Solar Photocatalytic Decolorization and Detoxification of Industrial Batik Dye Wastewater Using P(3HB)‐TiO2 Nanocomposite Films

Solar photocatalytic decolorization and detoxification of batik dye wastewater using titanium dioxide (TiO₂) immobilized on poly‐3‐hydroxybutyrate (P(3HB)) film was studied. The effects of initial dye concentration, catalyst concentration, P(3HB) film thickness, and fabrication methods of the nanocomposite films were evaluated against methylene blue, a standard organic dye. It was observed that 0.4 g of P(3HB)‐40 wt% TiO₂ removed 96% of the color under solar irradiation. P(3HB) and TiO₂, mixed concurrently in chloroform followed by stirring for 24 h showed a more even distribution of the photocatalyst on the polymer surface and yielded almost 100% color removal. The photocatalytic films were able to completely decolorize real industrial batik dye wastewater in 3 h and induced a chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction of 80%. Reusability of the 0.4 g P(3HB)‐40 wt% TiO₂ film in decolorizing the batik dye wastewater was also possible as it gave a high consistent value of decolorization percentage (>80%) even after the sixth repeated usage. Recovery step of the photocatalysts was also not required in this simple treatment system. The decolorized batik dye wastewater had less/no toxic effects on mosquito larvae, Aedes aegypti, and microalgae, Scenedesmus quadricauda indicating simultaneous detoxification process along with the decolorization process.     

Variation of Antioxidant System in Pinus armandii under Elevated O3 in an Entire Growth Season

Impact of elevated O₃ (80 nmol mol^?1) was studied on antioxidant system in the previous‐year needles (P‐needles) of Pinus armandii under the background of global climate change. CAT (catalase) did not play an important role in defensing O₃ pollution, as no significant change was observed in its activity in P‐needles exposed to elevated O₃ during the entire growth season. Ascorbate (AsA) was more sensitive to elevated O₃, as the O₃‐induced decrease in its content was observed at Day 45. It suggests that AsA consumption was a crucial way for protecting against O₃ pollution. After 75 days of O₃ exposure, increase in superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activities occurred in P‐needles (p < 0.05), whereas glutathione reductase activity was significantly increased after 105 days of O₃ treatment (p < 0.05). Dehydroascorbate reductase and monoascorbate reductase activities also increased after 75 days of elevated O₃ exposure. However, the elevated antioxidant capability did not suppress the generation of reactive oxygen species, and as a result, increase in malondialdehyde content was noted (p < 0.05). Noticeably, no change was observed in electrolyte leakage during the entire growth season under elevated O₃ fumigation. It indicates that O₃‐induced oxidative stress was not severe in the needles of P. armandii. In other words, P. armandii has certain tolerance to O₃ pollution.     

Hydrogen isotopic compositions, distributions and source signals of individual n-alkanes for some typical crude oils in Lunnan Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China

Petroleum mainly comprises carbon and hydrogen elements. The stable carbon isotopic analysis for whole oil was undertaken as early as the 1930s. After decades, the stable carbon isotopic analytical methods have been developed from analysis for whole oil and oil fractions (e.g., saturated, aromatic and polar frac-tions) into compound-specific isotopic analysis with the emergence of the newly developed GC-C-IRMS analytical technique. Especially, by using com-pound-specific isotopic analytical…     

Effects of In Situ Remediation Using Oxidants or Surfactants on Subsurface Organic Matter and Sorption of Trichloroethene

In situ remediation technologies have the potential to alter subsurface properties such as natural organic matter (NOM) content or character, which could affect the organic carbon‐water partitioning behavior of chlorinated organic solvents, including dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). Laboratory experiments were completed to determine the nature and extent of changes in the partitioning behavior of trichloroethene (TCE) caused by in situ chemical oxidation or in situ surfactant flushing. Sandy porous media were obtained from the subsurface at a site in Orlando, Florida. Experiments were run using soil slurries in zero‐headspace reactors (ZHRs) following a factorial design to study the effects of porous media properties (sand vs. loamy sand with different total organic carbon [TOC] contents), TCE concentration (DNAPL presence or absence), and remediation agent type (potassium permanganate vs. activated sodium persulfate, Dowfax 8390 vs. Tween 80). Results revealed that the fraction of organic carbon (f_oc) of porous media after treatment by oxidants or surfactants was higher or lower relative to that in the untreated media controls. Isotherm experiments were run using the treated and control media to measure the distribution coefficient (K_d) of TCE. Organic carbon‐water partitioning coefficient values (K_oc) calculated from the experimental data revealed that K_oc values for TCE in the porous media were altered via treatment using oxidants and surfactants. This alteration can affect the validity of estimates of contaminant mass remaining after remediation. Thus, potential changes in partitioning behavior should be considered to help avoid decision errors when judging the effectiveness of an in situ remediation technology.     

A multicatchment analysis of headwater and downstream temperature effects from contemporary forest harvesting

Stream temperature is a key physical water‐quality parameter, controlling many biological, chemical, and physical processes in aquatic ecosystems. Maintenance of cool stream temperatures during summer is critical for high‐quality aquatic habitat. As such, transmission of warm water from small, nonfish‐bearing headwater streams after forest harvesting could cause warming in downstream fish‐bearing stream reaches with negative consequences. In this study, we evaluate (a) the effects of contemporary forest management practices on stream temperature in small, headwater streams, (b) the transmission of thermal signals from headwater reaches after harvesting to downstream fish‐bearing reaches, and (c) the relative role of lithology and forest management practices in influencing differential thermal responses in both the headwater and downstream reaches. We measured summer stream temperatures both preharvest and postharvest at 29 sites—12 upstream sites (4 reference, 8 harvested) and 17 downstream sites (5 reference, 12 harvested)—across 3 paired watershed studies in western Oregon. The 7‐day moving average of daily maximum stream temperature (T_7DAYMAX) was greater during the postharvest period relative to the preharvest period at 7 of the 8 harvested upstream sites. Although the T_7DAYMAX was generally warmer in the downstream direction at most of the stream reaches during both the preharvest and postharvest period, there was no evidence for additional downstream warming related to the harvesting activity. Rather, the T_7DAYMAX cooled rapidly as stream water flowed into forested reaches ~370–1,420 m downstream of harvested areas. Finally, the magnitude of effects of contemporary forest management practices on stream temperature increased with the proportion of catchment underlain by more resistant lithology at both the headwater and downstream sites, reducing the potential for the cooling influence of groundwater.     

Spectroscopic Characterization of Organic Structures and Organic‐Inorganic Interactions in Paper Mill Sludge

The organic composition and organic‐inorganic interaction in paper mill sludge (PS) solvent extracts (hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone and ethanol) and humic fractions, humic acid (HA) and humin (HU) were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), proton and carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR; ¹³C NMR), Fourier‐transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy (UV‐vis). The strategy of fractionating the PS, sequentially, with organic solvents of increasing polarity is a reliable analytical procedure for humic substance sample separation because it results in more purified fractions. FTIR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR results showed that hexane extract consisted mainly of aliphatic hydrocarbon structures. Their contents in the extracts decreased as the polarity of the extracting solvent increased and the content of oxygen functional groups increased. Carboxylic and carboxylate functional groups were found in the acetone extract, and ester and ether functions were predominantly found in the ethanol extract. EPR spectra revealed some Fe³⁺ complexes with rhombic structure (g₁ = 4.3; g₂ = 9.0) in the humic fractions and in all solvent extracts, except hexane. Quasi‐octahedral Fe³⁺ complexes (g = 2.3; ΔH_pp ≤ 400 G) were found in the HU fraction and in the acetone extract. The organic free radical content in the HA fraction was higher than the non‐fractionated PS sample and HU fraction.     

Effectiveness of introducing crop coefficient and leaf area index to enhance evapotranspiration simulations in hydrologic models

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential component of the hydrological cycle and plays a critical role in water resource management. However, ET is often overlooked in order to transform rainfall to runoff for better streamflow simulation. Hydrological models are commonly used to estimate areal actual evapotranspiration (AET) after calibration against observed discharge. However, classical approaches are often inadequate to appropriately simulate other hydrologic components. Hence, it is important to introduce natural heterogeneity to enhance hydrological processes and reduce water balance errors. In this study, the effectiveness of introducing a constant crop coefficient (K_c), flux tower‐based K_c, and leaf area index (LAI) to three hydrological models (Three‐Parametric Hydrologic Model [TPHM], Génie Rural à 4 paramètres Journalier [GR4J], and Catchment hydrologic cycle Assessment Tool [CAT]) is assessed for the simulation of daily streamflow and AET in a mountainous mixed forest watershed (8.54 km²) in South Korea. The results show that the streamflow simulations after introduction of K_c and LAI to the original models are quite similar. However, the effectiveness of the AET estimation was significantly enhanced after introduction of the flux tower‐based K_c and LAI. The information criterion computed to compare the models reveals that the flux tower‐based K_c‐simulated AET demonstrated better agreement with the observed AET. The Pearson's correlation coefficients (R²) of the TPHM (8%), GR4J (55%), and CAT (55%) models also showed improvements that were greater than the constant based K_c simulation. Similarly, the limitations of the three models with respect to capturing seasonal variation as well as high and low flows were enhanced after the introduction of the flux tower‐based K_c, which adequately reproduced hydrological processes with minimum water balance errors and bias. A regression analysis revealed the potential of estimating K_c as a linear function of LAI (R² = 0.84). The results of this study indicate that introduction of K_c and LAI to the conceptual rainfall–runoff models can be considered an effective approach to reduce water balance errors and uncertainties in hydrological models and improve the reliability of climate change studies and water resource management.     

Determination of critical shear stress of non‐cohesive soils using submerged jet test and turbulent kinetic energy

Laboratory tests using Jet Erosion Testing (JET) apparatus, impinging normally on a horizontal boundary, were conducted to determine the critical shear stress (τ_c) of non‐cohesive soil samples. A three‐dimensional (3D) SonTek/YSI 16 MHz Micro‐Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (MicroADV) was used to measure turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) at a radial limit of entrainment in the wall jet zone and the measurements were used to calculate τ_c of the samples. The results showed that TKE increases exponentially with increasing particle size. The τ_c from this study were comparable (R² = 0.8) to the theoretical τ_c from Shields diagram after bed roughness scale ratio (D/k_s), due to the non‐uniform bed conditions, was accounted for. This study demonstrated that JET and TKE can be used to determine τ_c of non‐cohesive soils. The use of JET and TKE was found to be faster and easier when compared to the conventional approach of using flumes. A relationship of TKE at the onset of incipient motion (TKE_c) and samples’ D₅₀ developed in this study can be used to predict τ_c of non‐cohesive soils under similar non‐uniform conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sorption Behaviour of Phenols on Natural Sandy Aquifer Material during Flow‐through Column Experiments: The Effect of pH

Flow‐through column experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of pH on the sorption of three phenols (2‐methyl‐4, 6‐dinitrophenol, 2, 4, 6‐trichlorophenol, pentachlorophenol) onto a natural sandy aquifer material collected from a bank filtration site of River Elbe, Germany. For the phenols investigated, an increase in sorption (retardation) with decreasing pH is observed indicating a stronger sorption of the neutral species in comparison to that of the anions formed by dissociation. The anions of 2‐methyl‐4, 6‐dinitrophenol and 2, 4, 6‐trichlorophenol do not show significant sorption. On the contrary, pentachlorophenol showed sorption not only in neutral form but also in ionic form significantly which should be taken into account while assessing the fate and transport of such compound. A linear model based on the degree of protonation (calculated from pH and pK_a) can be used to resolve the apparent (observed) sorption coefficient (K_{d, app}) into its neutral (K_{d, n}) and ionised (K_{d, i}) components. Knowing pK_a, K_{d, n}, and K_{d, i} the apparent sorption coefficient for pH values other than experimentally investigated can be predicted.     

Seismic fragility of traction elevators

Second‐generation performance‐based earthquake engineering (PBEE‐2) requires a library of component fragility functions to estimate probabilistic damage to a wide variety of building components. The present work draws on a large body of (mostly) post‐earthquake reconnaissance and (some) post‐earthquake survey observations of traction elevators to create fragility functions useful in PBEE‐2. Two surveys provide detailed observations of 115 representative elevators at 12 hospitals shaken in the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge earthquakes and selected without regard to or foreknowledge of damage. Of these, 55 failed and 60 did not. Approximately half were installed after an important code change of 1972, so one can distinguish the performance of pre‐1973 and post‐1973 elevator construction. They experienced a range of strong motion: 22 with peak ground acceleration (PGA) < 0.25 g, 93 with 0.25 g < PGA < 0.85 g. The hospitals had elevator failure rates as low as 0% and as high as 100%. A third survey describes damage qualitatively for six sites with PGA ≤ 0.25 and per‐site failure rates of 0% to perhaps 30%. Fragility functions are offered where the damage state is the loss of functionality of the elevator. The elevators in these surveys exhibit a median capacity of PGA ≈ 0.35 g with a logarithmic standard deviation of 0.40. Capacity is modestly sensitive to whether the elevator was installed before or after 1973. Using building‐specific intensity measures such as S_a(T₁) does not improve the fragility functions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhancement of Carbon Dioxide Capture by Amine‐Functionalized Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotube

In this study, crude multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) was functionalized by a two‐step process; first using strong mixed acids (H₂SO₄/HNO₃) and then treatment with 1,3‐phenylenediamine (mPDA). The equilibrium adsorption of CO₂ on pristine MWCNT and amine functionalized MWCNT (MWCNT‐NH₂) were investigated. Experiments were preformed via application of volumetric method in a dual sorption vessel at temperature range of 298–318 K and pressures up to 40 bars. The results obtained indicated that the equilibrium uptake of CO₂ increased after functionalizing of MWCNT. The increase in CO₂ capture by MWCNT‐NH₂ was attributed to the existence of great affinity between CO₂ molecules and amine sites on this adsorbent at low pressures. The experimental data were analyzed by means of Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models. The data obtained revealed a fast kinetics for the adsorption of CO₂ in which most of adsorption occurred at initial period of adsorption experiments. This renders MWCNT as a suitable adsorbent for practical applications. Values of isosteric heat of adsorption were evaluated based on Clausius–Clapeyron equation. The results demonstrated that both chemisorption and physisorption played important role in CO₂ adsorption on MWCNT‐NH₂, whereas the physisorption process was dominant for CO₂ adsorption on MWCNT.     

Start‐Up Study on Biohydrogen from Palm Oil Mill Effluent in a Pilot‐Scale Reactor

A start‐up study for biohydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) is carried out in a pilot‐scale up‐flow anaerobic sludge blanket fixed‐film reactor (UASFF). A substrate with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 30 g L^?1 is used, starting with molasses solution for 30 days and followed by a 10% v/v increment of POME/molasses ratio. At 100% POME, a hydrogen content of 80%, hydrogen production rate of 36 L H₂ per day, and maximum COD removal of 48.7% are achieved. Bio‐kinetic coefficients of Monod, first‐order, Grau second‐order, and Stover‐Kincannon kinetic models are calculated to describe the performance of the system. The steady‐state data with 100% POME shows that Monod and Stover‐Kincannon models with bio‐kinetic coefficients of half‐velocity constant (K_s) of 6000 mg COD L^?1, microbial decay rate (K_d) of 0.0015 per day, growth yield constant (Y) of 0.786 mg volatile suspended solids (VSS)/mg COD, specific biomass growth rate (μ_max) of 0.568 per day, and substrate consumption rate of (U_max) 3.98 g/L day could be considered as superior models with correlation coefficients (R²) of 0.918 and 0.989, respectively, compared to first‐order and Grau's second‐order models with coefficients of K₁ 1.08 per day, R² 0.739, and K_2s 1.69 per day, a = 7.0 per day, b = 0.847.     

Field Study of Subsurface Heterogeneity with Steady‐State Hydraulic Tomography

Remediation of subsurface contamination requires an understanding of the contaminant (history, source location, plume extent and concentration, etc.), and, knowledge of the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity (K) that governs groundwater flow and solute transport. Many methods exist for characterizing K heterogeneity, but most if not all methods require the collection of a large number of small‐scale data and its interpolation. In this study, we conduct a hydraulic tomography survey at a highly heterogeneous glaciofluvial deposit at the North Campus Research Site (NCRS) located at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada to sequentially interpret four pumping tests using the steady‐state form of the Sequential Successive Linear Estimator (SSLE) ( Yeh and Liu 2000 ). The resulting three‐dimensional (3D) K distribution (or K‐tomogram) is compared against: ( 1 ) K distributions obtained through the inverse modeling of individual pumping tests using SSLE, and ( 2 ) effective hydraulic conductivity (K_eff) estimates obtained by automatically calibrating a groundwater flow model while treating the medium to be homogeneous. Such a K_eff is often used for designing remediation operations, and thus is used as the basis for comparison with the K‐tomogram. Our results clearly show that hydraulic tomography is superior to the inversions of single pumping tests or K_eff estimates. This is particularly significant for contaminated sites where an accurate representation of the flow field is critical for simulating contaminant transport and injection of chemical and biological agents used for active remediation of contaminant source zones and plumes.     

Spatially distributed long‐term hydrologic simulation using a continuous SCS CN method‐based hybrid hydrologic model

A continuous Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number (CN) method that considers time‐varied SCS CN values was developed based on the original SCS CN method with a revised soil moisture accounting approach to estimate run‐off depth for long‐term discontinuous storm events. The method was applied to spatially distributed long‐term hydrologic simulation of rainfall‐run‐off flow with an underlying assumption for its spatial variability using a geographic information systems‐based spatially distributed Clark's unit hydrograph method (Distributed‐Clark; hybrid hydrologic model), which is a simple few parameter run‐off routing method for input of spatiotemporally varied run‐off depth, incorporating conditional unit hydrograph adoption for different run‐off precipitation depth‐based direct run‐off flow convolution. Case studies of spatially distributed long‐term (total of 6 years) hydrologic simulation for four river basins using daily NEXRAD quantitative precipitation estimations demonstrate overall performances of Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (E_NS) 0.62, coefficient of determination (R²) 0.64, and percent bias 0.33% in direct run‐off and E_NS 0.71, R² 0.72, and percent bias 0.15% in total streamflow for model result comparison against observed streamflow. These results show better fit (improvement in E_NS of 42.0% and R² of 33.3% for total streamflow) than the same model using spatially averaged gauged rainfall. Incorporation of logic for conditional initial abstraction in a continuous SCS CN method, which can accommodate initial run‐off loss amounts based on previous rainfall, slightly enhances model simulation performance; both E_NS and R² increased by 1.4% for total streamflow in a 4‐year calibration period. A continuous SCS CN method‐based hybrid hydrologic model presented in this study is, therefore, potentially significant to improved implementation of long‐term hydrologic applications for spatially distributed rainfall‐run‐off generation and routing, as a relatively simple hydrologic modelling approach for the use of more reliable gridded types of quantitative precipitation estimations.     

First approximations of soil moisture retention curves using the filter‐paper method

Relationships between gravimetric soil moisture content (w) and matric potential (ϕ), and between volumetric soil moisture content (θ_v) and pressure head (h) were approximated for the unsaturated zone on Long Island, New York. Soil samples were collected from two sites using a hand auger. The soil moisture content was determined using the filter‐paper (w_f) and gravimetric (w) methods, respectively. The w_f was then used in an empirical equation to estimate ϕ_m. Each set of ϕ_m and w was combined with a straight‐line empirical model to obtain a w(ϕ_m) relationship. Soil ϕ_m was converted to h, and w to the volumetric moisture content θ_v, in order to produce a θ_v(h) curve. Graphical and statistical comparison showed that the resulting θ_v(h) curves fell within one order of magnitude of similar curves generated by a more sophisticated non‐linear model developed previously. The simplicity and low cost of the filter‐paper approach described in this study recommends it for preliminary studies of hydraulic properties in the unsaturated zone. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gully morphological characteristics in the loess hilly‐gully region based on 3D laser scanning technique

Gully morphology characteristics can be used effectively to describe the status of gully development. The Chabagou watershed, located in the hilly‐gully region of the Loess Plateau in China, was selected to investigate gully morphological characteristics using a 3D laser scanning technique (LIDAR). Thirty‐one representative gullies located at different watershed locations and gully orders were chosen to quantitatively describe gully morphology and establish empirical equations for estimating gully volume based on gully length and gully surface area. Images and point cloud data for the 31 gullies were collected, and digital elevation models (DEMs) with 10‐cm resolution were generated. ArcGIS 10.1 was then used to extract fundamental gully morphological parameters covering gully length (L), gully width (W_T) and gully depth (D), and some derivative morphological parameters, including gully head curvature (C), gully width–depth ratio (w/d), gully bottom‐to‐top width ratio (W_B/W_T), gully surface area (A_g) and gully volume (V_g). The results indicated that gullies in the upper watershed and the second order were more developed based on their high values of gully head curvature. The potential for gully development increased from the second order to the fourth order. Within the same gully orders, gullies in the lower watershed were more active with more development potential. A method for differentiating between gully head and gully sidewalls based on the gully head curvature value was proposed with a mean relative error of 8.77%. U‐shaped cross‐sections were widely distributed in the upper watershed and upper positions of a gully, while V‐shaped cross‐sections were widely distributed in the lower watershed and lower positions of a gully. V–L and V–A_g empirical equations with acceptable accuracy were established and can be used to estimate gully erosion in the Loess hilly‐gully region. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relations of sand trapping efficiency and migration speed of transverse dunes to wind velocity

A self‐consistent model which describes transverse dune migration in equilibrium is introduced. It shows that an equilibrium expression for dune migration speed (c _d) must take into account sand trapping efficiency (T _E), and that T _E is strongly related to the wind speedup over the windward surface. An expression for sand trapping efficiency (T _E) is analytically derived from a microscale analysis of sand grain deposition on the slip face. Sand trapping efficiency (T _E) is mainly determined by shear velocity on a level surface (u_*(−∞)), and rapidly decreases as u_*(−∞) increases. For each dune height (H), dune migration speed (c _d) first increases, and then decreases monotonically after reaching the maximum, as the shear velocity on a level surface (u_*(−∞)) increases. Dune migration speed (c _d) is not inversely proportional to dune height (H). For low dunes, small sand trapping efficiency (T _E) suppresses c _d, whereas for high dunes, wind speedup and large T _E resist the decrease of c _d. Some field data show the same tendency. The dune‐to‐plane‐bed transition observed in subaqueous and venusian bedforms could be associated with the decrease of sand trapping efficiency (T _E). Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influences of catchment characteristics on nitrogen concentration in largely forested streams during the base flow period

Based on measured stream nitrogen concentrations at outlets of 12 small sub‐areas (1·3–54·7 km²) in a largely forested catchment during the base flow period, we investigated the influences of discharges and different catchment characteristics on stream nitrogen concentration. Our field surveys were carried out during the 11‐month's period from April 2001 to February 2002 and the correlations between nitrogen concentrations and catchment characteristics were studied. The results showed that the vegetation cover was strongly correlated to total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate + nitrite ? nitrogen (NO_x‐N) concentrations. That is, the TN and NO_x‐N concentrations had positive correlations with mean normalized difference vegetation cover index (NDVI) of each sub‐area during dormant seasons (mean NDVI < 0 · 70) and had negative correlations during the growing season (mean NDVI ≥ 0 . 70). The significance of catchment characteristics to TN and NO_x‐N concentrations was ranked as vegetation cover > soil > topography > land use, and the best models can account for 55–64% of the variance of TN and NO_x‐N concentrations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Net Recharge vs. Depth to Groundwater Relationship in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska,United States

One‐km resolution MODIS‐based mean annual evapotranspiration (ET) estimates in combination with PRISM precipitation rates were correlated with depth to groundwater (d) values in the wide alluvial valley of the Platte River in Nebraska for obtaining a net recharge (Rn) vs. d relationship. MODIS cells with irrigation were excluded, yielding a mixture of predominantly range, pasture, grass, and riparian forest covers on sandy soils with a shallow groundwater table. The transition depth (d_t) between negative and positive values of the net groundwater recharge was found to be at about 2 (±1) m. Within 1 (±1) m of the surface and at a depth larger than about 7 to 8 (±1) m, the mean annual net recharge became independent of d at a level of about ?4 (±12)% and 13 (±10)%, respectively, of the mean annual precipitation rate. The obtained Rn(d) relationship is based on a calibration‐free ET estimation method and may help in obtaining the net recharge in shallow groundwater areas of negligible surface runoff where sufficient groundwater‐depth data exist.     

A coupled model for simulating surface water and groundwater interactions in coastal wetlands

Coastal wetlands are characterized by strong, dynamic interactions between surface water and groundwater. This paper presents a coupled model that simulates interacting surface water and groundwater flow and solute transport processes in these wetlands. The coupled model is based on two existing (sub) models for surface water and groundwater, respectively: ELCIRC (a three‐dimensional (3‐D) finite‐volume/finite‐difference model for simulating shallow water flow and solute transport in rivers, estuaries and coastal seas) and SUTRA (a 3‐D finite‐element/finite‐difference model for simulating variably saturated, variable‐density fluid flow and solute transport in porous media). Both submodels, using compatible unstructured meshes, are coupled spatially at the common interface between the surface water and groundwater bodies. The surface water level and solute concentrations computed by the ELCIRC model are used to determine the boundary conditions of the SUTRA‐based groundwater model at the interface. In turn, the groundwater model provides water and solute fluxes as inputs for the continuity equations of surface water flow and solute transport to account for the mass exchange across the interface. Additionally, flux from the seepage face was routed instantaneously to the nearest surface water cell according to the local sediment surface slope. With an external coupling approach, these two submodels run in parallel using time steps of different sizes. The time step (Δt_g) for the groundwater model is set to be larger than that (Δt_s) used by the surface water model for computational efficiency: Δt_g = M × Δt_s where M is an integer greater than 1. Data exchange takes place between the two submodels through a common database at synchronized times (e.g. end of each Δt_g). The coupled model was validated against two previously reported experiments on surface water and groundwater interactions in coastal lagoons. The results suggest that the model represents well the interacting surface water and groundwater flow and solute transport processes in the lagoons. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.