A Black Hills-Madison Aquifer Origin for Dakota Aquifer Groundwater in Northeastern Nebraska

Previous studies of the Dakota Aquifer in South Dakota attributed elevated groundwater sulfate concentrations to Madison Aquifer recharge in the Black Hills with subsequent chemical evolution prior to upward migration into the Dakota Aquifer. This study examines the plausibility of a Madison Aquifer origin for groundwater in northeastern Nebraska. Dakota Aquifer water samples were collected for major ion chemistry and isotopic analysis (¹⁸O, ²H, ³H, ¹⁴C, ¹³C, ³⁴S, ¹⁸O-SO₄, ⁸⁷Sr, ³⁷Cl). Results show that groundwater beneath the eastern, unconfined portion of the study area is distinctly different from groundwater sampled beneath the western, confined portion. In the east, groundwater is calcium-bicarbonate type, with δ¹⁸O values (−9.6 to −12.4) similar to local, modern precipitation (−7.4 to −10), and tritium values reflecting modern recharge. In the west, groundwater is calcium-sulfate type, having depleted δ¹⁸O values (−16 to −18) relative to local, modern precipitation, and ¹⁴C ages 32,000 to more than 47,000 years before present. Sulfate, δ¹⁸O, δ²H, δ³⁴S, and δ¹⁸O-SO₄ concentrations are similar to those found in Madison Aquifer groundwater in South Dakota. Thus, it is proposed that Madison Aquifer source water is also present within the Dakota Aquifer beneath northeastern Nebraska. A simple Darcy equation estimate of groundwater velocities and travel times using reported physical parameters from the Madison and Dakota Aquifers suggests such a migration is plausible. However, discrepancies between ¹⁴C and Darcy age estimates indicate that ¹⁴C ages may not accurately reflect aquifer residence time, due to mixtures of varying aged water.     

Simulating the influence of two shallow, flow-through lakes on a groundwater system: implications for groundwater mounds and hinge lines

Groundwater mounds and hinge lines are important features related to the interaction of groundwater and lakes. In contrast to the transient formation of groundwater mounds, numerical simulations indicate that permanent groundwater mounds form between closely spaced lakes as the natural consequence of adding two net sinks to a groundwater flow system. The location of the groundwater mound and the position of the hinge lines between the two lakes are intimately related. As the position of the mound changes there is a corresponding shift in the position of the hinge line. This results in a change in the ratio of groundwater inflow to outflow (Q_i/Q_o) for the lake. The response of the lake is an increase or decrease in the lake level. Our simulations indicate that the movement of the hinge line in a natural system is a consequence of the dynamic interrelationships between recharge, the slope of the water table upgradient and downgradient of the lake, and the loss of water from the lake by evaporation. The extent of the seasonal movement of the hinge line will vary from one year to the next depending on local changes in the magnitude of the hydrologic variables. Electronic Publication     

Design of a Multi-Level Monitoring Well for Continuous Sample Collection

As part of a study of the flow dynamics and sampling environment around a high-capacity irrigation well, it was necessary to design and install a multi-level monitoring well network close to the production well. A requirement of the monitoring well network was the capability of continuous pumping over periods typical of those used during water sample collection. This was accomplished through the use of a control valve and air manifold system connected 10 a common gasoline engine-operated air compressor. The system provided adequate air pressure to operate 24 half-size bladder pumps to depths between 21 feet (6.4 m) and 56 feet (17.1 m) below the surface. Preliminary data collected from the monitoring well network indicate that the system will meet the requirements of the high-capacity well study.     

Modeling the sediment yield and the impact of vegetated filters using an event‐based soil erosion model—a case study of a small Canadian watershed

This paper presents the first application of the event‐based MHYDAS‐Erosion model to a small agricultural watershed under temperate climate conditions (Quebec, Canada). Simulation results based on observed and synthetic rainfall events revealed a bimodal behaviour of sediment yield. During high‐intensity rainfall events, most of the sediments reaching the watershed outlet originate from cropland. Meanwhile, during low‐intensity events, most of the sediments come from the drainage network. Furthermore, simulation results show that implementation of 5‐m and 20‐m wide vegetated filters throughout the watershed or at the edge of the most problematic fields (4% of the total fields) could reduce soil loss by 52% and 31%, respectively. The modeling framework could be used for the design and location of beneficial management practices such as grass strips and riparian zones Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review of thermal response test analysis using pumping test concepts

The design of ground-coupled heat pump systems requires knowledge of the thermal properties of the subsurface and boreholes. These properties can be measured with in situ thermal response tests (TRT), where a heat transfer fluid flowing in a ground heat exchanger is heated with an electric element and the resulting temperature perturbation is monitored. These tests are analogous to standard pumping tests conducted in hydrogeology, because a system that is initially assumed at equilibrium is perturbed and the response is monitored in time, to assess the system's properties with inverse modeling. Although pumping test analysis is a mature topic in hydrogeology, the current analysis of temperature measurements in the context of TRTs is comparatively a new topic and it could benefit from the application of concepts related to pumping tests. The purpose of this work is to review the methodology of TRTs and improve their analysis using pumping test concepts, such as the well function, the superposition principle, and the radius of influence. The improvements are demonstrated with three TRTs. The first test was conducted in unsaturated waste rock at an active mine and the other two tests aimed at evaluating the performance of thermally enhanced pipe installed in a fully saturated sedimentary rock formation. The concepts borrowed from pumping tests allowed the planning of the duration of the TRTs and the analysis of variable heat injection rate tests accounting for external heat transfer and temperature recovery, which reduces the uncertainty in the estimation of thermal properties.     

Origin of salts in stone monument degradation using sulphur and oxygen isotopes: First results of the Bourges cathedral (France)

The crystallisation of soluble sulphate salts is one of the most important factors of stone monument degradation. The origin of these salts is variable: marine, air pollution, building or restoration material. The lack of certainty about these sources represents a problem for restoration campaigns. The use of sulphur and oxygen isotopic tracers allows to discriminate the origins of materials and some stone deterioration patterns like black crusts (e.g. [Šrámek J., 1988. Sulfur Isotopes in the revealing corrosion mechanism of stones. 6th International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone,. Proceedings, ed. J. Ciabach. Nicholas Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, 341–345.]). First results obtained on the Bourges cathedral (France) show that the sulphur and oxygen isotopic composition of sulphates from external (atmospheric pollution) and internal (mortars, plasters and sulphates coming from stone sulphide oxidation) origins constitute well differentiated poles. The isotopic composition of sulphates implied in different stone deterioration patterns is well explained by a combination of these poles. The present study will be extended to other French monuments located in different lithological and hydroclimatic settings where contributions of sea salts and ancient chemical treatments are suspected.     

Petrology, chemistry and origin of Apollo 15 regolith breccias

Variations in modal petrology, mineral compositions and bulk compositions were determined for ten Apollo 15 regolith breccias for comparison with local soils and assessment of the intrasite petrologic variability of the Apollo 15 regolith. Based on the above criteria the breccias are of local origin and mimic the soils from the corresponding sampling stations, with the exception of station 2 breccia 15205. This sample formed from an anomalous regolith and although not considered exotic to the site is not representative of the soil at the site. KREEP basalt and green glass components vary from trace amounts to dominant in the breccias, evidence that these materials entered the regolith prior to formation of the breccias. Breccias from the edge of Hadley Rille are modally richer in highland fragments than the soils, whereas at the base of Hadley Delta the reverse is true. This is explained by the loss of material into the Rille to be replaced by basalt-derived material, making the soils more basalt-rich. At the base of Hadley Delta highland material is accumulating and the soils are becoming more highland-rich. Over billions of years these processes have developed differences between the present day, evolving soils and “fossil” non-evolving soils represented by the regolith breccias. This shows that there has been little change in the geology and the morphology of the Apollo 15 site, probably since the eruption of mare basalts at the site (˜3.3 b.y.).     

Carbon to nitrogen (C:N) stoichiometry of the spring–summer phytoplankton bloom in the North Water Polynya (NOW)

The carbon to nitrogen (C:N) stoichiometry of phytoplankton production varied significantly during the spring–summer bloom in the North Water Polynya (NOW), from April through July 1998. The molar ratio of particulate organic carbon (POC) to nitrogen (PON) production by phytoplankton (ΔPOC:ΔPON) increased from 5.8 during April through early June to 8.9 in late June and July. The molar dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to nitrate+nitrite (NO₃) drawdown ratio (ΔDIC: ΔNO₃) increased from 6.7 in April and May, to 11.9 in June (no estimate for July because of ice melting). The discrepancy between ΔPOC:ΔPON and ΔDIC:ΔNO₃ was likely due to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production. Increased ΔPOC:ΔPON of phytoplankton and surface water ΔDIC:ΔNO₃ throughout the phytoplankton blooms resulted from changes in physical properties of the upper water column, such as reduced thickness of the surface mixed layer that exposed phytoplankton to increased photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), accompanied by NO₃ depletion. This is expected to have significant effects on the cycling of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in pelagic ecosystems, as the increased C:N ratio of organic matter decreases its quality as substrate for grazers and microbial communities. Based on ΔPOC:ΔPON, the ratio of POC to chlorophyll a (Chl) production (ΔPOC:ΔChl) and the relationship between Chl yields and NO₃ depletion, we estimate that 71±17% and 46±20% of the depleted NO₃ went to PON production in the euphotic zone over the polynya from April to early June, and late June to July, respectively. The remaining NO₃ was likely channelled to dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and heterotrophic bacteria, which were not returned to the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) pool through recycling during the course of the study. Hence, the autotrophic production of organic N and its recycling by the microbial food web were not coupled temporally.