Bias in hydraulic head measurements from multilevel vibrating-wire piezometers with excessively permeable backfill

Hydrogeology Journal - An extensive network of multilevel vibrating-wire piezometers (VWP) was recently created to monitor the spatial and temporal variation of pore pressure (and hydraulic head)...     

Controls on permafrost thaw in a coupled groundwater-flow and heat-transport system: Iqaluit Airport,Nunavut, Canada

Numerical simulations of groundwater flow and heat transport are used to provide insight into the interaction between shallow groundwater flow and thermal dynamics related to permafrost thaw and thaw settlement at the Iqaluit Airport taxiway, Nunavut, Canada. A conceptual model is first developed for the site and a corresponding two-dimensional numerical model is calibrated to the observed ground temperatures. Future climate-warming impacts on the thermal regime and flow system are then simulated based on climate scenarios proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Under climate warming, surface snow cover is identified as the leading factor affecting permafrost degradation, including its role in increasing the sensitivity of permafrost degradation to changes in various hydrogeological factors. In this case, advective heat transport plays a relatively minor, but non-negligible, role compared to conductive heat transport, due to the significant extent of low-permeability soil close to surface. Conductive heat transport, which is strongly affected by the surface snow layer, controls the release of unfrozen water and the depth of the active layer as well as the magnitude of thaw settlement and frost heave. Under the warmest climate-warming scenario with an average annual temperature increase of 3.23 °C for the period of 2011–2100, the simulations suggest that the maximum depth of the active layer will increase from 2 m in 2012 to 8.8 m in 2100 and, over the same time period, thaw settlement along the airport taxiway will increase from 0.11 m to at least 0.17 m.

     

The Qijurittuq site (IbGk-3), Eastern Hudson Bay: An IPY Interdisciplinary Study

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):227–243, 2010

An interdisciplinary study was conducted at Qijurittuq (IbGk-3), an archaeological site located on Drayton Island along the eastern shore of Hudson Bay, Nunavik. Local Inuit made important contributions to the research. High school students participated in the field school, and elders shared their traditional knowledge. The elders expressed an interest in the source of the wood used to construct Qijurittuq's semi-subterranean dwellings, and this inspired us to expand our research in that direction. This interdisciplinary study included a reconstruction of the geomorphological and environmental history of Drayton Island, wood provenance and dendrochronology studies, research on house architecture and settlement patterns, and a zooarchaeological analysis. This paper synthesizes the preliminary results of this interdisciplinary investigation within the context of climate change. We discuss the persistence of semi-subterranean dwellings in eastern Hudson Bay long after they had been abandoned elsewhere. At Qijurittuq, their abandonment corresponds with the end of Little Ice Age. However, at the same time, the development of more permanent contact with Euro-Canadians was having a strong impact upon Inuit culture.     

Review: The potential impact of underground geological storage of carbon dioxide in deep saline aquifers on shallow groundwater resources

Underground geological storage of CO₂ in deep saline aquifers is considered for reducing greenhouse gases emissions into the atmosphere. However, some issues were raised with regard to the potential hazards to shallow groundwater resources from CO₂ leakage, brine displacement and pressure build-up. An overview is provided of the current scientific knowledge pertaining to the potential impact on shallow groundwater resources of geological storage of CO₂ in deep saline aquifers, identifying knowledge gaps for which original research opportunities are proposed. Two main impacts are defined and discussed therein: the near-field impact due to the upward vertical migration of free-phase CO₂ to surficial aquifers, and the far-field impact caused by large-scale displacement of formation waters by the injected CO₂. For the near-field, it is found that numerical studies predict possible mobilization of trace elements but concentrations are rarely above the maximum limit for potable water. For the far-field, numerical studies predict only minor impacts except for some specific geological conditions such as high caprock permeability. Despite important knowledge gaps, the possible environmental impacts of geological storage of CO₂ in deep saline aquifers on shallow groundwater resources appears to be low, but much more work is required to evaluate site specific impacts.     

An enhanced method for source parameter imaging of magnetic data collected for mineral exploration

We have developed a method for imaging magnetic data collected for mineral exploration to yield the following structural information: depth, model type (structural index) and susceptibility. The active nature of mineral exploration data requires we derive the structural information from a robust quantity: we propose that the first‐ or second‐order analytic‐signal amplitude is suitably stable. The procedure is to normalize the analytic‐signal amplitude by the peak value and then use non‐linear inversion to estimate the depth and the structural index for each anomaly. In our field example, different results are obtained depending on whether we inverted for the first‐ or second‐order analytic‐signal amplitude. This is probably because the two‐dimensional contact, thin sheet or horizontal cylinder models we have assumed are not appropriate. In cases such as these, when our model assumptions are not correct, the results should not be interpreted quantitatively, but they might be useful for giving a qualitative indication of how the structure might vary. With a priori information, it is possible to assume a model type (i.e. set the structural index) and generate estimates of the depth and susceptibility. These data can then be gridded and imaged. If a contact is assumed, the susceptibility contrast is estimated; for the dike model, the susceptibility‐thickness is estimated; for the horizontal cylinder, the susceptibility‐area is estimated. To emphasize that the results are dependent on our assumed model, we advocate prefixing any derived quantity by the term ‘apparent’.     

Integrated Hydrological Modeling of Climate Change Impacts in a Snow-Influenced Catchment

The potential impact of climate change on water resources has been intensively studied for different regions and climates across the world. In regions where winter processes such as snowfall and melting play a significant role, anticipated changes in temperature might significantly affect hydrological systems. To address this impact, modifications have been made to the fully integrated surface-subsurface flow model HydroGeoSphere (HGS) to allow the simulation of snow accumulation and melting. The modified HGS model was used to assess the potential impact of climate change on surface and subsurface flow in the Saint-Charles River catchment, Quebec (Canada) for the period 2070 to 2100. The model was first developed and calibrated to reproduce observed streamflow and hydraulic heads for current climate conditions. The calibrated model was then used with three different climate scenarios to simulate surface flow and groundwater dynamics for the 2070 to 2100 period. Winter stream discharges are predicted to increase by about 80, 120, and 150% for the three scenarios due to warmer winters, leading to more liquid precipitation and more snowmelt. Conversely, the summer stream discharges are predicted to fall by about 10, 15, and 20% due to an increase in evapotranspiration. However, the annual mean stream discharge should remain stable (±0.1 m³/s). The predicted increase in hydraulic heads in winter may reach 15 m and the maximum decrease in summer may reach 3 m. Simulations show that winter processes play a key role in the seasonal modifications anticipated for surface and subsurface flow dynamics.     

Tritium across the hydrologic systems of southern Ontario,Canada: implications for groundwater age dating in the Great Lakes Basin

Modern, ambient tritium concentrations in precipitation are lower and more temporally consistent now that they have recovered from the historic thermonuclear bomb peak of the mid-1960s. With the bomb peak no longer the overriding influence on atmospheric tritium concentrations, anthropogenic point sources, such as nuclear-generating stations (NGS), have the largest influence, though the extent and temporal variability of this influence remains uncharacterized. The lack of precipitation monitoring locations means that spatial trends in tritium concentrations in precipitation are unknown. To address this data gap, tritium concentrations in shallow modern groundwater are interpolated throughout southern Ontario (Canada), at the center of the Great Lakes Basin, and the interpolation is tested as a precipitation proxy with a statistical comparison that shows good agreement between the shallow groundwater and precipitation datasets. The shallow groundwater tritium interpolation is used to delineate the extent of NGS influence as representing 66% of the study area. Recharge timings in the subcropping bedrock aquifers of the study area are interpreted qualitatively in areas outside of NGS influence to be primarily a mix of pre-bomb and modern recharge, with no indication of peak recharge levels remaining. The influence of drift thickness on the proportion of tritium-dead versus tritium-live samples is observed spatially and confirmed by comparing data distributions. The oldest waters (pre-1953) tend to occur in subcropping bedrock aquifers underlying the thickest sediment packages.

     

Groundwater occurrence in cold environments: examples from Nunavik,Canada

Water availability and management issues related to the supply of drinking water in northern communities are problematic in Canada. While rivers and lakes are abundant, they are vulnerable to contamination and may become dry in winter due to freezing. Groundwater can often provide a more secure and sustainable water source, however its availability is limited in northern Canada due to the presence of permafrost. Moreover, the exploitation of northern aquifers poses a dual challenge of identifying not only permafrost-free areas, but also permeable areas which will allow groundwater recharge and exploitation. Suitable aquifers are not as common in northern Canada since the shallow subsurface is mostly composed of low-permeability crystalline rocks or unconsolidated sediments of glacial origin that are highly heterogeneous. In order to investigate groundwater occurrence and associated geological contexts in Nunavik (northern Quebec, Canada), along with exploring how these resources will evolve in response to climate change, field and compilation work were conducted in the surroundings of the four villages of Salluit, Kuujjuaq, Umiujaq and Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik. These villages are located in different permafrost zones, ranging from continuous to discontinuous, as well as in different geological environments. It was found that despite the ubiquitous presence of permafrost, unfrozen aquifers could be identified, which suggests that groundwater may be available as a source of drinking water for small communities. Expected climate change, with predicted permafrost thawing and increases in temperature and precipitation, should enhance groundwater availability and may contribute to a more secure source of drinking water for northern communities.