Delineation of capture zones for municipal wells in fractured dolomite, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, USA

A wellhead protection study for the city of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, USA, demonstrates the necessity of combining detailed hydrostratigraphic analysis with groundwater modeling to delineate zones of contribution for municipal wells in a fractured dolomite aquifer. A numerical model (MODFLOW) was combined with a particle tracking code (MODPATH) to simulate the regional groundwater system and to delineate capture zones for municipal wells. The hydrostratigraphic model included vertical and horizontal fractures and high-permeability zones. Correlating stratigraphic interpretations with field data such as geophysical logs, packer tests, and fracture mapping resulted in the construction of a numerical model with five high-permeability zones related to bedding planes or facies changes. These zones serve as major conduits for horizontal groundwater flow. Dipping fracture zones were simulated as thin high-permeability layers. The locations of exposed bedrock and surficial karst features were used to identify areas of enhanced recharge. Model results show the vulnerability of the municipal wells to pollution. Capture zones for the wells extend several kilometers north and south from the city. Travel times from recharge areas to all wells were generally less than one year. The high seasonal variability of recharge in the study area made the use of a transient model necessary. Electronic Publication     

Experimental cpx/melt partitioning of 24 trace elements

Cpx/melt partition coefficients have been determined by ion probe for 24 trace elements at natural levels in an alkali basalt experimentally equilibrated at 1,380°C and 3 GPa. One goal was to intercompare Ds for both high-field-strength elements and rare earth elements (REE) in a single experiment. Relative to the REE spidergram, Hf and Ti show virtually no anomaly, whereas Zr exhibits a major negative anomaly. Other incompatible elements (Ba, K, Nb) fall in the range of published values, as do elements such as Sr, Y, Sc, Cr and V. Pb shows a value intermediate between La and Ce. Values for Be, Li and Ga are reported for the first time, and show that Be is as incompatible as the light REEs whereas Li and Ga are somewhat more compatible than the heavy REE.     

Reappraisal of the ‘Cullenstown Formation’: Implications for the Lower Palaeozoic tectonic history of SE Ireland

The structurally attenuated greenschist facies metasedimentary succession at Cullenstown Strand in south Co. Wexford comprises three formations which in stratigraphic order are (1) the Quartzite Formation, (2) the Greywacke/Quartzite Formation, and (3) the Greywacke Formation. The entire sequence is inverted and lies within the lower limb of a large scale overturned D1 anticlinal structure that closes towards the southeast. The three formations are lithologically and sedimentologically similar to the Shelmaliere Quartzite, the Cullentra Greywacke, and Newtown Greywacke Formations of the Bray Group in the Forth Mountain - Ferrycarrig area that probably lie on the normal limb of the D1 structure. The Cullenstown strata are therefore considered to be part of the Bray Group in southeast Leinster, and hence Cambrian in age. The rocks were affected by three major phases of deformation. D1 produced an overturned anticline containing an important tectonic slide. The D1 structures are modified by upright D2 and D3 structures, but from regional considerations it is argued that D1 is restricted to strata of Cambrian to Lower Ordovician age in southeast Leinster. A model for the tectonic evolution of the southeastern part of the Leinster Basin during Cambro-Ordovician times is presented and discussed. In this model, the southeast margin of the Leinster Basin was delineated by a mylonite zone along the northwest margin of the Precambrian Rosslare Complex. Bray and Ribband Group sediments close to the margin were deformed during the Llanvirn as a consequence of basin inversion which caused shortening and thrusting of the basin fill across the Rosslare block. The D1 compressional structures were subsequently modified during a period of extension, marked by the resumption of sedimentation and outbreak of voluminous volcanicity near the basin margin during the Llandeilo and Caradoc. The D2 and D3 structures in the Bray and Ribband Groups are an expression of later Caledonian deformation.     

Estuarine and Coastal Habitat Use of Gulf Sturgeon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi</Emphasis>) in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico

Gulf sturgeon are anadromous, spawning in freshwater and returning to the marine environment to feed. Herein, we document the marine distribution and timing of movement in and out of the marine environment of Gulf sturgeon natal to the Pascagoula and Pearl rivers (MS and LA). From 1999 to 2004, we attached sonic transmitters to 194 fish averaging 151 (MS) to 160 (LA) cm in fork length. We located 56 different Gulf sturgeon in the estuarine or marine environments, some multiple times. Fish were distributed nonrandomly, being found primarily in shallow water (mean = 3.9 m) in barrier island passes. Benthic samples taken at Gulf sturgeon telemetry location sites were dominated by Florida lancelets, sand dollars, annelids, haustoriid amphipods, and mollusks—all documented prey of Gulf sturgeon. Movement into salt water consistently occurred in October and November; movement back into rivers or low salinity estuaries was complete by the end of March.     

Mercury emission from terrestrial background surfaces in the eastern USA. II: Air/surface exchange of mercury within forests from South Carolina to New England

Mercury air/surface exchange was measured over litter-covered soils with low Hg concentrations within various types of forests along the eastern seaboard of the USA. The fieldwork was conducted at six forested sites in state parks in South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Maine from mid-May to early June 2005. The study showed that the Hg air/surface exchange was consistently very low and similar (overall daytime mean flux = 0.2 ± 0.9 ng m⁻² h⁻¹, n = 310, for all six sites monitored) with the various forest types. These flux values are comparable with those found in a year-long study in Tennessee (yearly daytime mean = 0.4 ± 0.5 ng m⁻² h⁻¹), but lower than many previous flux results reported for background soils. The Hg fluxes at all sites oscillated around zero, with many episodes of deposition (negative fluxes) occurring in both daytime and nighttime. While there were particular days showing significant correlations among the Hg air/surface exchange and certain environmental parameters, perhaps because of the low fluxes encountered, few significant correlations were found for any particular day of sampling between the Hg flux and environmental parameters such as solar radiation, soil temperature, air temperature (little variability seen), relative humidity, and ambient air Hg concentrations. Factors driving the Hg exchange as previously found for enriched soils may not hold for these background litter-covered forest soils. The results suggest that spatial variations of the Hg air/surface exchange were small among these different forest types for this particular time of year.     

Revisiting the Concentration Observations and Source Apportionment of Atmospheric Ammonia

<正>While China’s Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan on particulate matter since 2013 has reduced sulfate significantly, aerosol ammonium nitrate remains high in East China. As the high nitrate abundances are strongly linked with ammonia, reducing ammonia emissions is becoming increasingly important to improve the air quality of China. Although satellite data provide evidence of substantial increases in atmospheric ammonia concentrations over major agricultural regions, long-t...     

Mechanisms and pathways of lateral flow on aspen‐forested,Luvisolic soils,Western Boreal Plains,Alberta, Canada

Rainfall simulation experiments by Redding and Devito ( 2008 , Hydrological Processes 23: 4287–4300) on two adjacent plots of contrasting antecedent soil moisture storage on an aspen‐forested hillslope on the Boreal Plain showed that lateral flow generation occurred only once large soil storage capacity was saturated combined with a minimum event precipitation of 15–20 mm. This paper extends the results of Redding and Devito ( 2008 , Hydrological Processes 23: 4287–4300) with detailed analysis of pore pressure, soil moisture and tracer data from the rainfall simulation experiments, which is used to identify lateral flow generation mechanisms and flow pathways. Lateral flow was not generated until soils were wet into the fine textured C horizon. Lateral flow occurred dominantly through the clay‐rich Bt horizon by way of root channels. Lateral flow during the largest event was dominated by event water, and precipitation intensity was critical in lateral flow generation. Lateral flow was initiated as preferential flow near the soil surface into root channels, followed by development of a perched water table at depth, which also interacted with preferential flow pathways to move water laterally by the transmissivity feedback mechanism. The results indicate that lateral flow generated by rainfall on these hillslopes is uncommon because of the generally high available soil moisture storage capacity and the low probability of rainfall events of sufficient magnitude and intensity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.