Assessment of Managed Aquifer Recharge Site Suitability Using a GIS and Modeling

We completed a two‐step regional analysis of a coastal groundwater basin to (1) assess regional suitability for managed aquifer recharge (MAR), and (2) quantify the relative impact of MAR activities on groundwater levels and sea water intrusion. The first step comprised an analysis of surface and subsurface hydrologic properties and conditions, using a geographic information system (GIS). Surface and subsurface data coverages were compiled, georeferenced, reclassified, and integrated (including novel approaches for combining related datasets) to derive a spatial distribution of MAR suitability values. In the second step, results from the GIS analysis were used with a regional groundwater model to assess the hydrologic impact of potential MAR placement and operating scenarios. For the region evaluated in this study, the Pajaro Valley Groundwater Basin, California, GIS results suggest that about 7% (15 km²) of the basin may be highly suitable for MAR. Modeling suggests that simulated MAR projects placed near the coast help to reduce sea water intrusion more rapidly, but these projects also result in increased groundwater flows to the ocean. In contrast, projects placed farther inland result in more long‐term reduction in sea water intrusion and less groundwater flowing to the ocean. This work shows how combined GIS analysis and modeling can assist with regional water supply planning, including evaluation of options for enhancing groundwater resources.     

Spatial and temporal infiltration dynamics during managed aquifer recharge

Natural groundwater recharge is inherently difficult to quantify and predict, largely because it comprises a series of processes that are spatially distributed and temporally variable. Infiltration ponds used for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) provide an opportunity to quantify recharge processes across multiple scales under semi-controlled conditions. We instrumented a 3-ha MAR infiltration pond to measure and compare infiltration patterns determined using whole-pond and point-specific methods. Whole-pond infiltration was determined by closing a transient water budget (accounting for inputs, outputs, and changes in storage), whereas point-specific infiltration rates were determined using heat as a tracer and time series analysis at eight locations in the base of the pond. Whole-pond infiltration, normalized for wetted area, rose rapidly to more than 1.0 m/d at the start of MAR operations (increasing as pond stage rose), was sustained at high rates for the next 40 d, and then decreased to less than 0.1 m/d by the end of the recharge season. Point-specific infiltration rates indicated high spatial and temporal variability, with the mean of measured values generally being lower than rates indicated by whole-pond calculations. Colocated measurements of head gradients within saturated soils below the pond were combined with infiltration rates to calculate soil hydraulic conductivity. Observations indicate a brief period of increasing saturated hydraulic conductivity, followed by a decrease of one to two orders of magnitude during the next 50 to 75 d. Locations indicating the most rapid infiltration shifted laterally during MAR operation, and we suggest that infiltration may function as a "variable source area" processes, conceptually similar to catchment runoff.     

The kinematics of solar inner coronal transients

Solar Physics - The kinematic properties of a dozen ‘loop-like’ coronal transients have been examined over the range 1.2–2.4 R⊙ from Sun center. Values and trends of...     

Vibracoring from lake ice with a lightweight monopod and piston coring apparatus

A monopod and piston coring apparatus for coring water-saturated sediment is described. The lightweight apparatus can be used from either an ice platform or the ground surface and can be transported by aircraft. Using a piston, core recovery is increased to better than 90%, and depending upon the monopod height, 7 m-long cores can be obtained. Tips for coring in freezing temperatures are also given.     

Temperature effects on uptake and retention of contaminant radionuclides and trace metals by the brittle star Ophiothrix fragilis

Recent revelations of extensive dumping of radioactive wastes in Arctic seas emphasize the need to understand the processes affecting accumulation of contaminants in polar marine food webs. Little is known, however, about the effects of low temperatures on bioaccumulation of radionuclides and toxic metals. To address this question, we examined the effects of temperature on uptake and retention of 11 dissolved radioisotopes (including both nuclear waste components and required, and toxic metals) by the brittle star Ophiothrix fragilis, typical of species which dominate Arctic benthic communities. Lower temperatures significantly reduced uptake rates of all elements examined, but had little effect on loss rates. These results raise questions about the validity of extrapolating previous work on biological dynamics of dissolved contaminants, largely carried out at temperate zone temperatures, to polar ecosystems. This work suggests that the effects of low Arctic temperatures may need to be taken into consideration in order to understand the potential for food chain accumulation of nuclear wastes and toxic metals in high-latitude seas.     

Planktic foraminiferal porosity: a water mass proxy for latest Cenomanian paleoceanography, Greenhorn Sea, Western Interior USA and Canada

Planktic foraminiferal porosity analyses can be used as a water mass proxy and were conducted on samples from above the latest Cenomanian Neocardioceras or B bentonite from the Western Interior Seaway of North America. This time slice provides a snapshot of water mass characteristics in this vast epicontinental sea during the early phase of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2. Mean sample porosity decreases northward and is interpreted as northward decrease in water temperature at the depth Hedbergella delrioensis (Carsey) calcified. Four water masses are defined by porosity, their boundaries are extremely similar to water mass boundaries previously identified by others using the distributions of macrofossils, microfossils and lithology. The boundary between the Subtropical–Tropical Water Mass and Central Subtropical Water Mass was located in southern Colorado. The boundary between the Central Subtropical Water Mass and the Northern Temperate Water Mass lay at approximately 48°N latitude. This boundary is displaced northward approximately 8° latitude as compared to the Holocene planktic foraminiferal temperate ocean province. Within-sample porosity variation suggests all water masses except the Temperate Water Mass were thermally stratified. Samples from the south indicate that the Subtropical–Tropical Water Mass was the most stratified. The porosity data support a previously published data-based paleoceanographic circulation of the southwestern seaway.     

Correction of ground-water chemistry and carbon isotopic composition for effects of CO2 outgassing

Direct measurements on water samples from several CO₂-charged warm springs are significantly higher than values calculated from field pH and alkalinity (and other constituents). In addition, calcite saturation indices calculated from field pH and solution composition indicated supersaturation in samples which, on the basis of hydrogeologic concepts, should be near saturation or undersaturated. We attribute these discrepancies to uncertainties in field pH, resulting from CO₂ outgassing during pH measurement. Because samples for direct measurement can be taken with minimal disturbance to the water chemistry, we have used the measured to back calculate an estimate of the field pH and the carbon isotopic composition of the water before outgassing. By reconstructing water chemistry in this way, we find generally consistent grouping of $\text{δ}{}^{13}\text{C}$, pH, and degree of calcite saturation in samples taken from the same source at different times, an observation which we expect based on our understanding of the hydrogeology and geochemistry of the ground-water systems. This suggests that for very careful geochemical work, particularly on ground-waters much above ambient temperature, measurements may provide more information on the system and a better estimate of its state of saturation with respect to carbonate minerals than can field measurements of pH.