A multi‐method field experiment to determine local groundwater flow in a glacier forefield

We implemented multiple independent field techniques to determine the direction and velocity of groundwater flow at a specific stream reach in a glacier forefield. Time‐lapse experiments were conducted using two electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) lines installed in a cross pattern. A circular array of groundwater tubes was also installed to monitor groundwater flow via discrete salt injections. Both inter‐borehole and ERT results confirmed this stream section as a losing reach and enabled quantification of the flow direction. Both techniques yielded advection velocities varying between 5.7 and 21.8 m/day. Estimates of groundwater flow direction and velocity indicated that groundwater infiltrates from the stream nearby and not from the adjacent lateral moraine. Groundwater age estimated from radon concentration measurements supported this hypothesis. Despite uncertainties inherent to each of the methods deployed, the combination of multiple field techniques allowed drawing consistent conclusions about local groundwater flow. We thus regard our multi‐method approach as a reliable way to characterize the two‐dimensional groundwater flow at sites where more invasive groundwater investigation techniques are difficult to carry out and local heterogeneities can make single measurements unreliable. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Groundwater contamination risks from conservative point source pollutants in a future climate

ABSTRACT

The groundwater contamination risk in future climates was investigated at three locations in Sweden. Solute transport penetration depths were simulated using the HYDRUS-1D model using historical data and an ensemble of climate projections including two global climate models (GCMs), three emission scenarios and one regional climate model. Most projections indicated increasing precipitation and evapotranspiration until mid-century with a further increase at end-century. Results showed both increasing and decreasing groundwater contamination risks depending on emission scenario and GCM. Generally, the groundwater contamination risk is likely to be unchanged until mid-century, but higher at the end of the century. Soil and site specific relationships between Δ(P – PET) (i.e. change in the difference between precipitation, P, and potential evapotranspiration, PET) and changes in solute transport depths were determined. Using this, changes in solute transport depths for other climate projections can be assessed.     

Trace metal occurrence in a mineralised and a non-mineralised spodosol in northern Sweden

In order to determine the metal-bearing phases with special emphasis on Cu, a sequential extraction has been carried out on seven soil samples from a sulphide-bearing spodosol profile in Liikavaara Östra, close to the Aitik Copper Mine in northern Sweden. A reference spodosol profile with very low abundances of sulphides located far from anthropogenic emissions was also studied. Five fractions were selected for the extraction: (I) CH₃COONa-extractable (exchangeable/adsorbed/carbonate); (II) Na₄P₂O₇-extractable (labile organics); (III) 0.25 M NH₂OH·HCl-extractable (amorphous Fe oxyhydroxides/Mn oxides); (IV) 1 M NH₂OH·HCl-extractable (crystalline Fe oxides); and (V) KClO₃/HCl-extractable (organics and sulphides). The distribution of trace elements (Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the profile in Liikavaara Östra is different from that in the reference profile. Possible explanations for these differences are (i) the presence of sulphides in the soil, (ii) atmospheric deposition of dust derived from mining activities at the Aitik Copper Mine, and (iii) mineralogical heterogeneities inherited from the deposition of the till. There is no straightforward correlation between the amount of the extracted phases and the metal extractability in the soils. This fact indicates that other factors are important for the retention of trace metals as well. The data presented in this study suggest that Co, Cr and Ni, to a fairly large extent, are associated with the organic matter in the B-horizon in both profiles, while in the C-horizon in Liikavaara Östra, sulphides are probably the more important carriers of these elements. For Co and Ni, Fe oxyhydroxides seem to be important. Most of the Cr occurred in the residual remaining after the leaching procedure. Copper and Zn seem to be associated with the organic matter to some extent in the B-horizon. The concentration of Cu in the C-horizon in Liikavaara Östra is high (2310 ppm), but only a very small fraction is likely to be hosted by sulphides. It is concluded that the major part of Cu in the C-horizon and a prominent fraction in the B-horizon in Liikavaara Östra are associated with some secondary phase that is extractable during extractions III and IV. Possible candidates for this phase are goethite and inclusions of native Cu in weathered biotite.     

A note on the isolation of the bacteriumVibrio parahaemolyticus from estuarine North Carolina

The potentially pathogenic bacterium,Vibrio parahaemolyticus, was isolated from water, sediment, and oyster samples collected from estuarine North Carolina. In October, when water temperatures were 15–18°C,V. parahaemolyticus was still detected in all substrates. However, the organism was detected only in one sediment sample in January when water temperatures were 4–5°C. No correlation was observed between the occurrence of the bacterium and domestic wastewater contamination.     

Political ecology and habitat conservation for endangered species planning in Southern California: Region, places, and ecological governance

The county of Riverside California has a long history of land conservation. In this comparative case study between Western Riverside County and the Coachella Valley area in the county we show how governance institutions that encompass regions that have very different ecologies, are governed by rules and regulations that are undifferentiated relative to those differences. The study argues, however, that what may differ are the workings of the local urban regimes and the metabolic appropriation of ecosystems for economic growth. In this close investigation of the sprawling county of Riverside we find very different approaches to habitat preservation and the enrollment of nature for wealth production by the local urban regimes.     

Exchange flux of total gaseous mercury between air and natural water surfaces in summer season

The exchanges of mercury between surface and air are of significance in the biogeochemical cycling of Hg in the environment, but there are still few reliable data on air/surface exchange in aquatic systems. Field measurement campaigns over seawater surface at Kristineberg Marine Research Station (KMRS) and over Hovg?rds?n River surface at Knobesholm in southwestern Sweden were conducted to measure mercury flux using a dynamic flux chamber technique coupled with automatic mercury vapor-phase analyzers. Both sites show net emissions during summer time. Mercury fluxes measured over both river and seawater surfaces exhibit a consistently diurnal pattern with maximum fluxes during the daytime period and minimum fluxes during the nighttime period. At freshwater site, mercury flux is strongly correlated with the intensity of net solar radiation, and negatively correlated with relative humidity. A typical exponential relationship between mercury flux and water temperature was observed at freshwater measurement site. At seawater site, a strong correlation between mercury flux and intensity of solar radiation was obtained. The driving force of mercury emission from water surface to air is the super-saturation of dissolved gaseous mercury in aqueous phase.     

Measuring snow ablation rates in alpine terrain with a mobile multioffset ground‐penetrating radar system

Ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) has become a promising technique in the field of snow hydrological research. It is commonly used to measure snow depth, density, and water equivalent over large distances or along gridded snow courses. Having built and tested a mobile lightweight set‐up, we demonstrate that GPR is capable of accurately measuring snow ablation rates in complex alpine terrain. Our set‐up was optimized for efficient measurements and consisted of a multioffset radar with four pairs of antennas mounted to a plastic sled, which was small enough to permit safe and convenient operations. Repeated measurements at intervals of 2 to 7 days were taken during the 2014/2015 winter season along 10 profiles of 50 to 200 m length within two valleys located in the eastern Swiss Alps. Resulting GPR‐based data of snow depth, density, and water equivalent, as well as their respective change over time, were in good agreement with concurrent manual measurements, in particular if accurate alignment between repeated overpasses could be achieved. Corresponding root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) values amounted to 4.2 cm for snow depth, 17 mm for snow water equivalent, and 22 kg/m³ for snow density, with similar RMSE values for corresponding differential data. With this performance, the presented radar set‐up has the potential to provide exciting new and extensive datasets to validate snowmelt models or to complement lidar‐based snow surveys.     

Dynamics of snow ablation in a small Alpine catchment observed by repeated terrestrial laser scans

The spatio‐temporal distribution of snow in a catchment during ablation reflects changes in the total amount of snow water equivalent and is thus a key parameter for the estimation of melt water run‐off. This study explores possible rules behind the spatial variability of snow depth during the ablation season in a small Alpine catchment with complex topography. The snow depth observations are based on more than 160 000 terrestrial laser scanner data points with a spatial resolution of 1 m, which were obtained from 11 scanning campaigns of two consecutive ablation seasons. The analysis suggests that for estimating cumulative snow melt dynamics from the catchment investigated, assessing the initial snow distribution prior to the melt season is more important than addressing spatial differences in the melt behaviour. Snow volume and snow‐covered area could be predicted well using a conceptual melt model assuming spatially uniform melt rates. However, accurate results were only obtained if the model was initialized with a pre‐melt snow distribution that reflected measured mean and standard deviation. Using stratified melt rates on the other hand did not improve the model results. At least for sites with similar meteorological and topographical conditions, the model approach presented here comprises an efficient way to estimate snow depletion dynamics, especially if persistent snow accumulation pattern between years facilitate the characterization of the initial snow distribution prior to the melt. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observational Investigation of the Statistical Properties of Surface-Layer Turbulence in a Suburban Area of São Paulo,Brazil: Objective Analysis of Scaling-Parameter Accuracy and Uncertainties

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - Statistical properties of turbulence, specifically variances of velocity components, temperature, water vapor, and carbon dioxide densities, are observationally...