Translational Ecology for Hydrogeology

Translational ecology—a special discipline aimed to improve the accessibility of science to policy makers—will help hydrogeologists contribute to the solution of pressing environmental problems. Patterned after translational medicine, translational ecology is a partnership to ensure that the right science gets done in a timely fashion, so that it can be communicated to those who need it.     

Hydrogeology of Wadi Al-Yammaniyah, Saudi Arabia

Quaternary alluvium, ranging in thickness from a few to 100 meters underlain by Precambrian rocks of metamor-phic and igneous origin, constitutes an important source of ground water in Wadi Al-Yammaniyah, Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this report is to assess the hydraulic properties, quality of water, and estimated change in storage in waterbearing rocks in the area. The results of eight pumping tests carried out in hand-dug, large-diameter wells, indicate that the hydraulic conductivity of the alluvial aquifer ranges from 5.6 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.85 × 10⁻³ cm/second (3.36 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.11 × 10⁻³ m/minute) and that its storativity varies from 8.23 × 10⁻² to 1.17 × 10⁻¹. The aquifer is replenished by sporadic but intensive rainfall of short duration. The present withdrawal is only about 10 percent of the annual recharge which is estimated at 52 × 10⁶ m³. It is shown that there is a substantial potential for the future development of potable ground water which would be required for the development of the area.     

Hydrogeology,Chemical and Microbial Activity Measurement Through Deep Permafrost

Little is known about hydrogeochemical conditions beneath thick permafrost, particularly in fractured crystalline rock, due to difficulty in accessing this environment. The purpose of this investigation was to develop methods to obtain physical, chemical, and microbial information about the subpermafrost environment from a surface‐drilled borehole. Using a U‐tube, gas and water samples were collected, along with temperature, pressure, and hydraulic conductivity measurements, 420 m below ground surface, within a 535 m long, angled borehole at High Lake, Nunavut, Canada, in an area with 460‐m‐thick permafrost. Piezometric head was well above the base of the permafrost, near land surface. Initial water samples were contaminated with drill fluid, with later samples <40% drill fluid. The salinity of the non‐drill fluid component was <20,000 mg/L, had a Ca/Na ratio above 1, with δ¹⁸O values ～5‰ lower than the local surface water. The fluid isotopic composition was affected by the permafrost‐formation process. Nonbacteriogenic CH₄ was present and the sample location was within methane hydrate stability field. Sampling lines froze before uncontaminated samples from the subpermafrost environment could be obtained, yet the available time to obtain water samples was extended compared to previous studies. Temperature measurements collected from a distributed temperature sensor indicated that this issue can be overcome easily in the future. The lack of methanogenic CH₄ is consistent with the high sulfate concentrations observed in cores. The combined surface‐drilled borehole/U‐tube approach can provide a large amount of physical, chemical, and microbial data from the subpermafrost environment with few, controllable, sources of contamination.