size particles cannot be applied to the bulk rock in field sites. In this study, we report the effects of particle sizes on the carbonation of wollastonite (CaSiO 3 ) at 60 °C and 100 bar in water-bearing scCO 2 . After normalization by the surface area, the thickness of the reacted wollastonite layer on the surfaces was independent of particle sizes. After 20 h, the reaction was not controlled by the kinetics of surface reactions but by the diffusion of water-bearing scCO 2 across the product layer on wollastonite surfaces. Among the products of reaction, amorphous silica, rather than calcite, covered the wollastonite surface and acted as a diffusion barrier to water-bearing scCO 2 . The product layer was not highly porous, with a specific surface area 10 times smaller than that of the altered amorphous silica formed at the wollastonite surface in aqueous solution. These findings can help us evaluate the impacts of mineral carbonation in water-bearing scCO 2 .

Insights into the role of wettability in cathode catalyst layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cell; pore scale immiscible flow and transport processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathi, H.; Raoof, A.; Mansouri, S. H.

2017-05-01

The production of liquid water in cathode catalyst layer, CCL, is a significant barrier to increase the efficiency of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Here we present, for the first time, a direct three-dimensional pore-scale modelling to look at the complex immiscible two-phase flow in CCL. After production of the liquid water at the surface of CCL agglomerates due to the electrochemical reactions, water spatial distribution affects transport of oxygen through the CCL as well as the rate of reaction at the agglomerate surfaces. To explore the wettability effects, we apply hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties using different surface contact angles. Effective diffusivity is calculated under several water saturation levels. Results indicate larger diffusive transport values for hydrophilic domain compared to the hydrophobic media where the liquid water preferentially floods the larger pores. However, hydrophobic domain showed more available surface area and higher oxygen consumption rate at the reaction sites under various saturation levels, which is explained by the effect of wettability on pore-scale distribution of water. Hydrophobic domain, with a contact angle of 150, reveals efficient water removal where only 28% of the pore space stays saturated. This condition contributes to the enhanced available reaction surface area and oxygen diffusivity.

Investigation of Carbon, Nutrients, and Groundwater Inputs in Coastal Florida Using Colored Dissolved Organic Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arellano, A. R.; Coble, P. G.; Conmy, R. N.; Marine Spectrochemistry Group

2010-12-01

Very few studies of the exchange of water between aquifers and the ocean have been conducted along the Florida coast. Progression of residential and agricultural development in coastal areas is leading to increased nutrients from fertilizers and wastewaters to groundwater. A portion of these nutrients ultimately is released to coastal surface waters. Groundwater mining has increased salt water intrusions in coastal aquifers which may further enhance nutrient fluxes to coastal surface waters. Nutrient concentration in coastal groundwater is sometimes higher than those in river water, counterbalancing for the lower mass flux of groundwater relative to surface waters. Nutrient and carbon inputs through groundwater in certain areas may play an important role in cycling and primary productivity in the coastal ocean. King’s Bay is a spring-fed watershed and manatee sanctuary located on the West Florida Shelf. Over the past 25 years, springs supplying groundwater to King’s Bay have shown a three-fold increase in nitrate concentration and increased invasion of nuisance algae. It has been challenging to track sources of both nutrients and other water quality parameters because there are multiple water supplies to King’s Bay. The goal of this project is to improve the estimate of water, nutrients, and carbon from groundwater discharge into the coastal zone. This paper will present preliminary results of high resolution fluorescence spectroscopy analyses of the various source water types in the King's Bay watershed, including deep and shallow aquifers, wells, springs, and surface water sources. Samples were obtained from various sites--5 springs, 27 wells, 12 surface, and 9 lakes and rivers-- within the King’s Bay area during one dry season. Lakes and rivers had the highest fluorescence intensities and showed similar composition, with the most red-shifted emission maxima. Second highest concentration was seen in some of the wells which had wide range in both composition and intensities. King’s Bay surface sites appear to be a mixture of surface water and spring water based on both composition and concentration. Springs samples were all similar in composition, with concentrations in middle range found in well samples. These results will be discussed in reference to determination of source of water, carbon, and nutrients to the springs.

Surface Flooding from Hurricane Harvey Shown in New SMAP Imagery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-30

A new series of images generated with data from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite illustrate the surface flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey from before its initial landfall through August 27, 2017. The SMAP observations detect the proportion of the ground covered by surface water within the satellite's field of view. The sequence of images depicts successive satellite orbital swath observations showing the surface water conditions on August 22, before Harvey's landfall (left), and then on Aug. 27, two days after landfall (middle). The resulting increase in surface flooding from record rainfall over the three-day period, shown at right, depicts regionally heavy flooding around the Houston metropolitan area. The hardest hit areas (blue and purple shades) cover more than 23,000 square miles (about 59,600 square kilometers) and indicate a more than 1,000-fold increase in surface water cover from rainfall-driven flooding. SMAP's low-frequency (L-band) microwave radiometer features enhanced capabilities for detecting surface water changes in nearly all weather conditions and under low-to-moderate vegetation cover. The satellite provides global coverage with one to three-day repeat sampling, which is well suited for monitoring dynamic inland waters around the world. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21930

Quantification of surface water volume changes in the Mackenzie Delta using satellite multi-mission data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Normandin, Cassandra; Frappart, Frédéric; Lubac, Bertrand; Bélanger, Simon; Marieu, Vincent; Blarel, Fabien; Robinet, Arthur; Guiastrennec-Faugas, Léa

2018-02-01

Quantification of surface water storage in extensive floodplains and their dynamics are crucial for a better understanding of global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we present estimates of both surface water extent and storage combining multi-mission remotely sensed observations and their temporal evolution over more than 15 years in the Mackenzie Delta. The Mackenzie Delta is located in the northwest of Canada and is the second largest delta in the Arctic Ocean. The delta is frozen from October to May and the recurrent ice break-up provokes an increase in the river's flows. Thus, this phenomenon causes intensive floods along the delta every year, with dramatic environmental impacts. In this study, the dynamics of surface water extent and volume are analysed from 2000 to 2015 by combining multi-satellite information from MODIS multispectral images at 500 m spatial resolution and river stages derived from ERS-2 (1995-2003), ENVISAT (2002-2010) and SARAL (since 2013) altimetry data. The surface water extent (permanent water and flooded area) peaked in June with an area of 9600 km2 (±200 km2) on average, representing approximately 70 % of the delta's total surface. Altimetry-based water levels exhibit annual amplitudes ranging from 4 m in the downstream part to more than 10 m in the upstream part of the Mackenzie Delta. A high overall correlation between the satellite-derived and in situ water heights (R > 0.84) is found for the three altimetry missions. Finally, using altimetry-based water levels and MODIS-derived surface water extents, maps of interpolated water heights over the surface water extents are produced. Results indicate a high variability of the water height magnitude that can reach 10 m compared to the lowest water height in the upstream part of the delta during the flood peak in June. Furthermore, the total surface water volume is estimated and shows an annual variation of approximately 8.5 km3 during the whole study period, with a maximum of 14.4 km3 observed in 2006. The good agreement between the total surface water volume retrievals and in situ river discharges (R = 0.66) allows for validation of this innovative multi-mission approach and highlights the high potential to study the surface water extent dynamics.

Spatial heterogeneity of mobilization processes and input pathways of herbicides into a brook in a small agricultural catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doppler, Tobias; Lück, Alfred; Popow, Gabriel; Strahm, Ivo; Winiger, Luca; Gaj, Marcel; Singer, Heinz; Stamm, Christian

2010-05-01

Soil applied herbicides can be transported from their point of application (agricultural field) to surface waters during rain events. There they can have harmful effects on aquatic species. Since the spatial distribution of mobilization and transport processes is very heterogeneous, the contributions of different fields to the total load in a surface water body may differ considerably. The localization of especially critical areas (contributing areas) can help to efficiently minimize herbicide inputs to surface waters. An agricultural field becomes a contributing area when three conditions are met: 1) herbicides are applied, 2) herbicides are mobilized on the field and 3) the mobilized herbicides are transported rapidly to the surface water. In spring 2009, a controlled herbicide application was performed on corn fields in a small (ca 1 km2) catchment with intensive crop production in the Swiss plateau. Subsequently water samples were taken at different locations in the catchment with a high temporal resolution during rain events. We observed both saturation excess and hortonian overland flow during the field campaign. Both can be important mobilization processes depending on the intensity and quantity of the rain. This can lead to different contributing areas during different types of rain events. We will show data on the spatial distribution of herbicide loads during different types of rain events. Also the connectivity of the fields with the brook is spatially heterogeneous. Most of the fields are disconnected from the brook by internal sinks in the catchment, which prevents surface runoff from entering the brook directly. Surface runoff from these disconnected areas can only enter the brook rapidly via macropore-flow into tile drains beneath the internal sinks or via direct shortcuts to the drainage system (maintenance manholes, farmyard or road drains). We will show spatially distributed data on herbicide concentration in purely subsurface systems which shows how important such input pathways can be.

Ground-water resources of the Alma area, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vanlier, Kenneth E.

1963-01-01

The Alma area consists of 30 square miles in the northwestern part of Gratiot County, Mich. It is an area of slight relief gently rolling hills and level plains and is an important agricultural center in the State.The Saginaw formation, which forms the bedrock surface in part of the area, is of relatively low permeability and yields water containing objectionable amounts of chloride. Formations below the Saginaw are tapped for brine in and near the Alma area.The consolidated rocks of the Alma area are mantled by Pleistocene glacial deposits, which are as much as 550 feet thick where preglacial valleys were eroded into the bedrock. The glacial deposits consist of till, glacial-lake deposits, and outwash. Till deposits are at the surface along the south-trending moraines that cross the area, and they underlie other types of glacial deposits at depth throughout the area. The till deposits are of low permeability and are not a source of water to wells, though locally they include small lenses of permeable sand and gravel.In the western part of the area, including much of the city of Alma, the glacial-lake deposits consist primarily of sand and are a source of small supplies of water. In the northeastern part of the area the lake deposits are predominantly clayey and of low permeability.Sand and gravel outwash yields moderate and large supplies of water within the area. Outwash is present at the surface along the West Branch of the Pine River. A more extensive deposit of outwash buried by the lake deposits is the source of most of the ground water pumped at Alma. The presence of an additional deposit of buried outwash west and southwest of the city is inferred from the glacial history of the area. Additional water supplies that may be developed from these deposits are probably adequate for anticipated population and industrial growth.Water levels have declined generally in the vicinity of the city of Alma since 1920 in response to pumping for municipal and industrial supplies. The declines are not excessive, and during the late 1950's water levels in parts of Alma have risen slightly, because of dispersion of the pumping stations.The ground water in the Alma area generally is very hard and high in iron. Locally, the buried outwash that underlies the city of Alma is contaminated by phenolic substances. This limits the amount of ground water available for municipal supply within the city, although reclamation of the contaminated part of the aquifer is considered feasible.

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.360 - Chesapeake Bay off Fort Monroe, Virginia; restricted area, U.S. Naval Base and Naval Surface...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Chesapeake Bay off Fort Monroe, Virginia; restricted area, U.S. Naval Base and Naval Surface Weapon Center. 334.360 Section 334.360....S. Naval Base and Naval Surface Weapon Center. (a) The area. Beginning at latitude 37°01′03...

33 CFR 334.360 - Chesapeake Bay off Fort Monroe, Virginia; restricted area, U.S. Naval Base and Naval Surface...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Chesapeake Bay off Fort Monroe, Virginia; restricted area, U.S. Naval Base and Naval Surface Weapon Center. 334.360 Section 334.360....S. Naval Base and Naval Surface Weapon Center. (a) The area. Beginning at latitude 37°01′03...

33 CFR 334.360 - Chesapeake Bay off Fort Monroe, Virginia; restricted area, U.S. Naval Base and Naval Surface...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Chesapeake Bay off Fort Monroe, Virginia; restricted area, U.S. Naval Base and Naval Surface Weapon Center. 334.360 Section 334.360....S. Naval Base and Naval Surface Weapon Center. (a) The area. Beginning at latitude 37°01′03...

Interaction of gases with lunar materials. [analysis of lunar samples from Apollo 17 flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmes, H. F.; Fuller, E. L., Jr.; Gammage, R. B.

1974-01-01

The surface chemistry of Apollo 17 lunar fines samples 74220 (the orange soil) and 74241 (the gray control soil) has been studied by measuring the adsorption of nitrogen, argon, and oxygen (all at 77 K) and also water vapor (at 20 or 22 C). In agreement with results for samples from other missions, both samples had low initial specific surface areas, consisted of nonporous particles, and were attacked by water vapor at high relative pressure to give an increased specific surface area and create a pore system which gave rise to a capillary condensation hysteresis loop in the adsorption isotherms. In contrast to previous samples, both of the Apollo 17 soils were partially hydrophobic in their initial interaction with water vapor (both samples were completely hydrophilic after the reaction with water). The results are consistent with formation at high temperatures without subsequent exposure to significant amounts of water.

Rates of Water Loss and Uptake in Recalcitrant Fruits of Quercus Species Are Determined by Pericarp Anatomy

PubMed Central

Xia, Ke; Daws, Matthew I.; Stuppy, Wolfgang; Zhou, Zhe-Kun; Pritchard, Hugh W.

2012-01-01

Desiccation-sensitive recalcitrant seeds and fruits are killed by the loss of even moderate quantities of water. Consequently, minimizing the rate of water loss may be an important ecological factor and evolutionary driver by reducing the risk of mortality during post-dispersal dry-spells. For recalcitrant fruits of a range of Quercus species, prolonged drying times have been observed previously. However, the underlying mechanism(s) for this variation is unknown. Using nine Quercus species we investigated the major route(s) of water flow into and out of the fruits and analysed the relative importance of the different pericarp components and their anatomy on water uptake/loss. During imbibition (rehydration), the surface area of the cupule scar and the frequency and area of the vascular bundles contained therein were significantly correlated with the rates of water uptake across the scar. The vascular bundles serving the apex of the fruit were a minor contributor to overall water. Further, the rate of water uptake across the remainder of the pericarp surface was significantly correlated with the thickness of the vascularised inner layer in the pericarp. Fruits of Q. franchetii and Q. schottkyana dried most slowly and had a comparatively small scar surface area with few vascular bundles per unit area. These species inhabit drier regions than the other species studied, suggesting these anatomical features may have ecological value by reducing the risk of desiccation stress. However, this remains to be tested in the field. PMID:23071795

Potentiometric surfaces of aquifers in the Cockfield Formation in southeastern Arkansas and the Wilcox Group in southern and northeastern Arkansas, 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schrader, Tony P.; Joseph, Robert L.

2000-01-01

The Cockfield and lower Wilcox aquifers are sources of water for local use in southern and northeastern Arkansas, where in 1995 more than 51 million gallons per day of water was withdrawn. During January through April 2000, 54 water-level measurements were made in wells completed in the Cockfield aquifer, 13 water-level measurements were made in wells completed in the lower Wilcox aquifer in southern Arkansas, and 43 water-level measurements were made in wells completed in the lower Wilcox aquifer in northeastern Arkansas. The potentiometric surface data reveal spatial trends in both aquifers across the study areas. The regional direction of ground-water flow of the Cockfield aquifer is generally toward the east and south, away from the outcrop area, except in areas of intense ground-water withdrawals. The configuration of the potentiometric surface indicates that heavy pumpage has probably altered or reversed the natural direction of flow in these areas. A potentiometric low caused by the pumpage near Greenville, Mississippi, extends into Chicot, Desha, and Drew Counties. Water levels in five wells showed average declines between 0.5 and 0.8 foot per year. The regional direction of ground-water flow in the lower Wilcox aquifers is generally east and south, away from the outcrop, except in areas of intense ground-water withdrawals. Potentiometric depressions, where flow is toward centers of pumping, indicate that heavy pumpage has probably altered or reversed the natural direction of flow. Two potentiometric depressions are centered in the vicinity of Paragould and West Memphis, Arkansas, where ground-water withdrawals probably have altered the natural direction of flow. Long-term hydrographs of seven wells show water-level declines in the lower Wilcox aquifer in northeastern Arkansas. The average water-level decline in two wells was between 0.8 and 1.0 foot per year and in five wells was between 1.2 and 1.8 foot per year.

Fabrication and icing property of superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic aluminum surfaces derived from anodizing aluminum foil in a sodium chloride aqueous solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Meirong; Liu, Yuru; Cui, Shumin; Liu, Long; Yang, Min

2013-10-01

An aluminum foil with a rough surface was first prepared by anodic treatment in a neutral aqueous solution with the help of pitting corrosion of chlorides. First, the hydrophobic Al surface (contact angle around 79°) became superhydrophilic (contact angle smaller than 5°) after the anodizing process. Secondly, the superhydrophilic Al surface became superhydrophobic (contact angle larger than 150°) after being modified by oleic acid. Finally, the icing property of superhydrophilic, untreated, and superhydrophobic Al foils were investigated in a refrigerated cabinet at -12 °C. The mean total times to freeze a water droplet (6 μL) on the three foils were 17 s, 158 s and 1604 s, respectively. Thus, the superhydrophilic surface accelerates the icing process, while the superhydrophobic surface delays the process. The main reason for this transition might mainly result from the difference of the contact area of the water droplet with Al substrate: the increase in contact area with Al substrate will accelerate the heat conduct process, as well as the icing process; the decrease in contact area with Al substrate will delay the heat conduct process, as well as the icing process. Compared to the untreated Al foil, the contact area of the water droplet with the Al substrate was higher on superhydrophilic surface and smaller on the superhydrophobic surface, which led to the difference of the heat transfer time as well as the icing time.

Surface Forces Apparatus Measurements of Interactions between Rough and Reactive Calcite Surfaces.

PubMed

Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Bratvold, Jon E; Nilsen, Ola; Røyne, Anja

2018-06-26

nm-Range forces acting between calcite surfaces in water affect macroscopic properties of carbonate rocks and calcite-based granular materials and are significantly influenced by calcite surface recrystallization. We suggest that the repulsive mechanical effects related to nm-scale surface recrystallization of calcite in water could be partially responsible for the observed decrease of cohesion in calcitic rocks saturated with water. Using the surface forces apparatus, we simultaneously followed the calcite reactivity and measured the forces in water in two surface configurations: between two rough calcite surfaces (CC) and between rough calcite and a smooth mica surface (CM). We used nm-scale rough, polycrystalline calcite films prepared by atomic layer deposition. We measured only repulsive forces in CC in CaCO 3 -saturated water, which was related to roughness and possibly to repulsive hydration effects. Adhesive or repulsive forces were measured in CM in CaCO 3 -saturated water depending on calcite roughness, and the adhesion was likely enhanced by electrostatic effects. The pull-off adhesive force in CM became stronger with time, and this increase was correlated with a decrease of roughness at contacts, the parameter which could be estimated from the measured force-distance curves. That suggested a progressive increase of real contact areas between the surfaces, caused by gradual pressure-driven deformation of calcite surface asperities during repeated loading-unloading cycles. Reactivity of calcite was affected by mass transport across nm- to μm-thick gaps between the surfaces. Major roughening was observed only for the smoothest calcite films, where gaps between two opposing surfaces were nm-thick over μm-sized areas and led to force of crystallization that could overcome confining pressures of the order of MPa. Any substantial roughening of calcite caused a significant increase of the repulsive mechanical force contribution.

Development of an evaporation-optimized and water-permeable pavement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starke, P.; Göbel, P.; Coldewey, W. G.

2009-04-01

During recent decades, urban areas have been threatened more frequently by flood events. Furthermore, the potential for damage from these events has increased on average. The construction of houses, streets and parking lots has caused this trend by sealing the ground surface, i.e. these water-impermeable areas reduce the natural infiltration and evaporation-rates, and in some cases it is even completely stopped. The consequence is the so called "urban water cycle". Water from precipitation cannot be stored anywhere and so there is an immediate and very high surface run-off effect. Especially after intense rain events, canalisations and sewage-treatment plants are overloaded and this leads to higher costs for water treatment and to environmental damage. A practical solution to this problem is the use of water-permeable pavements. Here higher infiltration rates lead to a groundwater recharge that is greater than that of natural soils. The consequences from using these surfaces are already noticeable in many places through increasing groundwater levels. These increases cause damage to buildings. A second difference from a natural-soil water-balance is a lower evapotranspiration rate. Up to now the evaporation rates for water-permeable pavements has not been established accurately. The aim of the applied research project at the University of Muenster, which is sponsored by the DBU (The German Federal Environmental Foundation), is to gain knowledge of urban evaporation rates and of water-permeable surfaces, especially water-permeable pavements. Water-permeable pavements consist of the paving stone surface and the two sub-base layers below. Pre-investigations show that evaporation can be influenced by the complete sub-base. Therefore, the first step was to investigate which materials are used for sub-base construction. All in all, 27 materials were collected from throughout Germany and these materials were then tested (in terms of physical and hydraulic attributes) in the soil-mechanics laboratory of the University of Muenster. For their street construction useability, and having regard to evaporation, a selection of appropriate materials were built into a test field. The test field consisted of seven hexagonal areas each about 10 m2 large, which are placed in a honeycomb manner. The evaporation measurements are carried out with a WERNER tunnel-evaporation gauge (TUV) which is able to detect the actual evaporation rate. Its functional principle also allows a direct comparison between the middle reference area and one outer area of the test field. Every measuring period lasts one week and after that the TUV is moved to between the next outer area and the reference area. So the TUV rotates over the whole test field and every measuring area is covered by a measurement. In addition, a Hellman rain-gauge near the test field enables the measurement of a direct precipitation-evaporation ratio. Since the start of the measurements in July 2008, the first results collected showed that measureable differences in evaporation rates could be detected after a few measuring periods, i.e. the differences are up to 32% between the reference area and one outer area. In July 2009, the six outer measuring areas of the test field will be replaced and, based on the actual results collected, the sub-base layers will be replaced by an evaporation-optimized sub-base. The new outer measuring areas will only differ in terms of a different paving-stone surface. These paving stones are actually under developement and under laboratory testing (i.e. permeability, porosity, capillary water and evaporationrates), and so they will be evaporation-opimized. The open-air test in the test field is to assure and compare the evaporation rates. As a final result, the evaporation-optimized and water-permeable pavement and the knowledge of its exact drainage ratio will allow city planners or architects to build water-permeable streets with due regard to the respective area-specific conditions. This new developed pavement is an approximation to the water balance of a natural soil. In this way, the danger of flooding can be further reduced in urban areas.

A simulation-optimization model for effective water resources management in the coastal zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spanoudaki, Katerina; Kampanis, Nikolaos

2015-04-01

Coastal areas are the most densely-populated areas in the world. Consequently water demand is high, posing great pressure on fresh water resources. Climatic change and its direct impacts on meteorological variables (e.g. precipitation) and indirect impact on sea level rise, as well as anthropogenic pressures (e.g. groundwater abstraction), are strong drivers causing groundwater salinisation and subsequently affecting coastal wetlands salinity with adverse effects on the corresponding ecosystems. Coastal zones are a difficult hydrologic environment to represent with a mathematical model due to the large number of contributing hydrologic processes and variable-density flow conditions. Simulation of sea level rise and tidal effects on aquifer salinisation and accurate prediction of interactions between coastal waters, groundwater and neighbouring wetlands requires the use of integrated surface water-groundwater mathematical models. In the past few decades several computer codes have been developed to simulate coupled surface and groundwater flow. However, most integrated surface water-groundwater models are based on the assumption of constant fluid density and therefore their applicability to coastal regions is questionable. Thus, most of the existing codes are not well-suited to represent surface water-groundwater interactions in coastal areas. To this end, the 3D integrated surface water-groundwater model IRENE (Spanoudaki et al., 2009; Spanoudaki, 2010) has been modified in order to simulate surface water-groundwater flow and salinity interactions in the coastal zone. IRENE, in its original form, couples the 3D shallow water equations to the equations describing 3D saturated groundwater flow of constant density. A semi-implicit finite difference scheme is used to solve the surface water flow equations, while a fully implicit finite difference scheme is used for the groundwater equations. Pollution interactions are simulated by coupling the advection-diffusion equation describing the fate and transport of contaminants introduced in a 3D turbulent flow field to the partial differential equation describing the fate and transport of contaminants in 3D transient groundwater flow systems. The model has been further developed to include the effects of density variations on surface water and groundwater flow, while the already built-in solute transport capabilities are used to simulate salinity interactions. The refined model is based on the finite volume method using a cell-centred structured grid, providing thus flexibility and accuracy in simulating irregular boundary geometries. For addressing water resources management problems, simulation models are usually externally coupled with optimisation-based management models. However this usually requires a very large number of iterations between the optimisation and simulation models in order to obtain the optimal management solution. As an alternative approach, for improved computational efficiency, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is trained as an approximate simulator of IRENE. The trained ANN is then linked to a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based optimisation model for managing salinisation problems in the coastal zone. The linked simulation-optimisation model is applied to a hypothetical study area for performance evaluation. Acknowledgement The work presented in this paper has been funded by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY), Fellowships of Excellence for Postdoctoral Studies (Siemens Program), 'A simulation-optimization model for assessing the best practices for the protection of surface water and groundwater in the coastal zone', (2013 - 2015). References Spanoudaki, K., Stamou, A.I. and Nanou-Giannarou, A. (2009). Development and verification of a 3-D integrated surface water-groundwater model. Journal of Hydrology, 375 (3-4), 410-427. Spanoudaki, K. (2010). Integrated numerical modelling of surface water groundwater systems (in Greek). Ph.D. Thesis, National Technical University of Athens, Greece.

Strong Control of Salts on Near Surface Liquid Water Content in a High Polar Desert Indicated by Near Surface Resistivity Mapping with a Helicopter-Borne TEM Sensor, Lower Taylor Valley, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foley, N.; Tulaczyk, S. M.; Auken, E.; Mikucki, J.; Myers, K. F.; Dugan, H.; Doran, P. T.; Virginia, R. A.

2016-12-01

Closed depressions in the Lower Taylor Valley (McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica) have near surface (top 5m) electrical resistivity that is lower by about an order of magnitude than the resistivity of nearby slopes and ridges (100s of ohm-m vs. 1000s). We interpret this spatial pattern as being due to long term concentration of salts carried by liquid water and/or deliquescent vapor fronts. High concentration of salts in the top decimeters to meters beneath the surface may prolong the existence and abundance of liquid water in this otherwise very cold and dry high polar desert. Due to its connections with life and chemical transport, liquid water is a much studied feature in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. This setting can be used as an analogue for similar features on the surface of Mars, where liquid water tracks have been observed and are believed to be controlled by eutectic brines. Our study demonstrates the utility of mapping at a regional scale via helicopter-borne Transient EM. Airborne EM covers more ground and can measure deeper than surface-based measurements, at the expense of resolution. This allows creating valley-scale datasets which could not feasibly be collected on the ground. Our remote measurements complement physical samples that indicate that soluble salts concentrate in certain areas of surface soil where water moves ions and is later removed by evaporation or sublimation. In areas where we measured low resistivity, the integrated liquid water fraction in the top 5m may be a few to several percent by volume, equivalent to a few or several dozens of cm of water layer thickness. This estimate assumes that the interstitial waters have very low resistivity, comparable to seawater or hypersaline brines at freezing (0.2-0.35 ohm-m). If soil water was considerably fresher than this, liquid water content would have to reach dozens of percent throughout the top 5m for bulk resistivities to drop to 100s of ohm-m. We consider the latter case to be unlikely as the thermally defined active layer in this region with mean annual temperature close to -20C and short summer season is as thin as dozens of cm. The areas with high near-surface resistivities have either a comparable fraction of water but with much higher resistivity or have briny interstitial water at much lower volume concentrations (<1% in top 5m). We favor the former explanation. Closed depressions in the Lake Fryxell basin (McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica) have near surface (top 5m) electrical resistivity that is lower by almost an order of magnitude than nearby slopes and ridges. We interpret this spatial pattern as being due to long term concentration of salts carried by liquid water and deliquescent vapor fronts. Highly hygroscopic salts may prolong the existence and abundance of liquid water in the near surface in this otherwise very cold and dry high polar desert. In areas with low measured resistivity, the liquid water fraction in the top 5m may be a few percent by volume. Due to its connections with life and chemical transport, liquid water is a much studied feature in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. This setting can be used as an analogue for similar features on the surface of Mars, where liquid water tracks have been observed and are believed to be controlled by eutectic brines. Our study demonstrates the utility of mapping at a regional scale via helicopter-borne Time Domain EM. Airborne EM covers more ground and can measure deeper than surface-based measurements, at the expense of resolution. This allows creating valley-scale datasets which could not feasibly be collected on the ground. Our remote measurements complement physical samples that indicate that soluble salts concentrate in certain areas of surface soil where water moves ions and is later removed by evaporation or sublimation.

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Kolob, Alton, and Kaiparowits Plateau coal fields, south-central Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plantz, Gerald G.

1985-01-01

The study area in south-central Utah (fig. 1) is noted for its large coal reserves in the Alton, Kolob, and Kaiparowits Plateau coal fields. The area also is noted for its scenic beauty and general scarcity of water. Although there has been very little development of the coal resources through 1983, there is a potential for large-scale development with both surface- and underground-mining methods. Mining of coal could have significant effects on the quantity and quality of the water resources. The purpose of this atlas is to define the surface- and ground-water resources of the area and to identify the potential effects on these resources by coal mining.

Ground displacements caused by aquifer-system water-level variations observed using interferometric synthetic aperture radar near Albuquerque, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heywood, Charles E.; Galloway, Devin L.; Stork, Sylvia V.

2002-01-01

Six synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images were processed to form five unwrapped interferometric (InSAR) images of the greater metropolitan area in the Albuquerque Basin. Most interference patterns in the images were caused by range displacements resulting from changes in land-surface elevation. Loci of land- surface elevation changes correlate with changes in aquifer-system water levels and largely result from the elastic response of the aquifer-system skeletal material to changes in pore-fluid pressure. The magnitude of the observed land-surface subsidence and rebound suggests that aquifer-system deformation resulting from ground-water withdrawals in the Albuquerque area has probably remained in the elastic (recoverable) range from July 1993 through September 1999. Evidence of inelastic (permanent) land subsidence in the Rio Rancho area exists, but its relation to compaction of the aquifer system is inconclusive because of insufficient water-level data. Patterns of elastic deformation in both Albuquerque and Rio Rancho suggest that intrabasin faults impede ground- water-pressure diffusion at seasonal time scales and that these faults are probably important in controlling patterns of regional ground-water flow.

ESTCP Cost and Performance Report (ER-200742) Open Burn/Open Detonation (OBOD) Area Management Using Lime for Explosives Transformation and Metals Immobilization

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

vertical transport of water on the APG OD area. ............................................................... 33  Table 5. Runoff water and leachate ...untreated control soil (study average). There was an insignificant change in leachate pH from Day 1 to Day 9 showing that, while the increase was...explosives from OB/OD area soils have occurred through horizontal transport in surface water and vertical leachate water transport. These pathways

Identification of Suitable Water Harvesting Zones Based on Geomorphic Resources for Drought Areas: A Case Study of Una District, Himachal Pradesh, India.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakasam, D. C., Jr.; Zaman, B.

2014-12-01

Water is one of the most vital natural resource and its availability and quality determine ecosystem productivity, both for agricultural and natural systems. Una district is one of the major potential agricultural districts in Himachal Pradesh, India. More than 70% of the population of this district is engaged in agriculture and allied sectors and major crops grown are maize, wheat, rice, sugarcane, pulses and vegetables. The region faces drought every year and about 90 per cent of the area is water stressed. This has resulted in crop loss and shortage of food and fodder. The sources of drinking water, small ponds and bowlies dry-up during summer season resulting in scarcity of drinking water. Una district receives rainfall during monsoons from June to September and also during non-monsoon period (winter). The annual average rainfall in the area is about 1040 mm with 55 average rainy days. But due to heavy surface run-off the farmers not able to cultivate the crops more than once in a year. Past research indicate that the geomorphology of the Una district might be responsible for such droughts as it controls the surface as well as ground water resources. The research proposes to develop a water stress model for Una district using the geomorphic parameters, water resource and land use land cover data of the study area. Using Survey of India topographical maps (1:50000), the geomorphic parameters are extracted. The spatial layers of these parameters i.e. drainage density, slope, relative relief, ruggedness index, surface water body's frequency are created in GIS. A time series of normalized remotely sensed data of the study area is used for land use land cover classification and analyses. Based on the results from the water stress model, the drought/water stress areas and water harvesting zones are identified and documented. The results of this research will help the general population in resolving the drinking water problem to a certain extent and also the cultivators to water the crops more than twice per year which might increase the crop yield in Una district.

Map showing flood and surface water information in the Sugar House quadrangle, Salt Lake County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Horn, Richard; Fields, F.K.

1974-01-01

In the past man has built on land that might be covered by floodwaters, with little consideration of the consequences. The result has been disastrous to those in the path of floodwaters and has cost the loss of thousands of lives and untold billions of dollars in property damage in the United States. Salt Lake County, of which the Sugar House quadrangle is a part, has had many floods in the past and can be expected to have more in the future. Construction has taken place in filled or dried-up marshes and lakes, in spring areas, and even in stream channels. Lack of prior knowledge of these and other forms of surface water (water at the surface of the ground) can increase construction and maintenance costs significantly.The map shows the area that probably will be covered by floods at least once in every 100 years on the long-term average (unit IRF, intermediate regional flood), the area that probably will be covered by floods from the worst possible combination of very wet weather and high streamflow reasonably expected of the area (unit SPF, standard project flood), the mapped extent of streamflow by channel shifting or flooding in the past 5,000 years (unit fa), and the probable maximum extent of damaging flash floods and mudflows from small valleys in the Wasatch Range. The map also shows the location of water at the surface of the ground: lakes, streams, springs, weep holes, canals, and reservoirs. Lakes and marshes that existed within the past 100 years, but now are drained, filled, or dried up, are also shown.The following examples show that the presence of water can be desirable or undesirable, depending on how the water occurs. Floods, the most spectacular form of surface water, may result in great property damage and loss of life. Lakes normally are beneficial, in that they may support plant growth and provide habitats for fish and other wildlife, provide water for livestock, and can be used for recreation. Springs may or may not be desirable: they may provide a source of water for domestic or stock use but are undesirable if they appear in a foundation excavation for a building. Thus, the location of areas that may be affected by floods and other surface water is important to people concerned with land-use planning, zoning, and legislation, and with the environment in which we must live.

Investigation on large-area fabrication of vivid shark skin with superior surface functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huawei; Zhang, Xin; Ma, Lingxi; Che, Da; Zhang, Deyuan; Sudarshan, T. S.

2014-10-01

Shark skin has attracted worldwide attention because of its superior drag reduction, antifouling performance induced from its unique surface morphology. Although the vivid shark skin has been fabricated by a bio-replicated micro-imprinting approach in previous studies and superior drag reduction effect has been validated in water tunnel, continuous large-area fabrication is still an obstacle to wide apply. In this paper, one novel bio-replication coating technology is proposed for large-area transfer of shark skin based on rapid UV curable paint. Apart from design of coating system, bio-replication accuracy of surface morphology was validated about 97% by comparison between shark skin template and coating surface morphology. Finally, the drag reduction and anti-fouling function of coating surface were tested in water tunnel and open algae pond respectively. Drag reduction rate of coating surface was validated about 12% higher and anti-fouling was proved to about hundred times ameliorate, all of which are more excellent than simple 2D riblet surface.

Ground-water resources of the Ainsworth unit, Cherry and Brown Counties, Nebraska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cronin, James G.; Newport, Thomas G.; Krieger, R.A.

1956-01-01

The Ainsworth unit, so named by the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, is in north-central Nebraska and is in the drainage basin of the Niobrara River. It is an area of about 1,000 square miles in the east-central part of Cherry County and northern part of Brown County. The east-west length of the area is about 60 miles and the width ranges from 9 to 21 miles. About 80 percent of the area consists of grass-covered sandhills; the remainder is the Ainsworth tableland, which is flat to gently rolling farmland between Plum and Long Pine Creeks in the eastern part of the area. The average annual precipitation is about 23 inches. Although most of the C).ops are raised by dry-farming methods, some farmland is irrigated with water pumped from wells. The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation has proposed to irrigate much of the Ainsworth tableland with surface water to be stored in a reservoir on the Snake River at the west border of the Ainsworth unit. The rocks exposed in the Ainsworth unit range in age from Tertiary (Pliocene) to Quaternary (Recent). The Ogallala formation of Pliocene age is exposed along the lower part of the Snake River valley and underlies the entire Ainsworth unit. It is composed of silt, sand, and gravel, and contains layers of sandstone and conglomerate, much of which is cross bedded and cemented with lime; coarser sediments generally are more prominent in the lower part. Overlying the Ogallala formation are deposits of Pleistocene age consisting in part of layers of saturated sand and gravel which are the most important sources of ground water in the Ainsworth unit. Throughout most of the area the ground water is under watertable conditions, but locally it is confined by lenses of clay or silty clay. Some wells tap only the sand and gravel of Pleistocene age, some tap both the deposits of Pleistocene age and the underlying Ogallala formation, and some tap only the Ogallala formation; no wells are known to extend into rocks older than the Ogallala. Dune sand mantles the deposits of Pleistocene age in about 80 percent of the Ainsworth unit and a thin deposit of loess covers the surface elsewhere. Terrace deposits border the flood plain of the principal streams, and alluvium underlies the flood plain of most of the stream valleys in the area. Precipitation and underflow from the southwest are the principal sources of the ground water in the Ainsworth unit. As most of the precipitation in the sandhills evaporates, is utilized by growing plants, or penetrates to the zone of saturation, the overland runoff from this part of the area is small. In the vicinity of Ainsworth a minor amount of recharge probably is derived from the return of irrigation water pumped from wells. Where the water table is near the surface in the valleys of the sandhills, ground water is discharged directly from the zone of saturation to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration; and, as the surface of the lakes in the sandhills area is an extension of the water table, evaporation from the lake surface also constitutes ground-water discharge. In addition, ground water is discharged by the streams that are incised below the water table and by subsurface outflow. The yield of wells accounts for only a small part of the discharge of ground water from the area. In the Ainsworth unit the water table slopes northeastward from the region of favorable recharge, the sandhills, toward the Niobrara River and its principal tributaries. The average gradient of the water table is about 10 feet per mile. In the sandhills the water table is at or near the surface in the valleys and as much as 100 feet, or a little more, beneath the higher sandhills. In the vicinity of Ainsworth the water level in wells ranges from less than 1 foot to about 40 feet below the land surface, but nearer the Niobrara River and close to its deeply entrenched tributaries the depth to the water table is as much as, or a little more than, 200 feet. The coefficient of transmissibility of the gr

The relationship between epicuticular long-chained hydrocarbons and surface area - volume ratios in insects (Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera)

PubMed Central

Brückner, Adrian; Heethoff, Michael; Blüthgen, Nico

2017-01-01

Long-chain cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are common components of the epicuticle of terrestrial arthropods. CHC serve as a protective barrier against environmental influences but also act as semiochemicals in animal communication. Regarding the latter aspect, species- or intra-functional group specific CHCs composition and variation are relatively well studied. However, comparative knowledge about the relationship of CHC quantity and their relation to surface area—volume ratios in the context of water loss and protection is fragmentary. Hence, we aim to study the taxon-specific relationship of the CHC amount and surface-area to volume ratio related to their functional role (e.g. in water loss). We focused on flower visiting insects and analyzed the CHC amounts of three insect orders (Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera) using gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We included 113 species from two grassland plots, quantified their CHCs, and measured their body mass and surface area. We found differences in the surface area, CHCs per body mass and the CHC density (= amount of CHCs per surface area) across the three insect taxa. Especially the Hymenoptera had a higher CHC density compared to Diptera and Lepidoptera. CHC density could be explained by surface area-volume ratios in Hymenoptera but not in Diptera and Lepidoptera. Unexpectedly, CHC density decreased with increasing surface area—volume ratios. PMID:28384308

Ground-water-level monitoring, basin boundaries, and potentiometric surfaces of the aquifer system at Edwards Air Force Base, California, 1992

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rewis, D.L.

1995-01-01

A ground-water-level monitoring program was implemented at Edwards Air Force Base, California, from January through December 1992 to monitor spatial and temporal changes in poten-tiometric surfaces that largely are affected by ground-water pumping. Potentiometric-surface maps are needed to determine the correlation between declining ground- water levels and the distribution of land subsidence. The monitoring program focused on areas of the base where pumping has occurred, especially near Rogers Lake, and involved three phases of data collection: (1) well canvassing and selection, (2) geodetic surveys, and (3) monthly ground-water-level measurements. Construction and historical water- level data were compiled for 118 wells and pi-ezometers on or near the base, and monthly ground-water-level measurements were made in 82 wells and piezometers on the base. The compiled water-level data were used in conjunction with previously collected geologic data to identify three types of no-flow boundaries in the aquifer system: structural boundaries, a principal-aquifer boundary, and ground-water divides. Heads were computed from ground-water-level measurements and land-surface altitudes and then were used to map seasonal potentiometric surfaces for the principal and deep aquifers underlying the base. Pumping has created a regional depression in the potentiometric surface of the deep aquifer in the South Track, South Base, and Branch Park well-field area. A 15-foot decline in the potentiometric surface from April to September 1992 and 20- to 30-foot drawdowns in the three production wells in the South Track well field caused locally unconfined conditions in the deep aquifer.

Reconnaissance of surface-water and ground-water quality at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial near Lincoln City, Indiana, 2001-02

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buszka, Paul M.; Fowler, Kathleen K.

2005-01-01

In cooperation with the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey investigated water quality of key water bodies at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial near Lincoln City in southwestern Indiana. The key water bodies were a stock pond, representing possible nonpoint agricultural effects on water quality; an ephemeral stream, representing the water quality of drainage from forested areas of the park; parking-lot runoff, representing water quality related to roads and parking lots; an unnamed ditch below the parking lot, representing the water quality of drainage from the parking lot and from an adjacent railroad track; and Lincoln Spring, a historical ground-water source representing ground-water conditions near a former diesel-fuel-spill site along a rail line. Water samples were analyzed for pH, temperature, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen and for concentrations of selected major ions and trace metals, nutrients, organic constituents, and Escherichia coli bacteria. Surface-water-quality data of water samples from the park represent baseline conditions for the area in relation to the data available from previous studies of area streams. Specific-conductance values and concentrations of most major ions and various nutrients in surface-water samples from the park were smaller than those reported for samples collected in other USGS studies in areas adjacent to the park. Water-quality-management issues identified by this investigation include potentially impaired water quality from parking-lot runoff, unknown effects on surface-water quality from adjacent railroads, and the potential impairment of water quality in Lincoln Spring from human influences. Parking-lot runoff is a source of calcium, alkalinity, iron, lead, and organic carbon in the water samples from the unnamed ditch. Detection of small concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in water from Lincoln Spring could indicate residual contamination from a 1995 diesel-fuel spill and cleanup. The concentration of nitrite plus nitrate in water from Lincoln Spring was 16.5 milligrams per liter as nitrogen, greater than the State of Indiana standard for nitrate in drinking water (10 milligrams per liter as nitrogen). Lead concentrations in samples from the stock pond, parking-lot runoff, and the unnamed ditch exceeded the Indiana chronic aquatic criteria.

Use of the Nitrogen Index to assess nitrate leaching and water drainage from plastic-mulched horticultural cropping systems of Florida

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Water quality in Florida is significantly impacted by nitrogen (N) losses from agriculture in a large part of the state, where there is a close interaction between surface water and groundwater that has a high water table. Horticultural crops are planted across large areas of Florida, including area...

Geologic setting and water quality of selected basins in the active coal-mining areas of Ohio, 1987-88

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sedam, A.C.

1991-01-01

This report presents hydrologic data from selected drainage basins in the active coal-mining areas of Ohio from July 1987 through October 1988. The study area is mostly within the unglaciated part of eastern Ohio along the western edge of the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province. The 1987-88 work is the second phase of a 7-year study to assess baseline water quality in Ohio's coal region. The data collection network consisted of 41 long-term surface-water sites in 21 basins. The sites were measured and sampled twice yearly at low flow. In addition, six individual basins (three each year) selected for a more detailed representation of surface-water and ground-water quality. In 1987, the Sandy Creek, Middle Tuscarawas River and Sugar Creek, and Lower Tuscarawas River basins were chosen. In 1988, the Short and Wheeling Creeks, Upper Wills Creek, and Upper Raccoon Creek basins were chosen. Because of their proximity to the glaciated region and outwash drainage, the basins studied intensively in 1987 contain more shallow productive aquifers than do the basins studied in detail for 1988, in which shallow ground-water sources are very localized. Chemical analyses for 202 surface-water and 24 ground-water samples are presented. For field measurements made at surface-water sites, the specific conductance ranged from 295 to 3150 ? S/cm (microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius). For pH, the range was 2.8 to 8.6. Alkalinity ranged from 5 to 305 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as CaCO3.

Potentiometric Surface of the Aquia Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Wheeler, Judith C.

2001-01-01

This report presents a map showing the potentiometric surface of the Aquia aquifer in the Aquia Formation of Paleocene age in Southern Maryland during September 1999. The map is based on water-level measurements in 85 wells. The potentiometric surface was above sea level near the northern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in a topographically high area of Anne Arundel County, and was below sea level in the remainder of the study area. The hydraulic gradient was directed southeastward toward an extensive cone of depression around well fields at Lexington Park and Solomons Island. Ground-water levels were more than 80 feet below sea level in a 100-square-mile area surrounding the deepest part of the cone of depression. A cone of depression formed in northern Calvert County due to pumpage at Chesapeake Beach and North Beach. The water level has declined to 43 feet below sea level in this area. The lowest measurement was 164 feet below sea level in a well near the center of the cone of depression at Lexington Park.

30 CFR 785.19 - Surface coal mining and reclamation operations on areas or adjacent to areas including alluvial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., rate and frequency of rainfall and runoff, surface roughness, slope and vegetative cover, infiltration... the function of storing water, such as permeability, infiltration, porosity, depth and direction of...

30 CFR 785.19 - Surface coal mining and reclamation operations on areas or adjacent to areas including alluvial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., rate and frequency of rainfall and runoff, surface roughness, slope and vegetative cover, infiltration... the function of storing water, such as permeability, infiltration, porosity, depth and direction of...

30 CFR 785.19 - Surface coal mining and reclamation operations on areas or adjacent to areas including alluvial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., rate and frequency of rainfall and runoff, surface roughness, slope and vegetative cover, infiltration... the function of storing water, such as permeability, infiltration, porosity, depth and direction of...

30 CFR 785.19 - Surface coal mining and reclamation operations on areas or adjacent to areas including alluvial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., rate and frequency of rainfall and runoff, surface roughness, slope and vegetative cover, infiltration... the function of storing water, such as permeability, infiltration, porosity, depth and direction of...

30 CFR 785.19 - Surface coal mining and reclamation operations on areas or adjacent to areas including alluvial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., rate and frequency of rainfall and runoff, surface roughness, slope and vegetative cover, infiltration... the function of storing water, such as permeability, infiltration, porosity, depth and direction of...

Uranium content of ground and surface waters in western Kansas, eastern Colorado, and the Oklahoma Panhande

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landis, E.R.

1956-01-01

and in some parts of the report area, such as the Cimarron River area of westernmost Oklahoma and northeastern New Mexico, and the Rule Creek area in Bent and Las Animas Counties, Colo. , most, or all, of the water samples collected contain relatively large amounts of uranium. Further exploration to determine the source of the uranium in the water from these rock units and areas may be worthwhile.

Geology and ground water in Door County, Wisconsin, with emphasis on contamination potential in the Silurian dolomite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherrill, Marvin G.

1977-01-01

Door County, a recreational and fruit-growing area bordering Lake Michigan in northeastern Wisconsin, has had a long history of ground-water contamination from surface and near-surface sources. Contamination is most severe in late summer when fruit-canning operations and the influx of tourists create additional wastes. Silurian dolomite is the upper bedrock unit in the county and yields generally adequate supplies of very hard water with locally objectionable concentrations of iron and nitrate. Thin soil cover and well-fractured dolomitic bedrock give easy entry to ground-water contaminants throughout large parts of Door County. Many contaminants enter the dolomite by surface or near-surface seepage. There is little attenuation of contamination concentrations in the well-jointed dolomite, and contaminants may travel long distances underground in a relatively short time. The major source of ground-water contamination is bacteria, from individual waste-disposal systems, agricultural, industrial, and municipal wastes. Areas of the county underlain by contaminated zones include only a small percentage of the total ground-water system and are separated by large volumes of ground water free of contamination. (Woodard-USGS)

An evolutionary attractor model for sapwood cross section in relation to leaf area.

PubMed

Westoby, Mark; Cornwell, William K; Falster, Daniel S

2012-06-21

Sapwood cross-sectional area per unit leaf area (SA:LA) is an influential trait that plants coordinate with physical environment and with other traits. We develop theory for SA:LA and also for root surface area per leaf area (RA:LA) on the premise that plants maximizing the surplus of revenue over costs should have competitive advantage. SA:LA is predicted to increase in water-relations environments that reduce photosynthetic revenue, including low soil water potential, high water vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and low atmospheric CO(2). Because sapwood has costs, SA:LA adjustment does not completely offset difficult water relations. Where sapwood costs are large, as in tall plants, optimal SA:LA may actually decline with (say) high VPD. Large soil-to-root resistance caps the benefits that can be obtained from increasing SA:LA. Where a plant can adjust water-absorbing surface area of root per leaf area (RA:LA) as well as SA:LA, optimal RA:SA is not affected by VPD, CO(2) or plant height. If selection favours increased height more so than increased revenue-minus-cost, then height is predicted to rise substantially under improved water-relations environments such as high-CO(2) atmospheres. Evolutionary-attractor theory for SA:LA and RA:LA complements models that take whole-plant conductivity per leaf area as a parameter. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of hourly variations in coastal water turbidity using the geostationary ocean color imager (GOCI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, J.; Ryu, J.

2011-12-01

Temporal variations of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in coastal water are the key to understanding the pattern of sediment movement within coastal area, in particular, such as in the west coast of the Korean Peninsula which is influenced by semi-diurnal tides. Remote sensing techniques can effectively monitor the distribution and dynamic changes in seawater properties across wide areas. Thus, SSC on the sea surface has been investigated using various types of satellite-based sensors. An advantage of Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), the world's first geostationary ocean color observation satellite, over other ocean color satellite images is that it can obtain data every hour during the day and makes it possible to monitor the ocean in real time. In this study, hourly variations in turbidity on the coastal waters were estimated quantitatively using GOCI. Thirty three water samples were obtained on the coastal water surface in southern Gyeonggi Bay, located on the west coast of Korea. Water samples were filtered using 25-mm glass fiber filters (GF/F) for the estimation of SSC. The radiometric characteristics of the surface water, such as the total water-leaving radiance (LwT, W/m2/nm/sr), the sky radiance (Lsky, W/m2/nm/sr) and the downwelling irradiance, were also measured at each sampling location. In situ optical properties of the surface water were converted into remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) and then were used to develop an algorithm to generate SSC images in the study area. GOCI images acquired on the same day as the samples acquisition were used to generate the map of turbidity and to estimate the difference in SSC displayed in each image. The estimation of the time-series variation in SSC in a coastal, shallow-water area affected by tides was successfully achieved using GOCI data that had been acquired at hourly intervals during the daytime.

Relationship between specific surface area and the dry end of the water retention curve for soils with varying clay and organic carbon contents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resurreccion, Augustus C.; Moldrup, Per; Tuller, Markus; Ferré, T. P. A.; Kawamoto, Ken; Komatsu, Toshiko; de Jonge, Lis Wollesen

2011-06-01

Accurate description of the soil water retention curve (SWRC) at low water contents is important for simulating water dynamics and biochemical vadose zone processes in arid environments. Soil water retention data corresponding to matric potentials of less than -10 MPa, where adsorptive forces dominate over capillary forces, have also been used to estimate soil specific surface area (SA). In the present study, the dry end of the SWRC was measured with a chilled-mirror dew point psychrometer for 41 Danish soils covering a wide range of clay (CL) and organic carbon (OC) contents. The 41 soils were classified into four groups on the basis of the Dexter number (n = CL/OC), and the Tuller-Or (TO) general scaling model describing water film thickness at a given matric potential (<-10 MPa) was evaluated. The SA estimated from the dry end of the SWRC (SA_SWRC) was in good agreement with the SA measured with ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (SA_EGME) only for organic soils with n > 10. A strong correlation between the ratio of the two surface area estimates and the Dexter number was observed and applied as an additional scaling function in the TO model to rescale the soil water retention curve at low water contents. However, the TO model still overestimated water film thickness at potentials approaching ovendry condition (about -800 MPa). The semi-log linear Campbell-Shiozawa-Rossi-Nimmo (CSRN) model showed better fits for all investigated soils from -10 to -800 MPa and yielded high correlations with CL and SA. It is therefore recommended to apply the empirical CSRN model for predicting the dry part of the water retention curve (-10 to -800 MPa) from measured soil texture or surface area. Further research should aim to modify the more physically based TO model to obtain better descriptions of the SWRC in the very dry range (-300 to -800 MPa).

Mechanism of Urban Water Dissipation: A Case Study in Xiamen Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, J.; Liu, J.; Wang, Z.

2017-12-01

Urbanization have resulted in increasing water supply and water dissipation from water uses in urban areas, but traditional hydrological models usually ignores the dissipation from social water cycle. In order to comprehensively calculate the water vapor flux of urban natural - social binary water cycle, this study advanced the concept of urban water dissipation (UWD) to describe all form water transfer from liquid to gas in urban area. UWD units were divided according to the water consumption characteristics of the underlying surface, and experimental methods of investigation, statistics, observation and measurement were used to study the water dissipation of different units, determine the corresponding calculation method, and establish the UWD calculation model. Taking Xiamen Island as an example, the city's water dissipation in 2016 was calculated to be 850 mm and verified by water balance. The results showed that the contributions of water dissipation from the green land, building, hardened ground and water surface. The results means that water dissipation inside buildings was one main component of the total UWD. The proportion of water vapor fluxes exceeds the natural water cycle in the urban area. Social water cycle is the main part of the city's water cycle, and also the hot and focus of urban hydrology research in the future.

Potentiometric map of the Gordo Aquifer in northeastern Mississippi, September, October, and November 1978

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wasson, B.E.

1979-01-01

This potentiometric map of the Gordo aquifer in northeastern Mississippi is the second in a series of maps, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Land and Water Resources, delineating the potentiometric surfaces of the major aquifers in Mississippi. The potentiometric surface of the Gordo aquifer slopes generally to the west away from the outcrop area and it is depressed generally by large ground-water withdrawals in the Tupelo and Columbus areas. Historically, water levels in or near the outcrop of the Gordo aquifer have shown little or no long-term changes. Heavy withdrawals from the downdip area have caused long-term water-level declines of 1 to 2 feet per year in much of the confined part of the aquifer. Water-level decline in one observation well in Tupelo has averaged about 5 feet per year since 1966. (USGS)

Two-dimensional simulation of the June 11, 2010, flood of the Little Missouri River at Albert Pike Recreational Area, Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wagner, Daniel M.

2013-01-01

In the early morning hours of June 11, 2010, substantial flooding occurred at Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest of west-central Arkansas, killing 20 campers. The U.S. Forest Service needed information concerning the extent and depth of flood inundation, the water velocity, and flow paths throughout Albert Pike Recreation Area for the flood and for streamflows corresponding to annual exceedence probabilities of 1 and 2 percent. The two-dimensional flow model Fst2DH, part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Finite Element Surface-water Modeling System, and the graphical user interface Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) were used to perform a steady-state simulation of the flood in a 1.5-mile reach of the Little Missouri River at Albert Pike Recreation Area. Peak streamflows of the Little Missouri River and tributary Brier Creek served as inputs to the simulation, which was calibrated to the surveyed elevations of high-water marks left by the flood and then used to predict flooding that would result from streamflows corresponding to annual exceedence probabilities of 1 and 2 percent. The simulated extent of the June 11, 2010, flood matched the observed extent of flooding at Albert Pike Recreation Area. The mean depth of inundation in the camp areas was 8.5 feet in Area D, 7.4 feet in Area C, 3.8 feet in Areas A, B, and the Day Use Area, and 12.5 feet in Lowry’s Camp Albert Pike. The mean water velocity was 7.2 feet per second in Area D, 7.6 feet per second in Area C, 7.2 feet per second in Areas A, B, and the Day Use Area, and 7.6 feet per second in Lowry’s Camp Albert Pike. A sensitivity analysis indicated that varying the streamflow of the Little Missouri River had the greatest effect on simulated water-surface elevation, while varying the streamflow of tributary Brier Creek had the least effect. Simulated water-surface elevations were lower than those modeled by the U.S. Forest Service using the standard-step method, but the comparison between the two was favorable with a mean absolute difference of 0.58 feet in Area C and 0.32 feet in Area D. Results of a HEC-RAS model of the Little Missouri River watershed upstream from the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station near Langley showed no difference in mean depth in the areas in common between the models, and a difference in mean velocity of only 0.5 foot per second. Predictions of flooding that would result from streamflows corresponding to annual exceedence probabilities of 1 and 2 percent indicated that the extent of inundation of the June 11, 2010, flood exceeded that of the 1 percent flood, and that for both the 1 and 2 percent floods, all of Areas C and D, and parts of Areas A, B, and the Day Use Area were inundated. Predicted water-surface elevations for the 1 and 2 percent floods were approximately 1 foot lower than those predicted by the U.S. Forest Service using a standard-step model.

Suitability Evaluation on River Bank Filtration of the Second Songhua River, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lixue; Ye, Xueyan; Du, Xinqiang

2016-04-01

The Second Songhua River is the biggest river with the most economic value in Jilin Province, China. In recent years, with the rapid development of economy, water resources and water environment problem is getting prominent, including surface water pollution and over exploitation of groundwater resources, etc. By means of bank filtration, the Second Songhua River basin might realize the combined utilization of regional groundwater and surface water, and thus has important significance for the guarantee of water demand for industrial and agricultural production planning in the basin. The following steps were adopted to evaluate the suitability of bank filtration nearby the Scond Songhua River : Firstly, in order to focus on the most possible area, the evaluation area was divided based on the aspects of natural geographical conditions and hydraulic connection extent between river water and groundwater. Second, the main suitability indexes including water quantity, water quality, interaction intensity between surface water and groundwater, and the exploitation condition of groundwater resource, and nine sub-indexes including hydraulic conductivity, aquifer thickness, river runoff, the status of groundwater quality, the status of surface water quality, groundwater hydraulic gradient, possible influence zone width of surface water under the condition of groundwater exploitation, permeability of riverbed layer and groundwater depth were proposed to establish an evaluation index system for the suitability of river bank filtration. Thirdly, Combined with the natural geography, geology and hydrogeology conditions of the Second Songhua River basin, the ArcGIS technology is used to complete the evaluation of the various indicators. According to the weighted sum of each index, the suitability of river bank filtration in the study area is divided into five grades. The evaluation index system and evaluation method established in this article are applicable to the Second Songhua River basin, which have clear pertinence and limitation. For future generalization of the evaluation index system, the specific evaluation index and its scoring criteria should be modified appropriately based on local conditions.

Helicopter Electromagnetic and Magnetic Geophysical Survey Data, Oakland, Ashland, and Firth Study Areas, Eastern Nebraska, March 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Bruce D.; Abraham, Jared D.; Cannia, James C.; Steele, Gregory V.; Hill, Patricia L.

2008-01-01

This report is a digital data release for a helicopter electromagnetic and magnetic survey that was conducted during March 2007 in three 93-square-kilometer (36-square-mile) areas of eastern Nebraska as part of a joint State of Nebraska and U.S. Geological Survey study. The objective of the survey is to improve the understanding of the relationship between surface-water and ground-water systems critical to developing water resource management programs. The electromagnetic equipment consisted of six different coil-pair orientations that measured electrical resistivity at separate frequencies from about 400 hertz to about 115,000 hertz. The electromagnetic data were converted to electrical resistivity geo-referenced grids and maps, each representing different approximate depths of investigation for each area. The range of subsurface investigation is comparable to the depth of shallow aquifers. The three areas selected for the study, Ashland, Firth, and Oakland, have glacial terrains and bedrock that typify different hydrogeologic settings for surface water and ground water in eastern Nebraska. The geophysical and hydrologic information from U.S. Geological Survey studies are being used by resource managers to develop ground-water resource plans for the area.

Climatic data for the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, North Dakota 1982

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sturrock, A.M.; Hanson, B.A.; Scarborough, J.L.; Winter, T.C.

1986-01-01

Research on the hydrology of the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, North Dakota, includes study of evaporation. Presented here are those climatic data needed for energy-budget and mass-transfer evaporation studies, including: water-surface temperature, sediment temperature dry-bulb and wet-bulb air temperatures, vapor pressure at and above the water surface, wind speed, and short- and long-wave radiation. Data were collected at raft and land stations.

Climatic data for the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, North Dakota, 1983

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sturrock, A.M.; Hanson, B.A.; Scarborough, J.L.; Winter, T.C.

1987-01-01

Research on the hydrology of the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, North Dakota, includes study of evaporation. Climatic data needed for energy-budget and mass-transfer evaporation studies that were collected during 1983 include water-surface temperature, sediment temperature, dry-bulb and wet-bulb air temperature, vapor pressure at and above the water surface, wind speed, and short-and long-wave radiation. Data are collected at raft and land stations. (USGS)

Potentiometric surface map of the Magothy aquifer in southern Maryland, September, 2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Wheeler, Judith C.

2005-01-01

This report presents a map showing the potentiometric surface of the Magothy aquifer in the Magothy Formation of Upper Cretaceous age in Southern Maryland during September 2002. The map is based on water-level measurements in 79 wells. The highest measured water level was 83 feet above sea level near the northern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in the north-central part of Anne Arundel County. The potentiometric surface declined towards the south and east. Local gradients were directed toward the centers of two cones of depression that developed in response to pumping. These cones of depression were centered around well fields in the Waldorf area and at the Chalk Point power plant. Measured ground-water levels were as low as 81 feet below sea level in the Waldorf area and 75 feet below sea level at Chalk Point.

Potentiometric Surface of the Magothy Aquifer in Southern Maryland, September 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Wheeler, Judith C.

2003-01-01

This report presents a map showing the potentiometric surface of the Magothy aquifer in the Magothy Formation of Upper Cretaceous age in Southern Maryland during September 2002. The map is based on water-level measurements in 79 wells. The highest measured water level was 83 feet above sea level near the northern boundary and outcrop area of the aquifer in the north-central part of Anne Arundel County. The potentiometric surface declined towards the south and east. Local gradients were directed toward the centers of two cones of depression that developed in response to pumping. These cones of depression were centered around well fields in the Waldorf area and at the Chalk Point power plant. Measured ground-water levels were as low as 81 feet below sea level in the Waldorf area and 75 feet below sea level at Chalk Point.

Depth estimation for ordinary high water of streams in the Mobile District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alabama and adjacent states

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harkins, Joe R.; Green, Mark E.

1981-01-01

Drainage areas for about 1,600 surface-water sites on streams and lakes in Florida are contained in this report. The sites are generally either U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations or the mouths of gaged streas. Each site is identified by latitude and longitude, by the general stream type, and by the U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute topographic map on which it can be located. The gaging stations are furhter identified by a downstream order number, a county code, and a nearby city or town. In addition to drainage areas, the surface areas of lakes are shown for the elevation given on the topographic map. These data were retrieved from the Surface Water Index developed and maintained by the Hydrologic Surveillance section of the Florida District Office, U.S. Geological Survey. (USGS)

Determination of the amount of physical adsorption of water vapour on platinum-iridium surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizushima, S.; Ueda, K.; Ooiwa, A.; Fujii, K.

2015-08-01

This paper presents the measurement of the physical adsorption of water vapour on platinum-iridium surfaces using a vacuum mass comparator. This value is of importance for redefining the kilogram, which will be realized under vacuum in the near future. Mirror-polished artefacts, consisting of a reference artefact and a test artefact, were manufactured for this experiment. The surface area difference between the reference and test artefacts was 226.2 cm2. This surface area difference was approximately 3.2 times the geometric surface area of the prototype of the kilogram made of platinum-iridium (71.7 cm2). The measurement results indicate that the amount of physical adsorption at a relative humidity of 50% is 0.0129 μg cm{{-}2} , with a standard uncertainty of 0.0016 μg cm{{-}2} . This value is 0.03 to 0.16 times that observed in other studies.

Fog-basking behaviour and water collection efficiency in Namib Desert Darkling beetles

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background In the Namib Desert fog represents an alternative water source. This is utilised by Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) that employ different strategies for obtaining the fog water. Some dig trenches in the sand, while others use their own bodies as fog collectors assuming a characteristic fog-basking stance. Two beetle species from the genus Onymacris have been observed to fog-bask on the ridges of the sand dunes. These beetles all have smooth elytra surfaces, while another species with elytra covered in bumps is reported to have specialised adaptations facilitating water capture by fog-basking. To resolve if these other beetles also fog-bask, and if an elytra covered in bumps is a more efficient fog water collector than a smooth one, we examined four Namib Desert beetles; the smooth Onymacris unguicularis and O. laeviceps and the bumpy Stenocara gracilipes and Physasterna cribripes. Here we describe the beetles' fog-basking behaviour, the details of their elytra structures, and determine how efficient their dorsal surface areas are at harvesting water from fog. Results The beetles differ greatly in size. The largest P. cribripes has a dorsal surface area that is 1.39, 1.56, and 2.52 times larger than O. unguicularis, O. laeviceps, and S. gracilipes, respectively. In accordance with earlier reports, we found that the second largest O. unguicularis is the only one of the four beetles that assumes the head standing fog-basking behaviour, and that fog is necessary to trigger this behaviour. No differences were seen in the absolute amounts of fog water collected on the dorsal surface areas of the different beetles. However, data corrected according to the sizes of the beetles revealed differences. The better fog water harvesters were S. gracilipes and O. unguicularis while the large P. cribripes was the poorest. Examination of the elytra microstructures showed clear structural differences, but the elytra of all beetles were found to be completely hydrophobic. Conclusions The differences in fog water harvesting efficiency by the dorsal surface areas of beetles with very different elytra surface structures were minor. We therefore conclude that the fog-basking behaviour itself is a more important factor than structural adaptations when O. unguicularis collect water from fog. PMID:20637085

Changing spatial patterns of evapotranspiration and deep drainage in response to the interactions among impervious surface arrangement, soil characteristics, and weather on a residential parcel.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voter, C. B.; Steven, L. I.

2015-12-01

The introduction impervious surfaces in urban areas is a key driver of hydrologic change. It is now well understood that the amount of "effective" impervious area directly connected to the storm sewer network is a better indicator of hydrologic behavior than the total amount of impervious area. Most studies in urban hydrology have focused on the relationship between impervious connectivity and stormwater runoff or other surface water flows, with the result that the effect on subsurface flow is not as well understood. In the field, we observe differences in soil moisture availability that are dependent on proximity to impervious features and significant from a root water uptake perspective, which indicates that parcel-scale subsurface and plant water fluxes may also be sensitive to fine-scaled heterogeneity in impervious surface arrangement and connectivity. We use ParFlow with CLM, a watershed model with fully integrated variably-saturated subsurface flow, overland flow, and land-surface processes, to explore the extent to which soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and deep drainage vary under various impervious surface arrangement and soil condition scenarios, as well as under a range of precipitation regimes. We investigate the effect of several impervious surface and soil characteristics, including general lot layout, downspout disconnect, and direction of driveway/sidewalk slope, and soil compaction. We show that that some impervious connectivity schemes transfer more water from impervious areas to pervious ones and promote localized recharge by developing well-defined, fast-moving wetting fronts that are able to penetrate the root zone. Enhanced infiltration is translated more directly to recharge in normal to wet years but partitioned more often to transpiration in dry years, leading to a nonlinear relationship among precipitation, runoff and recharge.

Water resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salomonson, V. V.; Rango, A.

1973-01-01

The application of ERTS-1 imagery to the conservation and control of water resources is discussed. The effects of exisiting geology and land use in the water shed area on the hydrologic cycle and the general characteristics of runoff are described. The effects of floods, snowcover, and glaciers are analyzed. The use of ERTS-1 imagery to map surface water and wetland areas to provide rapid inventorying over large regions of water bodies is reported.

Quantifying root water extraction after drought recovery using sub-mm in situ empirical data

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

Dhiman, Indu; Bilheux, Hassina Z.; DeCarlo, Keito F.

Root-specific responses to stress are not well-known, and have been largely based on indirect measurements of bulk soil water extraction, which limits mechanistic modeling of root function. Here, we used neutron radiography to examine in situ root-soil water dynamics of a previously droughted black cottonwood ( Populus trichocarpa) seedling, contrasting water uptake by younger, thinner or older, thicker parts of the fine root system. The smaller diameter roots had greater water uptake capacity per unit surface area than the larger diameter roots, but they had less total surface area leading to less total water extraction; rates ranged from 0.0027 –more » 0.0116 g cm -2 hr -1. The finest most-active roots were not visible in the radiographs, indicating the need to include destructive sampling. Analysis based on bulk soil hydraulic properties indicated substantial redistribution of water via saturated/unsaturated flow, capillary wicking, and root hydraulic redistribution across the layers - suggesting water uptake dynamics following an infiltration event may be more complex than approximated by common soil hydraulic or root surface area modeling approaches. Lastly, our results highlight the need for continued exploration of root-trait specific water uptake rates in situ, and impacts of roots on soil hydraulic properties – both critical components for mechanistic modeling of root function.« less

Quantifying root water extraction after drought recovery using sub-mm in situ empirical data

DOE PAGES

Dhiman, Indu; Bilheux, Hassina Z.; DeCarlo, Keito F.; ...

2017-09-09

Root-specific responses to stress are not well-known, and have been largely based on indirect measurements of bulk soil water extraction, which limits mechanistic modeling of root function. Here, we used neutron radiography to examine in situ root-soil water dynamics of a previously droughted black cottonwood ( Populus trichocarpa) seedling, contrasting water uptake by younger, thinner or older, thicker parts of the fine root system. The smaller diameter roots had greater water uptake capacity per unit surface area than the larger diameter roots, but they had less total surface area leading to less total water extraction; rates ranged from 0.0027 –more » 0.0116 g cm -2 hr -1. The finest most-active roots were not visible in the radiographs, indicating the need to include destructive sampling. Analysis based on bulk soil hydraulic properties indicated substantial redistribution of water via saturated/unsaturated flow, capillary wicking, and root hydraulic redistribution across the layers - suggesting water uptake dynamics following an infiltration event may be more complex than approximated by common soil hydraulic or root surface area modeling approaches. Lastly, our results highlight the need for continued exploration of root-trait specific water uptake rates in situ, and impacts of roots on soil hydraulic properties – both critical components for mechanistic modeling of root function.« less

Using satellite-based estimates of evapotranspiration and groundwater changes to determine anthropogenic water fluxes in land surface models

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irrigation is a widely used water management practice that is often poorly parameterized in land surface and climate models. Previous studies have addressed this issue via use of irrigation area, applied water inventory data, or soil moisture content. These approaches have a variety of drawbacks i...

[Hydrochemistry and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Stable Isotope of Shibing Dolomite Karst Area in Guizhou Province].

PubMed

Xiao, Shi-zhen; Lan, Jia-cheng; Yuan, Dao-xian; Wang, Yun; Yang, Long; Ao, Xiang-hong

2015-06-01

Totally 49 water samples were collected in Shibing Dolomite Karst World Natural Heritage Site in Guizhou Province to analyze the characteristics and controlling factors of both the surface and underground waters, as well as the features and their origins of the dissolved inorganic carbon isotope. It was found that the pH of the study area was neutral to alkaline with low concentrations of total dissolved solids. The cations were dominated by Ca2+, Mg2 and anions by HCO3-, featured by HCO3-Ca x Mg type water. The ratios of Cl-, NO3- and SO4(2-) in the allogenic water from the shale area in the northern catchment were higher than those in autogenic water from the dolomite karst area, so did the concentration of Si. The SIc and SId of the allogenic waters in the shale area were negative. After the waters entered into and flew by the dolomite karst area, both the SIc and SId increased to over 0. It could be told by the water chemistry that the hydrochemistry was little impacted by the rainfall and human activities. The Gibbs plot revealed that the chemical composition of the waters was mainly controlled by rock weathering. The δ(13)C(DIC) of the surface waters ranged from -8.27% to -11.55% per hundred, averaging -9.45% per hundredo, while that of the underground waters ranged from -10.57% per hundred to -15.59% per hundred, averaging -12.04% per hundred, which was lighter than that of surface water. For the distribution features, it was found the δ(13)C(DIC), of the upper reaches of branches of Shangmuhe River was lighter than that of the lower reach, while that of the main river Shangmuhe River was relatively complex. Based on the mass balance of stable isotopes and the δ(13)C(DIC), the ratio of the origin of DIC of the ground water was calculated. It was found that 51.2% was from soil CO2, and 48.8% was from the rock itself.

Geology and ground-water resources of the Rawlins area, Carbon County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berry, Delmar W.

1960-01-01

The Rawlins area in west-central Carbon County, south-central Wyoming includes approximately 634 square miles of plains and valleys grading into relatively rugged uplifts. The climate is characterized by low precipitation, rapid evaporation, and a wide range of temperature. Railroading and ranching are the principal occupations in the area. The exposed rocks in the area range in age from Precambrian through Recent. The older formations are exposed in the uplifted parts, the oldest being exposed along the apex of the Rawlins uplift. The formations dip sharply away from the anticlines and other uplifts and occur in the subsurface throughout the remainder of the area. The Cambrian rocks (undifferentiated), Madison limestone, Tensleep sandstone, Sun dance formation, Cloverly formation, Frontier formation, and Miocene and Pliocene rocks (undifferentiated) yield water to domestic and stock wells in the area. In the vicinity of the Rawlins uplift, the rocks of Cambrian age, Madison limestone, and Tensleep sandstone yield water to a few public-supply wells. The Cloverly formation yields water to public-supply wells in the Miller Hill and Sage Creek basin area. Wells that tap the Madison limestone, Tensleep sandstone, and Cloverly formation yield water under sufficient artesian pressure to flow at the land surface. The Browns Park formation yields water to springs that supply most of the Rawlins city water and supply water for domestic and stock use. Included on the geologic map are location of wells and test wells, depths to water below land surface, and location of springs. Depths to water range from zero in the unconsolidated deposits along the valley of Sugar Creek at the southern end of the Rawlins uplift to as much as 129 feet below the land surface in the Tertiary sedimentary rocks along the Continental Divide in the southern part of the area. The aquifers are recharged principally by precipitation that falls upon the area, by percolation from streams and ponds, and by movement of ground water from adjacent areas. Water is discharged from the ground-water reservoir by evaporation and transpiration, by seeps and springs, through wells, and by underflow out of the area. Although most water supplies in the area are obtained from springs, some domestic, stock, and public supplies are obtained from drilled wells, many yielding water under artesian pressure, and some flowing. Dissolved solids in the water from several geologic sources, ranging from 181 to 6,660 parts per million (ppm), indicate the varied chemical quality of ground water in the Rawlins area. Water from the Cambrian rocks, Tensleep sandstone, Cloverly formation, Frontier formation, Browns Park formation, and Miocene and Pliocene rocks is generally suitable for domestic and stock use. However, water yielded to the only well sampled in the lower part of the Frontier formation contained a high concentration of fluoride. Water from the rocks mentioned above contains less than 1,000 ppm of dissolved solids but in some places may contain iron in troublesome amounts. Water from the Madison limestone and Tensleep sandstone combined, Permian rocks, and Sundance formation contains more than 1,000 ppm of dissolved solids. Water in the Sundance, Cloverly, and Frontier :formations is very soft. More ground water can be obtained in the Rawlins area than is now being used. Many springs are undeveloped, and water can be obtained from additional wells without unduly lowering ground-water levels.

Subterranean termite open-air foraging and tolerance to desiccation: Comparative water relation of two sympatric Macrotermes spp. (Blattodea: Termitidae).

PubMed

Hu, Jian; Neoh, Kok-Boon; Appel, Arthur G; Lee, Chow-Yang

2012-02-01

The foraging patterns of termites are strongly related to physiological limits in overcoming desiccation stress. In this study, we examined moisture preferences and physiological characteristics of Macrotermes carbonarius (Hagen) and M. gilvus (Hagen) as both exhibit conspicuous patterns of foraging activity. Despite both species showing no significant differences in calculated cuticular permeability, and percentage of total body water, they differed greatly in rate of water loss and surface area to volume ratio. For example, M. carbonarius which had a lower surface area to volume ratio (29.26-53.66) showed lower rate of water loss and percentage of total body water loss. This also resulted in higher LT(50) when exposed to extreme conditions (≈2% RH). However, contrasting observations were made in M. gilvus that has smaller size with higher surface area to volume ratio of 40.28-69.75. It is likely that the standard equation for calculating insect surface areas is inadequate for these termite species. The trend was further supported by the result of a moisture preference bioassay that indicated M. carbonarius had a broader range of moisture preference (between 5% and 20%) than M. gilvus which had a relatively narrow moisture preference (only 20%). These results explain why M. carbonarius can tolerate desiccation stress for a longer period foraging above-ground in the open air; while M. gilvus only forages below ground or concealed within foraging mud tubes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential effects of groundwater and surface water contamination in an urban area, Qus City, Upper Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdalla, Fathy; Khalil, Ramadan

2018-05-01

The potential effects of anthropogenic activities, in particular, unsafe sewage disposal practices, on shallow groundwater in an unconfined aquifer and on surface water were evaluated within an urban area by the use of hydrogeological, hydrochemical, and bacteriological analyses. Physicochemical and bacteriological data was obtained from forty-five sampling points based on33 groundwater samples from variable depths and 12 surface water samples. The pollution sources are related to raw sewage and wastewater discharges, agricultural runoff, and wastewater from the nearby Paper Factory. Out of the 33 groundwater samples studied, 17 had significant concentrations of NO3-, Cl- and SO42-, and high bacteria counts. Most of the water samples from the wells contained high Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cr. The majority of surface water samples presented high NO3- concentrations and high bacteria counts. A scatter plot of HCO3- versus Ca indicates that 58% of the surface water samples fall within the extreme contamination zone, while the others are within the mixing zone; whereas 94% of groundwater samples showed evidence of mixing between groundwater and wastewater. The bacteriological assessment showed that all measured surface and groundwater samples contained Escherichia coli and total coliform bacteria. A risk map delineated four classes of contamination, namely, those sampling points with high (39.3%), moderate (36.3%), low (13.3%), and very low (11.1%) levels of contamination. Most of the highest pollution points were in the middle part of the urban area, which suffers from unmanaged sewage and industrial effluents. Overall, the results demonstrate that surface and groundwater in Qus City are at high risk of contamination by wastewater since the water table is shallow and there is a lack of a formal sanitation network infrastructure. The product risk map is a useful tool for prioritizing zones that require immediate mitigation and monitoring.

Lakes and lake-like waters of the Hawaiian Archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maciolek, J.A.

1982-01-01

This summary of Hawaiian lacustrine limnology is based on 12 years of field and literature surveys of archipelagic inland waters. Lakes here are distinguished from other standing waters by limits on surface oceanic area (> 0.1 ha) and depth (> 2 m), and by the absence of flatural surface oceanic connection. A variety of extinct and existing water bodies, sometimes referred to as lakes, are noted. Six lakes are described. Five of them are in crater basins, 3 are freshwater, and 2 are elevated (highest = 3969 m). The scarcity of elevated lakes results from general permeability of the substrata. Among the 6 lakes, surface areas range from 0.22 to 88 ha and maximum depths from 3 to 248 m. Naturally occurring aquatic biota generally is low in species diversity except for phytoplankton; fishes and submersed vascular plants are absent. Two lowland lakes, freshwater Green (Wai a Pele) and saline Kauhak6, are described for the first time. Profundal Kauhak6, 248 m deep, has a surface area of only 0.35 ha, which results in an extraordinary relative depth of 370%. It is permanently stratified, a condition apparently due primarily to the unique morphometry of its basin. 

Phthalate esters in water and surface sediments of the Pearl River Estuary: distribution, ecological, and human health risks.

PubMed

Li, Xiaohui; Yin, Pinghe; Zhao, Ling

2016-10-01

The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) is vulnerable due to the increasingly serious environmental pollution, such as phthalate esters (PAEs) contaminants, from the Pearl River Delta (PRD). The concentrations of six US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) priority PAEs in water and surface sediments collected from the PRD's six main estuaries in spring, summer, and winter 2013 were measured by GC-MS. Total PAEs (∑6PAEs) concentrations were from 0.5 to 28.1 μg/L and from 0.88 to 13.6 μg/g (dry weight (DW)) in water and surface sediments, respectively. The highest concentration was detected in summer. Higher concentrations of PAEs were found in Yamen (YM) and Humen (HM) areas than the other areas. Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were the dominant PAEs in the investigated areas, contributing between 61 and 95 % of the PAEs in water and from 85 to 98 % in surface sediments. Based on risk quotients (RQs), DEHP posed greater ecological risks to the studied aquatic environments than other measured compounds. Little human health risk from the target PAEs was identified.

Bayesian evidence for the prevalence of waterworlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, Fergus

2017-07-01

Should we expect most habitable planets to share the Earth's marbled appearance? For a planetary surface to boast extensive areas of both land and water, a delicate balance must be struck between the volume of water it retains and the capacity of its perturbations. These two quantities may show substantial variability across the full spectrum of water-bearing worlds. This would suggest that, barring strong feedback effects, most surfaces are heavily dominated by either water or land. Why is the Earth so finely poised? To address this question, we construct a simple model for the selection bias that would arise within an ensemble of surface conditions. Based on the Earth's ocean coverage of 71 per cent, we find substantial evidence (Bayes factor K ≃ 6) supporting the hypothesis that anthropic selection effects are at work. Furthermore, due to the Earth's proximity to the waterworld limit, this model predicts that most habitable planets are dominated by oceans spanning over 90 per cent of their surface area (95 per cent credible interval). This scenario, in which the Earth has a much greater land area than most habitable planets, is consistent with results from numerical simulations and could help explain the apparently low-mass transition in the mass-radius relation.

Dental caries, its surface susceptibility and dental fluorosis in South India.

PubMed

Acharya, Shashidhar

2005-12-01

To correlate water fluoride levels with dental caries and dental fluorosis in areas with different levels of fluoride in the drinking water and to establish the surface susceptibility of dental caries in an endemic fluoride area. 544 schoolchildren 12 to 15 years of age from the Davangere region of India were examined. The DMFS index was used to measure dental caries, which was further differentiated into smooth surface and pit and fissure lesions. Dean's index was used to diagnose dental fluorosis. Five villages with fluoride levels ranging from 0.43 ppm to 3.41 ppm were studied. There was a highly significant negative correlation (r = -0.16) between water fluoride levels and dental caries. Dental fluorosis increased from 16% at 0.43 ppm to 100% at 3.41 ppm. Pit and fissure lesions made up the vast majority of the lesions in all the villages and showed a decreasing trend with increasing fluoride levels, however no such trend was seen for smooth surface lesions. Water fluoride was an important factor responsible for the low caries prevalence. The prevalence of fluorosis and low caries even in low fluoride areas may point to a halo effect.

Geohydrologic reconnaissance of drainage wells in Florida; an interim report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kimrey, Joel O.; Fayard, Larry D.

1982-01-01

Drainage wells are used to inject surface waters directly into an aquifer, or shallow ground waters directly into a deeper aquifer, primarily by gravity. Such wells in Florida may be grouped into two broad types: (1) Surface-water injection wells, and (2) interaquifer connector wells. Surface-water injection wells are commonly used to supplement drainage for urban areas in karst terranes of central and north Florida. Data are available for 25 wells in the Ocala, Live Oak, and Orlando areas that allow comparison of the quality of water samples from these Floridan aquifer drainage wells with allowable contaminant levels. Comparison indicates that maximum contaminant levels for turbidity, color, and iron, manganese, and lead concentrations are equaled or exceeded in some drainage-well samples, and relatively high counts for coliform bacteria are present in most wells. Interaquifer connector wells are used in the phosphate mining areas of Polk and Hillsborough Counties, to drain mining operations and recharge the Floridan aquifer. Water-quality data available from 13 connector wells indicate that samples from most of these wells exceed standards values for iron concentration and turbidity. One well yielded a highly mineralized water, and samples from 6 of the other 12 wells exceed standards values for gross alpha concentrations. (USGS)

GC/MS analysis of pesticides in the Ferrara area (Italy) surface water: a chemometric study.

PubMed

Pasti, Luisa; Nava, Elisabetta; Morelli, Marco; Bignami, Silvia; Dondi, Francesco

2007-01-01

The development of a network to monitor surface waters is a critical element in the assessment, restoration and protection of water quality. In this study, concentrations of 42 pesticides--determined by GC-MS on samples from 11 points along the Ferrara area rivers--have been analyzed by chemometric tools. The data were collected over a three-year period (2002-2004). Principal component analysis of the detected pesticides was carried out in order to define the best spatial locations for the sampling points. The results obtained have been interpreted in view of agricultural land use. Time series data regarding pesticide contents in surface waters has been analyzed using the Autocorrelation function. This chemometric tool allows for seasonal trends and makes it possible to optimize sampling frequency in order to detect the effective maximum pesticide content.

MODFLOW-Based Coupled Surface Water Routing and Groundwater-Flow Simulation.

PubMed

Hughes, J D; Langevin, C D; White, J T

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a flexible approach for simulating one- and two-dimensional routing of surface water using a numerical surface water routing (SWR) code implicitly coupled to the groundwater-flow process in MODFLOW. Surface water routing in SWR can be simulated using a diffusive-wave approximation of the Saint-Venant equations and/or a simplified level-pool approach. SWR can account for surface water flow controlled by backwater conditions caused by small water-surface gradients or surface water control structures. A number of typical surface water control structures, such as culverts, weirs, and gates, can be represented, and it is possible to implement operational rules to manage surface water stages and streamflow. The nonlinear system of surface water flow equations formulated in SWR is solved by using Newton methods and direct or iterative solvers. SWR was tested by simulating the (1) Lal axisymmetric overland flow, (2) V-catchment, and (3) modified Pinder-Sauer problems. Simulated results for these problems compare well with other published results and indicate that SWR provides accurate results for surface water-only and coupled surface water/groundwater problems. Results for an application of SWR and MODFLOW to the Snapper Creek area of Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA are also presented and demonstrate the value of coupled surface water and groundwater simulation in managed, low-relief coastal settings. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Surface water areas significantly impacted 2014 dengue outbreaks in Guangzhou, China

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

Tian, Huaiyu; Huang, Shanqian

Dengue transmission in urban areas is strongly influenced by a range of biological and environmental factors, yet the key drivers still need further exploration. To better understand mechanisms of environment–mosquito–urban dengue transmission, we propose an empirical model parameterized and cross-validated from a unique dataset including viral gene sequences, vector dynamics and human dengue cases in Guangzhou, China, together with a 36-year urban environmental change maps investigated by spatiotemporal satellite image fusion. The dengue epidemics in Guangzhou are highly episodic and were not associated with annual rainfall over time. Our results indicate that urban environmental changes, especially variations in surface areamore » covered by water in urban areas, can substantially alter the virus population and dengue transmission. The recent severe dengue outbreaks in Guangzhou may be due to the surge in an artificial lake construction, which could increase infection force between vector (mainly Aedes albopictus) and host when urban water area significantly increased. Impacts of urban environmental change on dengue dynamics may not have been thoroughly investigated in the past studies and more work needs to be done to better understand the consequences of urbanization processes in our changing world. - Highlights: • Urban dengue outbreak is associated with water area in Guangzhou, 1978–2014. • Surface water area can alter population size of dengue virus in urban area. • Urban dengue outbreak is not associated with annual rainfall in Guangzhou. • Spatiotemporal satellite image fusion can investigate urban environmental change. • Urban environmental change could induce virus, vector, and dengue epidemic change.« less

Ground-water resources of the Clifton Park area, Saratoga County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heisig, Paul M.

2002-01-01

Ground water is the sole source of public water supply for Clifton Park, a growing suburban community north of Albany, New York. Increasing water demand, coupled with concerns over ground-water quantity and quality, led the Clifton Park Water Authority in 1995 to initiate a cooperative study with the U.S. Geological Survey to update and refine the understanding of ground-water resources in the area.Ground-water resources are largely associated with three aquifers in the eastern half of the area. These aquifers overlie or encompass the Colonie Channel, a north-south-oriented bedrock channel that is filled primarily with lacustrine glacial deposits. The three aquifers are: (1) an unconfined lacustrine sand aquifer, (2) the Colonie Channel aquifer, which is confined within the deepest parts of the channel and variably confined and unconfined within the shallower, peripheral channel areas, and (3) an unconfined alluvial aquifer beneath the Mohawk River flood plain, which represents the southern limit of the study area. The lacustrine sand aquifer has little potential for large-scale withdrawals because it is predominantly fine grained and is susceptible to contamination from human activities at land surface. Water from this aquifer can, however, recharge the underlying peripheral parts of the Colonie Channel aquifer where hydraulic connections are present. The Colonie Channel aquifer consists of thin sand and gravel and (or) shallow, fractured bedrock over much of the channel area; discontinuous deposits of thicker (more than 20 feet) sand and gravel are common in the peripheral channel areas. The deepest, or central, channel area of this aquifer is isolated from the overlying lacustrine sand aquifer by a continuous lacustrine silt and clay unit, which is the primary channel-fill deposit. The most productive areas of the Colonie Channel aquifer are typically the shallow peripheral areas, where conditions range from unconfined to confined. The most productive aquifer within the area is the alluvial aquifer, which is sustained to an unknown extent by induced infiltration of Mohawk River water.The chemical composition of ground water within the Clifton Park area varies widely in response to hydrogeologic setting, pumpage, and contamination from human activities. These chemical differences can be used to deduce ground-water flow paths within and between the unconfined and confined areas of the aquifer system. Six water types are defined; three are naturally occurring and three are the result of human activities.Precipitation that infiltrates the land surface is the sole source of recharge to the lacustrine sand aquifer; precipitation also recharges the alluvial aquifer and unconfined parts of the Colonie Channel aquifer. Ground-water withdrawals from confined or unconfined peripheral areas of the Colonie Channel aquifer induce flow from recharge areas, from the underlying bedrock, or from other confined aquifer areas.The rate of recharge to the confined central area of the Colonie Channel aquifer appears to be low. Potentiometric levels as much as 100 feet below water-table levels in the overlying lacustrine sand aquifer indicate two large depressions in the potentiometric surface; these depressions indicate that withdrawals from this aquifer have cumulatively exceeded the recharge rates. Localized recharge of the central channel area apparently occurs from two peripheral channel areas that are characterized by zones of elevated water levels and (or) by water chemistry that differs from those within the central channel area. Recharge from, or hydraulic connection with, adjoining segments of the Colonie Channel aquifer to the north and south is likely, but the potential for significant recharge is low because the aquifer is thin and poorly permeable.

Surface rearrangement of water-immersed hydrophobic solids by gaseous nanobubbles.

PubMed

Tarábková, Hana; Bastl, Zdeněk; Janda, Pavel

2014-12-09

Interactions of gaseous (ambient) nanobubbles (10-100 nm diameter) with different hydrophobic materials-Teflon, polystyrene, paraffin, and basal plane highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)-are studied by AFM in situ and ex situ. Exactly identical surface locations are examined before and after exposure to ambient gas nanobubbles in deionized water and compared for nanomorphological changes. While freely flooded/immersed surfaces, regularly occupied by nanobubbles, do not exhibit resolvable alterations, significant surface rearrangement is found on whole flooded area after mild pressure drop (10 kPa) applied on the solid-liquid interface. Nanopattern and its characteristic dimension appear to be material specific and solely reflect surface-nanobubble interaction. Mild, nonswelling, noncorrosive conditions (20 °C, deionized water) prevent intervention of chemical reaction and high-energy-demanding processes. Experimental results, in accordance with the presented model, indicate that the mild pressure drop triggers expansion of pinned nanobubbles, imposing local tensile stress on the solid surface. Consequently, nanobubbles should be considered as large-area nanoscale patterning elements.

Environmental Inventory and Analysis for Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Volume I. Pine Bluff Metropolitan Area, Arkansas Urban Water Management Study.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-10-03

surface water systems include bacteria which cause typhoid fever, gastro- intestinal disorders, diarrheal diseases, nausea, dehydration , and kidney...industrial activity, although natural seepage, runoff from residential areas and decomposition of aquatic organisms may also be contributors. Waters with...Study Area. The movement of pesticides, however, is complex and dependent upon biological and photo-degradation, chemical oxidation and hydrolysis

Suitability of artificial sweeteners as indicators of raw wastewater contamination in surface water and groundwater.

PubMed

Tran, Ngoc Han; Hu, Jiangyong; Li, Jinhua; Ong, Say Leong

2014-01-01

There is no quantitative data on the occurrence of artificial sweeteners in the aquatic environment in Southeast Asian countries, particularly no information on their suitability as indicators of raw wastewater contamination on surface water and groundwater. This study provided the first quantitative information on the occurrence of artificial sweeteners in raw wastewater, surface water and groundwater in the urban catchment area in Singapore. Acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharin, and sucralose were ubiquitous in raw wastewater samples at concentrations in the range of ng/L-μg/L, while other sweeteners were not found or found only in a few of the raw wastewater samples. Residential and commercial effluents were demonstrated to be the two main sources of artificial sweeteners entering the municipal sewer systems. Relatively higher concentrations of the detected sweeteners were frequently found in surface waters at the sampling sites located in the residential/commercial areas. No significant difference in the concentrations of the detected sweeteners in surface water or groundwater was noted between wet and dry weather conditions (unpaired T-test, p> 0.05). Relatively higher concentrations and detection frequencies of acesulfame, cyclamate and saccharin in surface water samples were observed at the potentially impacted sampling sites, while these sweeteners were absent in most of the background surface water samples. Similarly, acesulfame, cyclamate, and saccharin were found in most groundwater samples at the monitoring well (GW6), which is located close to known leaking sewer segment; whereas these were absent in the background monitoring well, which is located in the catchment with no known wastewater sources. Taken together, the results suggest that acesulfame, cyclamate, and saccharin can be used as potential indicators of raw wastewater contamination in surface water and groundwater. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geohydrology and susceptibility of major aquifers to surface contamination in Alabama, area 7

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mooty, W.S.

1987-01-01

The geohydrology and susceptibility of the seven major aquifers to surface contamination in Area 7 - Bibb, Dallas, Hale, Perry, and Wilcox Counties, are described. Aquifers in the northern part of the study area are in Paleozoic limestones and dolomite formations. Deposits in the central part of the study area are predominately of Cretaceous age and contain the Coker, Gordo, and Eutaw aquifers. Although the southern part of the study area has many deposits of Tertiary age, the Ripley Formation of Cretaceous age is the major aquifer. Contamination of any of the major aquifers is improbable because the majority of the recharge area for the primary aquifers is woodland, pasture, or farmland. Downdip from their outcrops, the major aquifers in the study area are protected from land surface contamination by relatively impermeable layers of clay and chalk. The aquifers that are highly susceptible to contamination are the ones in the limestone and dolomite formations in northern Bibb County. Sinkholes exist in the recharge area of these formations and could provide a direct link for contaminates from the land surface to the water table. An area northeast of the Selma well field is also highly susceptible to contamination. The Eutaw Formation in this area is overlain by alluvial deposits that could increase recharge to the aquifer by slowing the runoff rate of surface water. (USGS)

Water Detection Based on Object Reflections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rankin, Arturo L.; Matthies, Larry H.

2012-01-01

Water bodies are challenging terrain hazards for terrestrial unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for several reasons. Traversing through deep water bodies could cause costly damage to the electronics of UGVs. Additionally, a UGV that is either broken down due to water damage or becomes stuck in a water body during an autonomous operation will require rescue, potentially drawing critical resources away from the primary operation and increasing the operation cost. Thus, robust water detection is a critical perception requirement for UGV autonomous navigation. One of the properties useful for detecting still water bodies is that their surface acts as a horizontal mirror at high incidence angles. Still water bodies in wide-open areas can be detected by geometrically locating the exact pixels in the sky that are reflecting on candidate water pixels on the ground, predicting if ground pixels are water based on color similarity to the sky and local terrain features. But in cluttered areas where reflections of objects in the background dominate the appearance of the surface of still water bodies, detection based on sky reflections is of marginal value. Specifically, this software attempts to solve the problem of detecting still water bodies on cross-country terrain in cluttered areas at low cost.

Decoupling the Effects of High Crystallinity and Surface Area on the Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting over β-Ga2 O3 Nanoparticles by Chemical Vapor Synthesis.

PubMed

Lukic, Sasa; Menze, Jasper; Weide, Philipp; Busser, G Wilma; Winterer, Markus; Muhler, Martin

2017-09-11

Chemical vapor synthesis (CVS) is a unique method to prepare well-defined photocatalyst materials with both large specific surface area and a high degree of crystallinity. The obtained β-Ga 2 O 3 nanoparticles were optimized for photocatalysis by reductive photodeposition of the Rh/CrO x co-catalyst system. The influence of the degree of crystallinity and the specific surface area on photocatalytic aqueous methanol reforming and overall water splitting (OWS) was investigated by synthesizing β-Ga 2 O 3 samples in the temperature range from 1000 °C to 1500 °C. With increasing temperature, the specific surface area and the microstrain were found to decrease, whereas the degree of crystallinity and the crystallite size increased. Whereas the photocatalyst with the highest specific surface area showed the highest aqueous methanol reforming activity, the highest OWS activity was that for the sample with an optimum ratio between high degree of crystallinity and specific surface area. Thus, it was possible to show that the facile aqueous methanol reforming and the demanding OWS have different requirements for high photocatalytic activity. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Quantification of the hydrophobic interaction by simulations of the aggregation of small hydrophobic solutes in water

PubMed Central

Raschke, Tanya M.; Tsai, Jerry; Levitt, Michael

2001-01-01

The hydrophobic interaction, the tendency for nonpolar molecules to aggregate in solution, is a major driving force in biology. In a direct approach to the physical basis of the hydrophobic effect, nanosecond molecular dynamics simulations were performed on increasing numbers of hydrocarbon solute molecules in water-filled boxes of different sizes. The intermittent formation of solute clusters gives a free energy that is proportional to the loss in exposed molecular surface area with a constant of proportionality of 45 ± 6 cal/mol⋅Å2. The molecular surface area is the envelope of the solute cluster that is impenetrable by solvent and is somewhat smaller than the more traditional solvent-accessible surface area, which is the area transcribed by the radius of a solvent molecule rolled over the surface of the cluster. When we apply a factor relating molecular surface area to solvent-accessible surface area, we obtain 24 cal/mol⋅Å2. Ours is the first direct calculation, to our knowledge, of the hydrophobic interaction from molecular dynamics simulations; the excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with experiment proves that simple van der Waals interactions and atomic point-charge electrostatics account for the most important driving force in biology. PMID:11353861

Water resources of the Marquette Iron Range area, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiitala, Sulo Werner; Newport, Thomas Gwyn; Skinner, Earl L.

1967-01-01

Large quantities of water are needed in the beneficiation and pelletizing processes by which the ore mined from low-grade iron-formations is upgraded into an excellent raw material for the iron and steel industry. Extensive reserves of low-grade iron-formation available for development herald an intensification of the demands upon the area's water supplies. This study was designed to provide water facts for public and private agencies in planning orderly development and in guiding the management of the water resources to meet existing and new requirements. Inland lakes and streams are the best potential sources of water for immediate development. The natural flow available for 90 percent of the time in the Middle and East Branches of the Escanaba River, the Carp River, and the Michigamme River is about 190 cubic feet per second. Potential storage sites are identified, and their complete development could increase the available supply from the above streams to about 450 cubic feet per second. Outwash deposits are the best potential sources of ground water. Large supplies could be developed from extensive outwash deposits in the eastern part of the area adjacent to Goose Lake Outlet and the East Branch Escanaba River. Other areas of outwash occur in the vicinity of Humboldt, West Branch Creek, and along the stream valleys. Streamflow data were used to make rough approximations of the ground-water potential in some areas. In general, however, the available data were not sufficient to permit quantitative evaluation of the potential ground-water supplies. Chemical quality of the surface and ground waters of the area is generally acceptable for most uses. Suspended sediment in the form of mineral tailings in effluents from ore-processing plants is a potential problem. Existing plants use settling basins to effectively remove most of the suspended material. Available records indicate that suspended-sediment concentrations and loads in the receiving waters have not been significantly increased by these operations. Present water use is about 60 cubic feet per second in the area. Thus, available water supplies are believed to be adequate for existing and foreseeable new uses. Water management, rather than water availability, is of prime consideration in this area. Time distribution of available water supplies, distribution of water to points of use, effect of surface-water development upon ground water and vice versa, and possible conflicts with competing uses are some of the management problems that are discussed. The presence of many inland lakes, favorable storage sites on streams, and several promising acquifers provide flexibility in possible water-management operations. A discussion of the interrelationships between surface and ground water and a ground-water budget are presented to render a better understanding of the hydrologic system with which water management will be concerned.

Interaction between ground water and surface water in the northern Everglades and relation to water budget and mercury cycling; study methods and appendixes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harvey, Judson W.; Krupa, S.L.; Gefvert, C.J.; Choi, Jungyill; Mooney, R.H.; Giddings, J.B.

2000-01-01

The data presented in this report are products of an investigation that quantified interactions between ground water and surface water at several study sites in the northern Everglades. Goals included identifying the major geologic controls and human alterations that affect interactions between ground water and surface water, and determining how those interactions affect mercury contamination. The primary study area was the 3,815-acre Everglades Nutrient Removal (ENR), a wetland constructed in the early 1990s as a prototype Stormwater Treatment Area (STA), to determine the effectiveness in removing excess nutrients from agricultural drainage. In order to ensure that results from ENR are broadly informative, work was also conducted in Water Conservation Area-2A (WCA-2A), a 105,000-acre basin surrounded by levees. In the past 50 years, WCA-2A has experienced extensive re- engineering of water flow, alterations in the pattern of water-level fluctuations and timing of fire frequency, as well as substantial ecological changes. The most visible ecological alteration is the change in dominance over the past 30 years from a sawgrass wetland to cattail wetland in the northeastern part of WCA-2A. The drastic change in vegetation in WCA-2A resulted at least in part from inputs of excess phosphorus from agricultural drainage. Substantial data collection programs were already in progress in both ENR and WCA- 2A when the present work began. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) constructed the ENR project in 1994 to determine the effectiveness of constructed wetlands for water treatment. Measurements of surface water flow and water quality were made frequently in ENR between 1994 and 1998. Fewer ground water data were collected at ENR, and almost all of it was collected from shallow wells emplaced on perimeter levees. In contrast to the short-term nature of data collection in ENR, hydrologic and chemical data were collected over a much longer period in WCA-2A (since at least the mid- 1970s), but the number of sites and data- collection frequency is much less. Very little prior ground water data were available in WCA-2A. Given the availability of prior information, the present study emphasized the collection of ground water field data, particularly in the interior wetland areas of ENR and WCA- 2A. New wells were emplaced to permit the geologic, hydraulic, and chemical sampling that was needed to characterize interactions between surface water and ground water. In particular, lithology and hydraulic properties of the Surficial aquifer were determined, ground water flow paths and velocities were delineated, hydrologic fluxes between surface water and ground water were measured, and water budgets and surface- subsurface fluxes of mercury were determined. The purpose of this report is to compile under one cover all of the data collected in this investigation. In addition, the report contains a detailed description of the study methods and information about study sites, borehole drilling, well construction, seepage meter installation, and hydraulic and geochemical chemical sampling. Data interpretations are the subject of a companion report.

Potential effects of surface coal mining on the hydrology of the Corral Creek area, Hanging Woman Creek coal field, southeastern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

McClymonds, N.E.

1984-01-01

The Corral Creek area of the Hanging Woman Creek coal field, 9 miles east of the Decker coal mines near the Tongue River, contains large reserves of Federal coal that have been identified for potential lease sale. A hydrologic study was conducted in the area to describe existing hydrologic systems and to study assess potential impacts of surface coal mining on local water resources. Hydrogeologic data collected indicate that aquifers are coal and sandstone beds within the Tongue River Member of the Fort Union Formation (Paleocene age) and sand and gravel in valley alluvium (Pleistocene and Holocene age). Surface-water resources are limited to a few spring-fed stock ponds in the higher parts of the area and the intermittent flow of Corral Creek near the mouth. Most of the stock ponds in the area become dry by midsummer. Mining of the Anderson coal bed would remove three stock wells and would lower the potentiometric surface within the coal and sandstone aquifers. The alluvial aquifer beneath Corral Creek and South Fork would be removed. Although mining would alter the existing hydrologic systems and remove several shallow wells, alternative ground-water supplies are available that could be developed to replace those lost by mining. (USGS)

Comparison of water wash, trimming, and combined hot water and lactic acid treatments for reducing bacteria of fecal origin on beef carcasses.

PubMed

Castillo, A; Lucia, L M; Goodson, K J; Savell, J W; Acuff, G R

1998-07-01

Cleaning treatments, such as high-pressure water wash at 35 degrees C or trim, alone and combined with sanitizing treatments, such as hot water (95 degrees C at the source), warm (55 degrees C) 2% lactic acid spray, and combinations of these two sanitizing methods, were compared for their effectiveness in reducing inoculated numbers (5.0 to 6.0 log CFU/cm2) of Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, aerobic plate counts, Enterobacteriaceae, total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, and generic E. coli on hot beef carcass surface areas in a model carcass spray cabinet. Log reductions in numbers of all tested organisms by water wash or trim alone were significantly smaller than the log reductions obtained by the different combined treatments. Regardless of the cleaning treatment (water wash or trim) or surface area, the range for mean log reductions by hot water was from 4.0 to > 4.8 log CFU/cm2, by lactic acid spray was from 4.6 to > 4.9 log CFU/cm2, by hot water followed by lactic acid spray was from 4.5 to > 4.9 log CFU/cm2, and by lactic acid spray followed by hot water was from 4.4 to > 4.6 log CFU/cm2, for S. typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7. Identical reductions were obtained for thermotolerant coliforms and generic E. coli. No differences in bacterial reductions were observed for different carcass surface regions. Water wash and trim treatments caused spreading of the contamination to other areas of the carcass surface while providing an overall reduction in fecal or pathogenic contamination on carcass surface areas. This relocated contamination after either water wash or trim was most effectively reduced by following with hot water and then lactic acid spray. This combined treatment yielded 0% positive samples for S. typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7, thermotolerant coliforms, and generic E. coli on areas outside the inoculated areas, whereas percent positive samples after applying other combined treatments ranged from 22 to 44% for S. typhimurium, 0 to 44% for E. coli O157:H7, and 11 to 33% for both thermotolerant coliforms and generic E. coli. From data collected in this study, it is possible to choose an effective, inexpensive treatment to reduce bacterial contamination on beef carcasses. In addition, the similar reduction rates of total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, or generic E. coli may be useful in identifying an indicator to verify the effectiveness of the selected treatment as a critical control point in a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point program.

Chemical composition of natural waters of contaminated area: The case for the Imandra Lake catchment (the Kola Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evtyugina, Z. A.; Guseva, N. V.; Kopylova, J. G.; A, Vorobeva D.

2016-03-01

The study of the current chemical composition of natural waters in the eastern and western parts of the Imandra Lake catchment was performed using ion chromatography, potentiometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. It was found that the content of trace elements in the surface water is considerably higher than that in the groundwater. The nickel and copper concentrations exceed the background levels over 19 and 2 times respectively in groundwater, and 175 and 61 times in the surface waters. These data show that the Severonikel influences negatively air and surface water.

Water evaporation on highly viscoelastic polymer surfaces.

PubMed

Pu, Gang; Severtson, Steven J

2012-07-03

Results are reported for a study on the evaporation of water droplets from a highly viscoelastic acrylic polymer surface. These are contrasted with those collected for the same measurements carried out on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). For PDMS, the evaporation process involves the expected multistep process including constant drop area, constant contact angle, and finally a combination of these steps until the liquid is gone. In contrast, water evaporation from the acrylic polymer shows a constant drop area mode throughout. Furthermore, during the evaporation process, the drop area actually expands on the acrylic polymer. The single mode evaporation process is consistent with formation of wetting structures, which cannot be propagated by the capillary forces. Expansion of the drop area is attributed to the influence of the drop capillary pressure. Furthermore, the rate of drop area expansion is shown to be dependent on the thickness of the polymer film.

Super-hydrophobicity fundamentals: implications to biofouling prevention.

PubMed

Marmur, Abraham

2006-01-01

The theory of wetting on super-hydrophobic surfaces is presented and discussed, within the general framework of equilibrium wetting and contact angles. Emphasis is put on the implications of super-hydrophobicity to the prevention of biofouling. Two main lines of thought are discussed, viz. i) "mirror imaging" of the Lotus effect, namely designing a surface that repels biological entities by being super-hydrophilic, and ii) designing a surface that minimises the water-wetted area when submerged in water (by keeping an air film between the water and the surface), so that the suspended biological entities have a low probability of encountering the solid surface.

Is there a pattern to oxbow lake geomorphic evolution?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dieras, P.; Constantine, J. A.

2012-04-01

Oxbow lakes are located along the floodplain corridor and created after meander cutoff. They are of high ecological value as they provide relatively calm wetlands which are regularly supplied with nutrients during floods. The persistence of oxbow lakes has been observed to vary from decades to several hundreds of years but little is known about the controls on their longevity. This study aims to ascertain if there is a common pattern in the water decrease of oxbow lakes and to define the controls on the lakes' longevity. The longevity of 37 oxbow lakes from 7 rivers from different parts of the world has been studied. The Towy River (Wales), the Ain River (France) and the Sacramento River (CA, USA) are largely dominated by oxbow lakes created after chute cutoff which is the incision of a chute across the floodplain; whereas the Mississippi River (MS, USA), the Kansas River (KS, USA), the Red River (MN, USA) and the Otter Tail River (MN, USA) show a large number of neck cutoffs which occur when two meanders migrate into one another. The water surface area decrease has been measured for all the sites using aerial photographs. Results revealed that the longevity of oxbow lakes is significantly affected by the type of cutoff. The lakes formed by chute cutoff lose very rapidly most of the water surface area of the initial channel as it is reduce by >80% within the first 10 to 30 years following cutoff for most sites. The water surface area of chute cutoff shows a logarithmic decrease with a fast decrease rate following cutoff, followed by a much slower loss of water surface area. The change in water decrease rate appears to be related to the moment of obstruction of the former channel entrance by sediment aggradation. In contrast, lakes formed by neck cutoff persist for much longer in the landscape and lose 40 to 60% within the first decades but then they maintain this water surface area for longer than a century. The cutoff process is therefore the main control on the persistence of oxbow lakes and has important impact on the habitats on the floodplain corridor.

Echelon approach to areas of concern in synoptic regional monitoring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Myers, Wayne; Patil, Ganapati P.; Joly, Kyle

1997-01-01

Echelons provide an objective approach to prospecting for areas of potential concern in synoptic regional monitoring of a surface variable. Echelons can be regarded informally as stacked hill forms. The strategy is to identify regions of the surface which are elevated relative to surroundings (Relative ELEVATIONS or RELEVATIONS). These are areas which would continue to expand as islands with receding (virtual) floodwaters. Levels where islands would merge are critical elevations which delimit echelons in the vertical dimension. Families of echelons consist of surface sectors constituting separate islands for deeper waters that merge as water level declines. Pits which would hold water are disregarded in such a progression, but a complementary analysis of pits is obtained using the surface as a virtual mould to cast a counter-surface (bathymetric analysis). An echelon tree is a family tree of echelons with peaks as terminals and the lowest level as root. An echelon tree thus provides a dendrogram representation of surface topology which enables graph theoretic analysis and comparison of surface structures. Echelon top view maps show echelon cover sectors on the base plane. An echelon table summarizes characteristics of echelons as instances or cases of hill form surface structure. Determination of echelons requires only ordinal strength for the surface variable, and is thus appropriate for environmental indices as well as measurements. Since echelons are inherent in a surface rather than perceptual, they provide a basis for computer-intelligent understanding of surfaces. Echelons are given for broad-scale mammalian species richness in Pennsylvania.

Resistivity-Chemistry Integrated Approaches for Investigating Groundwater Salinity of Water Supply and Agricultural Activity at Island Coastal Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baharuddin, M. F. T.; Masirin, M. I. M.; Hazreek, Z. A. M.; Azman, M. A. A.; Madun, A.

2018-04-01

Groundwater suitability for water supply and agriculture in an island coastal area may easily be influenced by seawater intrusion. The aim of this study was to investigate seawater intrusion to the suitability of the groundwater for water supply and oil palm cultivation on Carey Island in Malaysia. This is the first study that used integrated method of geo-electrical resistivity and hydrogeochemical methods to investigate seawater intrusion to the suitability of groundwater for water supply and oil palm cultivation at two different surface elevation and land cover. The relationship between earth resistivity, total dissolved solids and earth conductivity was derived with water type classifications and crop suitability classification according to salinity, used to identify water types and also oil palm tolerance to salinity. Results from the contour resistivity and conductivity maps showed that the area facing severe coastal erosion (east area) exhibited unsuitable groundwater condition for water supply and oil palm at the unconfined aquifer thickness of 7.8 m and 14.1 m, respectively. Comparing to the area that are still intact with mangrove (west area), at the same depth, groundwater condition exhibits suitable usage for both socioeconomic activities. Different characteristics of surface elevation and land cover are paramount factors influencing saltwater distribution at the west and east area. By the end of the twenty-first century there will no longer be suitable water for supply and oil palm plantation based on the local sea-level rise prediction and Ghyben–Herzberg assumption (sharp interface), focusing on the severe erosion area of the study site.

Drainage of Southeast Greenland firn aquifer water through crevasses to the bed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poinar, Kristin; Joughin, Ian; Lilien, David; Brucker, Ludovic; Kehrl, Laura; Nowicki, Sophie

2017-02-01

A firn aquifer in the Helheim Glacier catchment of Southeast Greenland lies directly upstream of a crevasse field. Previous measurements show that a 3.5-km long segment of the aquifer lost a large volume of water (26,000 - 65,000 m2 in cross section) between spring 2012 and spring 2013, compared to annual meltwater accumulation of 6000 - 15,000 m2. The water is thought to have entered the crevasses, but whether the water reached the bed or refroze within the ice sheet is unknown. We used a thermo-visco-elastic model for crevasse propagation to calculate the depths and volumes of these water-filled crevasses. We compared our model output to data from the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), which reveals the near-surface geometry of specific crevasses, and WorldView images, which capture the surface expressions of crevasses across our 1.5-km study area. We found a best fit with a shear modulus between 0.2 and 1.5 GPa within our study area. We show that surface meltwater can drive crevasses to the top surface of the firn aquifer ( 20 m depth), whereupon it receives water at rates corresponding to the water flux through the aquifer. Our model shows that crevasses receiving firn-aquifer water hydrofracture through to the bed, 1000 m below, in 10-40 days. Englacial refreezing of firn-aquifer water raises the average local ice temperature by 4°C over a ten-year period, which enhances deformational ice motion by 50 m/yr, compared to the observed surface velocity of 200 m/yr. The effect of the basal water on the sliding velocity remains unknown. Were the firn aquifer not present to concentrate surface meltwater into crevasses, we find that no surface melt would reach the bed; instead, it would refreeze annually in crevasses at depths <500 m. The crevasse field downstream of the firn aquifer likely allows a large fraction of the aquifer water in our study area to reach the bed. Thus, future studies should consider the aquifer and crevasses as part of a common system. This system may uniquely affect ice-sheet dynamics by routing a large volume of water to the bed outside of the typical runoff period.

FLASHFlux Info

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-05-20

... Surface Emissivity Cloud Area Fraction Cloud Effective Pressure Cloud Effective Temperature Cloud Effective Height Cloud Top Pressure Cloud Base Pressure Cloud Particle Phase Liquid Water Path Ice Water Path Water Particle Radius Ice Particle ...

Surface Water in Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oki, Delwyn S.

2003-01-01

Surface water in Hawaii is a valued resource as well as a potential threat to human lives and property. The surface-water resources of Hawaii are of significant economic, ecologic, cultural, and aesthetic importance. Streams supply more than 50 percent of the irrigation water in Hawaii, and although streams supply only a few percent of the drinking water statewide, surface water is the main source of drinking water in some places. Streams also are a source of hydroelectric power, provide important riparian and instream habitats for many unique native species, support traditional and customary Hawaiian gathering rights and the practice of taro cultivation, and possess valued aesthetic qualities. Streams affect the physical, chemical, and aesthetic quality of receiving waters, such as estuaries, bays, and nearshore waters, which are critical to the tourism-based economy of the islands. Streams in Hawaii pose a danger because of their flashy nature; a stream's stage, or water level, can rise several feet in less than an hour during periods of intense rainfall. Streams in Hawaii are flashy because rainfall is intense, drainage basins are small, basins and streams are steep, and channel storage is limited. Streamflow generated during periods of heavy rainfall has led to loss of property and human lives in Hawaii. Most Hawaiian streams originate in the mountainous interiors of the islands and terminate at the coast. Streams are significant sculptors of the Hawaiian landscape because of the erosive power of the water they convey. In geologically young areas, such as much of the southern part of the island of Hawaii, well-defined stream channels have not developed because the permeability of the surface rocks generally is so high that rainfall infiltrates before flowing for significant distances on the surface. In geologically older areas that have received significant rainfall, streams and mass wasting have carved out large valleys.

Mesoporous ZrO2 fibers with enhanced surface area and the application as recyclable absorbent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhichao; Liu, Benxue; Zhou, Haifeng; Feng, Cong; Wang, Xinqiang; Yuan, Kangkang; Gan, Xinzhu; Zhu, Luyi; Zhang, Guanghui; Xu, Dong

2017-03-01

Highly crystalline mesoporous zirconia fibers with high surface area have been prepared by the use of electrospinning combined with precursors method. The obtained precursor fibers were treated in water steam and directly in air at different temperature respectively. Compared with the direct calcination in air, the water steam cannot only promote the crystallization of ZrO2 but also effectively remove off the organics and prevent the pore structure collapse. Moreover, through adding hydrochloric acid to modify the solution pH value, the obtained t-ZrO2 fibers treated in water steam at 300 °C have high surface area and large pore volume of 232.70 m2 g-1 and 0.36 cm3 g-1. The formation mechanism of the mesostucture was studied and the schematic was represented. Compared with the previous reports of mesoporous ZrO2 fibers, the as-synthesized materials exhibited the high crystallinity, large surface area and the long-range order mesostructure.The adsorption of Congo red indicates that the samples have a high adsorption capacity of 103.46 mg g-1 and long-periodic repeated availability.

Ground-water flow and water quality in the Upper Floridan aquifer, southwestern Albany area, Georgia, 1998-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warner, Debbie; Lawrence, Stephen J.

2005-01-01

During 1997, the Dougherty County Health Department sampled more than 700 wells completed in the Upper Floridan aquifer in Dougherty County, Georgia, and determined that nitrate as nitrogen (hereinafter called nitrate) concentrations were above 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) in 12 percent of the wells. Ten mg/L is the Georgia primary drinking-water standard. The ground-water flow system is complex and poorly understood in this predominantly agricultural area. Therefore, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - in cooperation with Albany Water, Gas and Light Commission - conducted a study to better define ground-water flow and water quality in the Upper Florida aquifer in the southwestern Albany area, Georgia. Ground-water levels were measured in the southwestern Albany area, Georgia, during May 1998 and March 1999 (spring), and October 1998 and September 1999 (fall). Groundwater levels measured in 75 wells open only to the Upper Floridan aquifer were used to construct potentiometric-surface maps for those four time periods. These maps show that ground water generally flows from northwest to southeast at gradients ranging from about 2 to greater than 10 feet per mile. During spring and fall 1998, ground-water levels were high and mounding of the potentiometric surface occurred in the central part of the study area, indicating a local recharge area. Water levels declined from December through February, and by March 1999 the mound in the potentiometric surface had dissipated. Of the 75 wells in the potentiometric network, 24 were selected for a water-quality network. These 24 wells and 1 spring were sampled during fall 1998 and spring 1999. Samples were analyzed for major chemical constituents, selected minor constituents, selected nutrients, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). Water-quality field measurements - such as water temperature, pH, specific conductance (SC), and dissolved oxygen (DO) - were taken at each well. During August 2000, a ground-water sample was collected and analyzed for selected sewage tracers. During March 2001, water samples from selected wells were analyzed for nitrogen and oxygen isotopes. Age-dating analysis using CFCs yield apparent groundwater ages that range from modern to greater than 50 years. The chemistry of ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer varies widely throughout the southwestern Albany area, Georgia, and in general represents the chemistry commonly found in recharge areas. From fall 1998 through spring 1999, median values of pH, SC, and DO concentration were 7.6 standard units, 266 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (uS/cm), and 5.6 mg/L, respectively. The SC is highest (350 - 400 uS/cm) where mounding of the potentiometric surface exists. Specific DO concentrations indicate an area of anoxic ground water in the north-central part of the study area. Water samples indicate that ground water in the study area is dominated by calcium and bicarbonate ions, which is consistent with the limestone lithology of the aquifer. About 25 percent of the samples contained sodium and chloride at ratios similar to those in rainfall, indicating a close proximity to recharge areas. The remaining water samples, however, had sodiumchloride ratios less than 0.90, the ratio in Tift County, Georgia, rainfall samples. These low sodium-chloride ratios are consistent with chloride enrichment. Minor constituent and nutrient concentrations typically are below laboratory reporting limits; however, the maximum nitrate concentration measured during the study period was 12.2 mg/L, and the median concentration for the study period was 3.0 mg/L. Samples collected during 1999 had a higher median nitrate concentration than the 1998 samples. Regression analysis indicated that nitrate concentrations are related exponentially to chloride concentrations. Four distinct groups of ground-water-quality samples, plus four unique samples, were identified using cluster analysis. Water-quality groups I and

Hydrology team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ragan, R.

1982-01-01

General problems faced by hydrologists when using historical records, real time data, statistical analysis, and system simulation in providing quantitative information on the temporal and spatial distribution of water are related to the limitations of these data. Major problem areas requiring multispectral imaging-based research to improve hydrology models involve: evapotranspiration rates and soil moisture dynamics for large areas; the three dimensional characteristics of bodies of water; flooding in wetlands; snow water equivalents; runoff and sediment yield from ungaged watersheds; storm rainfall; fluorescence and polarization of water and its contained substances; discriminating between sediment and chlorophyll in water; role of barrier island dynamics in coastal zone processes; the relationship between remotely measured surface roughness and hydraulic roughness of land surfaces and stream networks; and modeling the runoff process.

Hydrologic assessment of three drainage basins in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey, 2004-06

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walker, Richard L.; Nicholson, Robert S.; Storck, Donald A.

2011-01-01

The New Jersey Pinelands is an ecologically diverse area in the southern New Jersey Coastal Plain, most of which overlies the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system. The demand for groundwater from this aquifer system is increasing as local development increases. Because any increase in groundwater withdrawals has the potential to affect streamflows and wetland water levels, and ultimately threaten the ecological health and diversity of the Pinelands ecosystem, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, began a multi-phase hydrologic investigation in 2004 to characterize the hydrologic system supporting the aquatic and wetland communities of the New Jersey Pinelands area (Pinelands). The current investigation of the hydrology of three representative drainage basins in the Pinelands (Albertson Brook, McDonalds Branch, and Morses Mill Stream basins) included a compilation of existing data; collection of water-level and streamflow data; mapping of the water-table altitude and depth to the water table; and analyses of water-level and streamflow variability, subsurface gradients and flow patterns, and water budgets. During 2004-06, a hydrologic database of existing and new data from wells and stream sites was compiled. Methods of data collection and analysis were defined, and data networks consisting of 471 wells and 106 surface-water sites were established. Hydrographs from 26 water-level-monitoring wells and four streamflow-gaging stations were analyzed to show the response of water levels and streamflow to precipitation and recharge with respect to the locations of these wells and streams within each basin. Water-level hydrographs show varying hydraulic gradients and flow potentials, and indicate that responses to recharge events vary with well depth and proximity to recharge and discharge areas. Results of the investigation provide a detailed characterization of hydrologic conditions, processes, and relations among the components of the hydrologic cycle in the Pinelands. In the Pinelands, recharge replenishes the aquifer system and contributes to groundwater flow, most of which moves to wetlands and surface water where natural discharge occurs. Some groundwater flow is intercepted by supply wells. Recharge rates generally are highest during the non-growing season and are inversely related to evapotranspiration. Analysis of subsurface hydraulic gradients, water-table fluctuations, and streamflow variability indicates a strong linkage between groundwater and wetlands, lakes and streams. Gradient analysis indicates that most wetlands are in groundwater discharge areas, but some wetlands are in groundwater recharge areas. The depth to the water table ranges from zero at surface-water features up to about 10 meters in topographically high areas. Depth to water fluctuates seasonally, and the magnitude of these fluctuations generally increases with distance from surface water. Variations in the permeability of the soils and sediments of the aquifer system strongly affect patterns of water movement through the subsurface and the interaction of groundwater with wetlands, lakes and streams. Mean annual streamflow during 2004-06 ranged from 83 to 106 percent of the long-term mean annual discharge, indicating that the data-collection period can be considered representative of average conditions. Measurements of groundwater levels, stream stage, and stream discharge and locations of start-of-flow are illustrated in basin-wide maps of water-table altitude, depth to the water table, and stream base flow during the period. Water-level data collected along 15 hydrologic transects that span the range of environments from uplands through wetlands to surface water were used to determine hydraulic gradients, potential flow directions, and areas of recharge and discharge. These data provide information about the localized interactions of groundwater with wetlands and surface water. Wetlands were categorized with r

Selected hydrologic data for the central Virgin River basin area, Washington and Iron counties, Utah, 1915-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilkowske, Christopher D.; Heilweil, Victor M.; Wilberg, Dale E.

1998-01-01

Hydrologic data were collected in Washington and Iron Counties, Utah, from 1995 to 1997 to better understand the hydrologic system. Data from earlier years also are presented. Data collected from wells include well-completion data, water-level measurements, and physical properties of the water. Data collected from springs and surface-water sites include discharge and physical properties of the water. Selected water samples collected from ground- and surface-water sites were analyzed for isotopes, chlorofluorocarbons, and dissolved gases.

Present-day Exposures of Water Ice in the Northern Mid-latitudes of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Carlton C.; Kanner, Lisa C.

2007-01-01

Water ice is exposed in the martian north polar cap, but is rarely exposed beyond the cap boundary. Orbital gamma ray spectrometry data strongly imply the presence of water ice within meters of the surface at latitudes north of approximately 60deg. We have examined mid-latitude areas of the northern plains displaying residual ice-rich layers, and report evidence of present-day surface exposures of water ice. These exposures, if confirmed, could con-strain the latitudinal and temporal stability of surface ice on Mars.

Installation Restoration Program. Preliminary Assessment: Record Search for the 110th Tactical Air Support Group, Michigan Air National Guard, W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport, Battle Creek, Michigan.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-01

these wetlands. Because of the generally low relief at the Base, several manmade drainage ditches have been constructed to improve surface water ...northerly boundary (Hickock, 1985). Within the Marshall Formation, the water table or piezometric surface con- forms somewhat to the land surface. The...34hills" in the water table underlie hills seen on land. The " lows " in the water table coincide with low areas on land (Vanlier, 1966). Thus, the

Hydrostratigraphy of Tree Island Cores from Water Conservation Area 3

USGS Publications Warehouse

McNeill, Donald F.; Cunningham, Kevin J.

2003-01-01

Cores and borehole-geophysical logs collected on and around two tree islands in Water Conservation Area 3 have been examined to develop a stratigraphic framework for these ecosystems. Especially important is the potential for the exchange of ground water and surface water within these features. The hydrostratigraphic results from this study document the lithologic nature of the foundation of the tree islands, the distribution of porous intervals, the potential for paleotopographic influence on their formation, and the importance of low-permeability, subaerial-exposure horizons on the vertical exchange of ground water and surface water. Figure 1. Location of Tree Islands 3AS3 and 3BS1. [larger image] Results from this hydrostratigraphic study indicate that subtle differences occur in lithofacies and topography between the on-island and off-island subsurface geologic records. Specifics are described herein. Firstly, at both tree-island sites, the top of the limestone bedrock is slightly elevated beneath the head of the tree islands relative to the off-island core sites and the tail of the tree islands, which suggests that bedrock 'highs' acted as 'seeds' for the development of the tree islands of this study and possibly many others. Secondly, examination of the recovered core and the caliper logs tentatively suggest that the elevated limestone beneath the tree islands may have a preferentially more porous framework relative to limestone beneath the adjacent areas, possibly providing a ground-water-to-surface-water connection that sustains the tree island system. Finally, because the elevation of the top of the limestone bedrock at the head of Tree Island 3AS3 is slightly higher than the surrounding upper surface of the peat, and because the wetland peats have a lower hydraulic conductivity than the limestone bedrock (Miami Limestone and Fort Thompson Formation), it is possible that there is a head difference between surface water of the wetlands and the ground water in underlying limestone bedrock.

Ground-water quality beneath solid-waste disposal sites at anchorage, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zenone, Chester; Donaldson, D.E.; Grunwaldt, J.J.

1975-01-01

Studies at three solid-waste disposal sites in the Anchorage area suggest that differences in local geohydrologic conditions influence ground-water quality. A leachate was detected in ground water within and beneath two sites where the water table is very near land surface and refuse is deposited either at or below the water table in some parts of the filled areas. No leachate was detected in ground water beneath a third site where waste disposal is well above the local water table.

Managing urban runoff in residential neighborhoods: Nitrogen and phosphorus in lawn irrigation driven runoff.

PubMed

Toor, Gurpal S; Occhipinti, Marti L; Yang, Yun-Ya; Majcherek, Tammy; Haver, Darren; Oki, Lorence

2017-01-01

Sources and mechanisms of nutrient transport in lawn irrigation driven surface runoff are largely unknown. We investigated the transport of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in lawn irrigation driven surface runoff from a residential neighborhood (28 ha) of 56% impervious and 44% pervious areas. Pervious areas encompassing turfgrass (lawns) in the neighborhood were irrigated with the reclaimed water in common areas during the evening to late night and with the municipal water in homeowner's lawns during the morning. The stormwater outlet pipe draining the residential neighborhood was instrumented with a flow meter and Hach autosampler. Water samples were collected every 1-h and triple composite samples were obtained at 3-h intervals during an intensive sampling period of 1-week. Mean concentrations, over 56 sampling events, of total N (TN) and total P (TP) in surface runoff at the outlet pipe were 10.9±6.34 and 1.3±1.03 mg L-1, respectively. Of TN, the proportion of nitrate-N was 58% and other-N was 42%, whereas of TP, orthophosphate-P was 75% and other-P was 25%. Flow and nutrient (N and P) concentrations were lowest from 6:00 a.m. to noon, which corresponded with the use of municipal water and highest from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, which corresponded with the use of reclaimed water. This data suggests that N and P originating in lawn irrigation driven surface runoff from residential catchments is an important contributor of nutrients in surface waters.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 15 Crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-11

ISS015-E-07725 (11 May 2007) --- Marsh Island, Louisiana is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 15 crewmember on the International Space Station. Marsh Island, located along the southwestern coastline of Louisiana, is a remnant of an abandoned lobe of the Mississippi River Delta formed approximately 5000-7500 years before the present day, according to scientists. It is composed primarily of organic-rich muds and brackish marsh vegetation (some peat -- semiconsolidated plant and organic matter -- is also present). The intricate lake, pond and stream network of the island is highlighted in this image by silver-gray sunglint -- light reflected off of water surfaces directly back to the crewmember on the space station. Sunglint also illuminates water surfaces in the adjacent Gulf of Mexico and West Cote Blanche Bay -- variations in intensity of reflectance in these water bodies is due to surface roughness (often related to wind-driven waves or currents) and the presence of surfactants that can change the surface properties of the water. Marsh Island is a popular fishing, shrimping and birding location. The island has experienced significant loss of vegetation and land area -- nearly 3,000 hectares (7,000 acres) - due to erosion, with a corresponding loss of habitat for local and migratory birds, shrimp, alligators and deer. While Marsh Island is uninhabited, it has been the focus of intensive development for management of erosion, such as revegetation of deteriorated marsh areas. Leveed canals (straight silver-gray water features) help drain areas for above-surface revegetation, while sill dams help stabilize water levels and foster regrowth of important subsurface vegetation such as widgeongrass.

Managing urban runoff in residential neighborhoods: Nitrogen and phosphorus in lawn irrigation driven runoff

PubMed Central

Occhipinti, Marti L.; Yang, Yun-Ya; Majcherek, Tammy; Haver, Darren; Oki, Lorence

2017-01-01

Sources and mechanisms of nutrient transport in lawn irrigation driven surface runoff are largely unknown. We investigated the transport of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in lawn irrigation driven surface runoff from a residential neighborhood (28 ha) of 56% impervious and 44% pervious areas. Pervious areas encompassing turfgrass (lawns) in the neighborhood were irrigated with the reclaimed water in common areas during the evening to late night and with the municipal water in homeowner’s lawns during the morning. The stormwater outlet pipe draining the residential neighborhood was instrumented with a flow meter and Hach autosampler. Water samples were collected every 1-h and triple composite samples were obtained at 3-h intervals during an intensive sampling period of 1-week. Mean concentrations, over 56 sampling events, of total N (TN) and total P (TP) in surface runoff at the outlet pipe were 10.9±6.34 and 1.3±1.03 mg L–1, respectively. Of TN, the proportion of nitrate–N was 58% and other–N was 42%, whereas of TP, orthophosphate–P was 75% and other–P was 25%. Flow and nutrient (N and P) concentrations were lowest from 6:00 a.m. to noon, which corresponded with the use of municipal water and highest from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, which corresponded with the use of reclaimed water. This data suggests that N and P originating in lawn irrigation driven surface runoff from residential catchments is an important contributor of nutrients in surface waters. PMID:28604811

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Biosludge Applications and Perfluoroalkyl Acid Surface Water Contamination in North Carolina

EPA Science Inventory

Implications and Questions- Perfluorinated compounds at high concentrations in sludges, on fields, in surface water in areas receiving sludge applications-Urban and suburban sludges typically disposed of in rural locations, usually marketed as “free fertilizer” becaus...

Fish Mercury and Surface Water Sulfate Relationships in the Everglades Protection Area

EPA Science Inventory

Few published studies present data on relationships between fish mercury and surface or pore water sulfate concentrations, particularly on an ecosystem-wide basis. Resource managers can use these relationships to identify the sulfate conditions that contain fish with health-conce...

Development and assessment of photo-catalytic membranes for water purification using solar radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coto, M.; Troughton, S. C.; Duan, J.; Kumar, R. V.; Clyne, T. W.

2018-03-01

This paper describes a novel set-up for characterization of the performance of membranes designed for purification of water. It involves a recirculatory system, with continuous monitoring of the concentration in the water of a representative pollutant (Methylene Blue). Pressures, flow rates and temperatures are also measured. Results, in the form of rate constants for reduction in pollutant concentration, are presented for three different types of membrane, all of which incorporate relatively high surface areas of titania and have permeability values in a range making them suitable for this type of processing (∼10-11 m2). These results are rationalized in terms of the surface areas of the membranes, and the likely water flow characteristics within them. It is concluded that all of the titania surfaces within them have similar efficiencies for photo-catalytic oxidation of pollutants, but there are significant differences in the ways that the water is exposed to these surfaces, and hence in the pollutant oxidation rates. These points are relevant to the optimization of membrane design for this purpose.

Changes in Land Surface Water Dynamics since the 1990s and Relation to Population Pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prigent, C.; Papa, F.; Aires, F.; Jimenez, C.; Rossow, W. B.; Matthews, E.

2012-01-01

We developed a remote sensing approach based on multi-satellite observations, which provides an unprecedented estimate of monthly distribution and area of land-surface open water over the whole globe. Results for 1993 to 2007 exhibit a large seasonal and inter-annual variability of the inundation extent with an overall decline in global average maximum inundated area of 6% during the fifteen-year period, primarily in tropical and subtropical South America and South Asia. The largest declines of open water are found where large increases in population have occurred over the last two decades, suggesting a global scale effect of human activities on continental surface freshwater: denser population can impact local hydrology by reducing freshwater extent, by draining marshes and wetlands, and by increasing water withdrawals. Citation: Prigent, C., F. Papa, F. Aires, C. Jimenez, W. B. Rossow, and E. Matthews (2012), Changes in land surface water dynamics since the 1990s and relation to population pressure, in section 4, insisting on the potential applications of the wetland dataset.

Surface-water investigations at Barrow, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Stanley H.

1972-01-01

The U.S. Public Health Service is currently developing plans for a long-term water supply and sewage treatment system for the village of Barrow, Alaska. To assist in planning, the U.S. Geological Survey was requested to initiate a cooperative streamflow data-collection program with the U.S. Public Health Service in June 1972 to determine the availability of surface water and the areal distribution of runoff in the Barrow area. This basic-data report summarizes the streamflow data collected from June 1 through July 10, 1972, at three gaging stations in the Barrow area (fig. 1) and discusses the future data-collection program.

Freshwater molluscs as indicators of bioavailability and toxicity of metals in surface-water systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elder, John F.; Collins, Jerilyn J.; Ware, George W.

1991-01-01

During the past several decades, studies from a variety of locations have demonstrated widespread occurrence of metals in surface waters at concentrations significantly higher than background levels. Elevated concentrations are not limited to certain water types or polluted areas; they appear in all types of systems and in all geographic areas. It is clear that metals enter the aquatic systems from diverse sources, both point and nonpoint, and they can be readily transported from one system to another. Transport routes include atmospheric, terrestrial, subterranean, aquatic, and biological pathways (Elder 1988; Salomons and Forstner 1984).

Ground-water/surface-water relations along Honey Creek, Washtenaw County, Michigan, 2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Healy, Denis F.

2005-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the city of Ann Arbor, Mich., investigated the ground-water/ surface-water relations along the lower reaches of Honey Creek, Washtenaw County, Mich., and an unnamed tributary to Honey Creek (the discharge tributary) from June through October 2003. Streamflow in these reaches was artificially high during a naturally low-flow period due to an anthropogenic discharge. Ground-water/surface-water relations were examined by seepage runs (series of streamflow measurements for the computation of streams gains or losses) and measurements of the difference in head between the stream surface and shallow aquifer. Specific conductance and water-temperature measurements were used as ancillary data to help identify gaining and losing reaches. Three seepage runs and four runs in which hydraulic-head differences between the stream and shallow aquifer were measured (piezometer runs) were made during periods of base flow. Streamflow measurements were made at 18 sites for the seepage runs. Instream piezometers were installed at 16 sites and bank piezometers were installed at 2 sites. Two deeper instream piezometers were installed at site 13 on September 4, 2003 to collect additional data on the ground-water/surface-water relations at that site. The seepage runs indicate that the main stem of Honey Creek and the discharge tributary in the study area are overall gaining reaches. The seepage runs also indicate that smaller reaches of Honey Creek and the discharge tributary may be losing reaches and that this relation may change over time with changing hydraulic conditions. The piezometer-run measurements support the seepage-run results on the main stem, whereas piezometer-run measurements both support and conflict with seepage-run measurements on the discharge tributary. Seepage runs give an average for the reach, whereas piezometer head-difference measurements are for a specific area around the piezometer. Data that may appear to be conflicting actually may be showing that within a gaining reach there are localized areas that lose streamflow. The overall gain in streamflow along with specific measurements of head differences, specific conductance, and water temperature indicate that ground water is discharging to Honey Creek and the discharge tributary. Although reaches and areas that lose streamflow have been identified, data collected during this study cannot confirm or disprove that the loss is to the regional ground-water system.

Do root hydraulic properties change during the early vegetative stage of plant development in barley (Hordeum vulgare)?

PubMed Central

Suku, Shimi; Knipfer, Thorsten; Fricke, Wieland

2014-01-01

Background and Aims As annual crops develop, transpirational water loss increases substantially. This increase has to be matched by an increase in water uptake through the root system. The aim of this study was to assess the contributions of changes in intrinsic root hydraulic conductivity (Lp, water uptake per unit root surface area, driving force and time), driving force and root surface area to developmental increases in root water uptake. Methods Hydroponically grown barley plants were analysed during four windows of their vegetative stage of development, when they were 9–13, 14–18, 19–23 and 24–28 d old. Hydraulic conductivity was determined for individual roots (Lp) and for entire root systems (Lpr). Osmotic Lp of individual seminal and adventitious roots and osmotic Lpr of the root system were determined in exudation experiments. Hydrostatic Lp of individual roots was determined by root pressure probe analyses, and hydrostatic Lpr of the root system was derived from analyses of transpiring plants. Key Results Although osmotic and hydrostatic Lp and Lpr values increased initially during development and were correlated positively with plant transpiration rate, their overall developmental increases (about 2-fold) were small compared with increases in transpirational water loss and root surface area (about 10- to 40-fold). The water potential gradient driving water uptake in transpiring plants more than doubled during development, and potentially contributed to the increases in plant water flow. Osmotic Lpr of entire root systems and hydrostatic Lpr of transpiring plants were similar, suggesting that the main radial transport path in roots was the cell-to-cell path at all developmental stages. Conclusions Increase in the surface area of root system, and not changes in intrinsic root hydraulic properties, is the main means through which barley plants grown hydroponically sustain an increase in transpirational water loss during their vegetative development. PMID:24287810

Do root hydraulic properties change during the early vegetative stage of plant development in barley (Hordeum vulgare)?

PubMed

Suku, Shimi; Knipfer, Thorsten; Fricke, Wieland

2014-02-01

As annual crops develop, transpirational water loss increases substantially. This increase has to be matched by an increase in water uptake through the root system. The aim of this study was to assess the contributions of changes in intrinsic root hydraulic conductivity (Lp, water uptake per unit root surface area, driving force and time), driving force and root surface area to developmental increases in root water uptake. Hydroponically grown barley plants were analysed during four windows of their vegetative stage of development, when they were 9-13, 14-18, 19-23 and 24-28 d old. Hydraulic conductivity was determined for individual roots (Lp) and for entire root systems (Lp(r)). Osmotic Lp of individual seminal and adventitious roots and osmotic Lp(r) of the root system were determined in exudation experiments. Hydrostatic Lp of individual roots was determined by root pressure probe analyses, and hydrostatic Lp(r) of the root system was derived from analyses of transpiring plants. Although osmotic and hydrostatic Lp and Lp(r) values increased initially during development and were correlated positively with plant transpiration rate, their overall developmental increases (about 2-fold) were small compared with increases in transpirational water loss and root surface area (about 10- to 40-fold). The water potential gradient driving water uptake in transpiring plants more than doubled during development, and potentially contributed to the increases in plant water flow. Osmotic Lp(r) of entire root systems and hydrostatic Lp(r) of transpiring plants were similar, suggesting that the main radial transport path in roots was the cell-to-cell path at all developmental stages. Increase in the surface area of root system, and not changes in intrinsic root hydraulic properties, is the main means through which barley plants grown hydroponically sustain an increase in transpirational water loss during their vegetative development.

Water-level conditions in the upper Cape Fear Aquifer, 1994-98, in parts of Bladen and Robeson counties, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strickland, A.G.

1999-01-01

Water-level measurements were made on a periodic basis from October 1994 through November 1998 in 17 wells that tap the upper Cape Fear aquifer. The approximately 730-square-mile study area in Bladen and Robeson Counties is in the southern Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Water-level declines occurred in the aquifer throughout much of the area as a result of pumping during this period. The greatest decline was about 42 feet in Bladen County. Water levels from the wells in the fall of 1998 were used to construct a map of the potentiometric surface of the upper Cape Fear aquifer. This map can be used to infer the direction of ground-water movement in the aquifer. Withdrawals from wells at pumping centers, such as in the Tar Heel and Elizabethtown areas in Bladen County, have caused ground water to flow toward pumped wells, resulting in cones of depression in the potentiometric surface.

Detection of heavy metal ions in drinking water using a high-resolution differential surface plasmon resonance sensor.

PubMed

Forzani, Erica S; Zhang, Haiqian; Chen, Wilfred; Tao, Nongjian

2005-03-01

We have built a high-resolution differential surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor for heavy metal ion detection. The sensor surface is divided into a reference and sensing areas, and the difference in the SPR angles from the two areas is detected with a quadrant cell photodetector as a differential signal. In the presence of metal ions, the differential signal changes due to specific binding of the metal ions onto the sensing area coated with properly selected peptides, which provides an accurate real-time measurement and quantification of the metal ions. Selective detection of Cu2+ and Ni2+ in the ppt-ppb range was achieved by coating the sensing surface with peptides NH2-Gly-Gly-His-COOH and NH2-(His)6-COOH. Cu2+ in drinking water was tested using this sensor.

Superimposing various biophysical and social scales in a rapidly changing rural area (SW Niger)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leduc, Christian; Massuel, Sylvain; Favreau, Guillaume; Cappelaere, Bernard; Leblanc, Marc; Bachir, Salifou; Ousmane, Boureïma

2014-05-01

In SW Niger, close to Niamey, a detailed hydrological survey has been developed for the last 20 years (international experiments HAPEX-SAHEL and later AMMA), investigating the distribution of water in atmosphere, surface, soil and aquifers. It covers an area of about 10 000 km2, with a series of imbricated scales of instrumentation, in time and space. This dense long term field observation led to many major scientific results. Among them, one of the most original and paradoxical is the continuous rise of the water table, even during the severe droughts of the 1970s and 1980s (about 3 m in the last 30 years). In spite of a large apparent homogeneity of the biophysical environment throughout the region, numerous heterogeneities exist at different scales, complicating the hydrological analysis. On the surface, the hydrological system was, ~6000 years ago, a structured drainage network leading to the Niger River. It was later broken into much smaller elements by aeolian dunes deposited during arid episodes and the study area now appears as a juxtaposition of hundreds of small endorheic catchments (most often 1 to 20 km2) where the surface runoff finally ends in temporary ponds. During most violent rainy events, erosion can be locally very severe and modify durably the size of the catchment and the local hydrology. Conversely, during smaller rainy events, surface runoff may never reach the ponds because it infiltrates in more permeable zones at mid-slope. The actual surface area of the catchment contributing to the surface runoff thus varies considerably with time. Because of their great number, only a few catchments are instrumented and extrapolation of measurements to ungauged catchments is an additional difficulty. Most of water temporarily stored in ponds infiltrates and recharges groundwater. The Continental Terminal (CT) aquifer system is made of three independent layers, of which the upper one (CT3) is only considered here. The CT aquifer systems is a transboundary aquifer that extends far beyond the study area, over about 150 000 km2. It is also heterogeneous. Like surface flows, but at a different scale, groundwater flows are marked by a strong endorheism. For example the Dantiandou closed piezometric depression extends over about approximately 5000 km2. These natural closed depressions are explained only by evapotranspiration uptake, weak in absolute terms (a few mm.a-1) but with a very high impact on hydrodynamics because of poor permeability and porosity. Both density of observations and hydraulic continuity of the CT3 aquifer give a fine idea of groundwater changes in the whole area. Human activities, continuously adapting in this poor rural area, add another complexity to the hydrological diversity in surface and ground water. The replacement of the natural vegetation with millet fields and fallow increased the surface runoff, and consequently water accumulation in temporary pools and then CT3 recharge. In the SE part of the study area, the water table has risen up to outcropping in the lowest valley bottoms. These new permanent ponds reflect groundwater while temporary ponds still reflect surface dynamics. This new component of the hydrological landscape induces several consequences, in physical and human dimensions. Evaporation strongly affects the permanent water and increases its salinity while the natural mineralization of groundwater is very low. The easier access to water resources allows a significant development of local gardening, which modifies the social functioning of villages (e.g. land rights between villages and within a village, diversification of crops and sources of income, new sales channels). Different physically based models (for surface and ground water) were built, with a significant discrepancy between their respective quantification of water flows at the region scale. Extrapolation of surface fluxes from the few instrumented catchments to a much larger mosaic of non-instrumented catchments is only partially compatible with the geochemical and hydrodynamic calculations for the CT3 aquifer. This leads to many questions about the representativeness of instrumentation (in spite of dense observations), the heterogeneity of the landscape (perhaps even stronger than supposed, complementarities and differences between methods, etc.). Similarly, the diversity and evolution of human behaviours facing new situations (population growth, environmental changes) are essential elements to take into account, not always easily accessible to hydrologists.

Hydrologic data for Leviathan Mine and vicinity, Alpine County, California, 1981-83

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hammermeister, D.P.; Walmsley, S.J.

1985-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey collected basic hydrologic and water-quality data during 1981-83 to facilitate the geohydrologic evaluation of the Leviathan Mine area and the design of a pollution-abatement project. Surface-water field data included one or more measurements of pH, water temperature, and specific conductance at 45 sites in and adjacent to the mine area. At nine of these sites, daily data on discharge, specific conductance, and water temperature were collected during parts of 1981-82 by using electronic monitor-recorder systems. Ground-water field data included one or more of the water-quality measurements listed above at 71 piezometers in the mine area. Borehole geophysical data included neutron-moisture, neutron-porosity, gamma-gamma density, natural gamma, and temperature logs at three sites. Mineralogic and hydrologic data were obtained for cores taken from nine test holes. One or more surface-water samples from 26 sites were analyzed for major cations, major anions, and a wide range of minor inorganic constituents. Single ground-water samples from 36 piezometers were analyzed for the same array of major and minor constituents. (USGS)

A review of water resources of the Umiat area, northern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, John R.

1970-01-01

Surface-water supplies from the Colville River, small tributary creeks, and lakes are abundant in summer but limited in winter by low or zero flow in streams and thick ice cover on lakes. Fresh ground water occurs in unfrozen zones in alluvium and in the upper part of bedrock beneath the Colville River and beneath lakes that do not freeze to the bottom in winter. These unfrozen zones, forming depressions in the upper surface of permafrost, are maintained by flow of heat from bodies of surface water into subjacent alluvium and bedrock. Brackish or saline ground water occurs in bedrock beneath as much as 1,055 feet of permafrost in the Arctic foothills and beneath 750 to 800 feet of permafrost beneath low terraces of the Colville River valley. The foothill area is unfavorable for developing supplies of potable ground water because of the great depth to water, predominance of brackish or saline water, and low potential yield of the bedrock. In the Colville River valley, shallow unfrozen alluvium beneath the river and deep lakes will yield abundant year-round supplies of ground water, but the bedrock below permafrost yields less than 10 gpm (gallons per minute) of saline or brackish water.

The emission potential of different land use patterns for the occurrence of coliphages in surface water.

PubMed

Franke, Christiane; Rechenburg, Andrea; Baumanns, Susanne; Willkomm, Marlene; Christoffels, Ekkehard; Exner, Martin; Kistemann, Thomas

2009-05-01

Different land use patterns were investigated for their potential as non-point sources of coliphage emissions into surface waters. Water samples were taken regularly at five locations in the upper reaches of the river Swist, Germany. Samples of surface and subsurface run-off were taken within the same catchment area after rainfall events using a newly developed device that made it possible to collect current concentrations of the effluent compounds. The water quality was examined for the occurrence of somatic coliphages and F(+)-specific RNA-bacteriophages as well as for various bacteria over the period of a hydrological year. The potential of various bacteria as indicators for the occurrence of phages was evaluated using statistical correlations. The load of coliphages varied depending on the land use type, but it did not differ as much as the bacterial parameters. River sections in intensively used areas turned out to be more contaminated than in less intensively used regions. The concentrations of phages from surface and subsurface run-off in most samples were quite low for all land use types and did not show conspicuous variations of surface and subsurface run-off within one land use type. Therefore, high concentrations of phages in river water cannot be explained only by non-point effluent from open ground. Following consideration of the statistical results, conventional indicator bacteria seem not to be reliable indicator organisms for coliphages and subsequently for human pathogen viruses. The detected concentrations of coliphages in several water samples of river sections surrounded by intensively used areas underpin an existing health risk in the use of river water for e.g. recreational activities or irrigation.

CERES-MISR Info

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-05-20

... Surface Albedo Cloud Area Fraction Cloud Effective Pressure Cloud Effective Temperature Cloud Effective Height Cloud Top Pressure Cloud Base Pressure Cloud Particle Phase Liquid Water Path Ice Water Path Water Particle Radius Ice Particle ...

Prediction of optimal safe ground water yield and land subsidence in the Los Banos-Kettleman City area, California, using a calibrated numerical simulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larson, K. J.; Başaǧaoǧlu, H.; Mariño, M. A.

2001-02-01

Land subsidence caused by the excessive use of ground water resources has traditionally caused serious and costly damage to the Los Banos-Kettleman City area of California's San Joaquin Valley. Although the arrival of surface water from the Central Valley Project has reduced subsidence in recent decades, the growing instability of surface water supplies has refocused attention on the future of land subsidence in the region. This paper uses integrated numerical ground water and land subsidence models to simulate land subsidence caused by ground water overdraft. The simulation model is calibrated using observed data from 1972 to 1998, and the responsiveness of the model to variations in subsidence parameters are analyzed through a sensitivity analysis. A probable future drought scenario is used to evaluate the effect on land subsidence of three management alternatives over the next thirty years. The model reveals that maintaining present practices virtually eliminates unrecoverable land subsidence, but may not be a sustainable alternative because of a growing urban population to the south and concern over the ecological implications of water exportation from the north. The two other proposed management alternatives reduce the dependency on surface water by increasing ground water withdrawal. Land subsidence is confined to tolerable levels in the more moderate of these proposals, while the more aggressive produces significant long-term subsidence. Finally, an optimization model is formulated to determine maximum ground water withdrawal from nine pumping sub-basins without causing irrecoverable subsidence during the forecast period. The optimization model reveals that withdrawal can be increased in certain areas on the eastern side of the study area without causing significant inelastic subsidence.

Water transport mechanism through open capillaries analyzed by direct surface modifications on biological surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Daisuke; Horiguchi, Hiroko; Hirai, Yuji; Yabu, Hiroshi; Matsuo, Yasutaka; Ijiro, Kuniharu; Tsujii, Kaoru; Shimozawa, Tateo; Hariyama, Takahiko; Shimomura, Masatsugu

2013-10-01

Some small animals only use water transport mechanisms passively driven by surface energies. However, little is known about passive water transport mechanisms because it is difficult to measure the wettability of microstructures in small areas and determine the chemistry of biological surfaces. Herein, we developed to directly analyse the structural effects of wettability of chemically modified biological surfaces by using a nanoliter volume water droplet and a hi-speed video system. The wharf roach Ligia exotica transports water only by using open capillaries in its legs containing hair- and paddle-like microstructures. The structural effects of legs chemically modified with a self-assembled monolayer were analysed, so that the wharf roach has a smart water transport system passively driven by differences of wettability between the microstructures. We anticipate that this passive water transport mechanism may inspire novel biomimetic fluid manipulations with or without a gravitational field.

On the influence of substrate morphology and surface area on phytofauna

USGS Publications Warehouse

Becerra-Munoz, S.; Schramm, H.L.

2007-01-01

The independent effects and interactions between substrate morphology and substrate surface area on invertebrate density or biomass colonizing artificial plant beds were assessed in a clear-water and a turbid playa lake in Castro County, Texas, USA. Total invertebrate density and biomass were consistently greater on filiform substrates than on laminar substrates with equivalent substrate surface areas. The relationship among treatments (substrates with different morphologies and surface areas) and response (invertebrate density or biomass) was assessed with equally spaced surface areas. Few statistically significant interactions between substrate morphology and surface area were detected, indicating that these factors were mostly independent from each other in their effect on colonizing invertebrates. Although infrequently, when substrate morphology and surface area were not independent, the effects of equally spaced changes in substrate surface area on the rate of change of phytofauna density or biomass per unit of substrate surface area were dependent upon substrate morphology. The absence of three-way interactions indicated that effects of substrate morphology and substrate area on phytofauna density or biomass were independent of environmental conditions outside and inside exclosures. ?? 2006 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Relationship among land surface temperature and LUCC, NDVI in typical karst area.

PubMed

Deng, Yuanhong; Wang, Shijie; Bai, Xiaoyong; Tian, Yichao; Wu, Luhua; Xiao, Jianyong; Chen, Fei; Qian, Qinghuan

2018-01-12

Land surface temperature (LST) can reflect the land surface water-heat exchange process comprehensively, which is considerably significant to the study of environmental change. However, research about LST in karst mountain areas with complex topography is scarce. Therefore, we retrieved the LST in a karst mountain area from Landsat 8 data and explored its relationships with LUCC and NDVI. The results showed that LST of the study area was noticeably affected by altitude and underlying surface type. In summer, abnormal high-temperature zones were observed in the study area, perhaps due to karst rocky desertification. LSTs among different land use types significantly differed with the highest in construction land and the lowest in woodland. The spatial distributions of NDVI and LST exhibited opposite patterns. Under the spatial combination of different land use types, the LST-NDVI feature space showed an obtuse-angled triangle shape and showed a negative linear correlation after removing water body data. In summary, the LST can be retrieved well by the atmospheric correction model from Landsat 8 data. Moreover, the LST of the karst mountain area is controlled by altitude, underlying surface type and aspect. This study provides a reference for land use planning, ecological environment restoration in karst areas.

Potential effects of surface coal mining on the hydrology of the Little Bear Creek area, Moorhead coal field, southeastern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

McClymonds, N.E.

1986-01-01

The Little Bear Creek area of the Moorhead Coal Field, 27 miles south of Ashland, Montana, contains large reserves of Federally owned coal that have been identified for potential lease sale. A hydrologic study was conducted in the area to describe existing hydrologic system and to assess potential effects of surface mining on local water resources. Hydrologic data collected from private wells, observation wells, test holes and springs indicate that the aquifers are coal and sandstone beds in the upper part of the Tongue River Member, Fort Union Formation (Paleocene age), and sand and gravel layers of valley alluvium (Pleistocene and Holocene age). Surface water is available from ephemeral flow along stretches of the main streams, and from stock ponds throughout the area. Mining the Anderson and Dietz coal beds would destroy one stock well and several stock ponds, would possibly interfere with the flow of one spring, and would lower the potentiometric surface within the coal and sandstone aquifers. The alluvial aquifer beneath Little Bear Creek and Davidson Draw would be removed at the mine site, as would sandstone and coal aquifers above the mine floor. Although mining would alter existing hydrologic systems, alternative water supplies are available. Planned structuring of the spoils and reconstruction of the alluvial aquifers could minimize downstream water-quality degradation. (USGS)

Groundwater conditions in Georgia, 2012–14

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peck, Michael F.; Painter, Jaime A.

2016-12-07

The U.S. Geological Survey collects groundwater data and conducts studies to monitor hydrologic conditions, better define groundwater resources, and address problems related to water supply, water use, and water quality. In Georgia, water levels were monitored continuously at 181 wells during calendar year 2012, 185 wells during calendar year 2013, and at 171 wells during calendar year 2014. Because of missing data or short periods of record (less than 3 years) for several of these wells, a total of 164 wells are discussed in this report. These wells include 17 in the surficial aquifer system, 18 in the Brunswick aquifer system and equivalent sediments, 68 in the Upper Floridan aquifer, 15 in the Lower Floridan aquifer and underlying units, 10 in the Claiborne aquifer, 1 in the Gordon aquifer, 11 in the Clayton aquifer, 16 in the Cretaceous aquifer system, 2 in Paleozoic-rock aquifers, and 6 in crystalline-rock aquifers. Data from the well network indicate that water levels generally rose during the 2012 through 2014 calendar-year period, with water levels rising in 151 wells, declining in 12, and remained about the same in 1. Water levels declined over the long-term period of record at 94 wells, increased at 60 wells, and remained relatively constant at 10 wells.In addition to continuous water-level data, periodic water-level measurements were collected and used to construct potentiometric-surface maps for the Upper Floridan aquifer in the following areas in Georgia: the Brunswick-Glynn County area during August 2012 and October 2014 and in the Albany-Dougherty County area during November 2012 and November 2014. Periodic water-level measurements were also collected and used to construct potentiometric surface maps for the Cretaceous aquifer system in the Augusta-Richmond County area during August 2012 and July 2014. In general, water levels in these areas were higher during 2014 than during 2012; however, the configuration of the potetiometric surface in each of the areas showed little change.In the Brunswick area, maps showing chloride concentration of water in the Upper Floridan aquifer (constructed using data collected from 25 wells during August 2012 and from 32 wells during October 2014) indicate that chloride concentrations remained above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's secondary drinking-water standard in an approximately 2-square-mile area. During calendar years 2012 through 2014, chloride concentrations generally increased in over 90 percent of the wells sampled with a maximum increase of 410 milligrams per liter in a well located in the north-central part of the Brunswick area.

Quality of surface water in the Bear River basin, Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waddell, K.M.; Price, Don

1972-01-01

The United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, began a reconnaissance in 1967 to obtain essential water-quality information for the Bear River basin. The reconnaissance was directed toward defining the chemical quality of the basin’s surface waters, including suitability for specific uses, geology, and general basin hydrology. Emphasis was given to those areas where water-development projects are proposed or being considered.