APG:A novel python-based ArcGIS toolbox to generate absence-datasets for geospatial studies

One important step in binary modeling of environmental problems is the generation of absence-datasets that are traditionally generated by random sampling and can undermine the quality of outputs.To solve this problem,this study develops the Absence Point Generation(APG)toolbox which is a Python-based ArcGIS toolbox for automated construction of absence-datasets for geospatial studies.The APG employs a frequency ratio analysis of four commonly used and important driving factors such as altitude,slope degree,topographic wetness index,and distance from rivers,and considers the presence locations buffer and density layers to define the low potential or susceptibility zones where absence-datasets are gener-ated.To test the APG toolbox,we applied two benchmark algorithms of random forest(RF)and boosted regression trees(BRT)in a case study to investigate groundwater potential using three absence datasets i.e.,the APG,random,and selection of absence samples(SAS)toolbox.The BRT-APG and RF-APG had the area under receiver operating curve(AUC)values of 0.947 and 0.942,while BRT and RF had weaker per-formances with the SAS and Random datasets.This effect resulted in AUC improvements for BRT and RF by 7.2,and 9.7％from the Random dataset,and AUC improvements for BRT and RF by 6.1,and 5.4％from the SAS dataset,respectively.The APG also impacted the importance of the input factors and the pattern of the groundwater potential maps,which proves the importance of absence points in environmental bin-ary issues.The proposed APG toolbox could be easily applied in other environmental hazards such as landslides,floods,and gully erosion,and land subsidence.     

Hydro-geochemistry of groundwater and surface water in Dschang town(West Cameroon): Alkali and alkaline-earth elements ascertain lithological and anthropogenic constraints

This study focuses on the sources of alkali and alkaline-earth elements based on the geochemistry of groundwater and surface water in Dschang concerning environmental and anthropogenic constraints. A comprehensive set of 50 samples from groundwater and surface water were analyzed by ICPMS and processed by spatial interpolation in a GIS environment. The results highlight a geochemical anomaly at the center of the densely inhabited area subject to a profusion of open dumps discharges. This anomaly with the highest spatial contents of Be(Cs, Rb, Mg) suggests an anthropogenic source that demarcates with the lowest alkali and alkaline-earth elements on the peripheral area of Dschang. Other findings include lithological constraints with volcanic rocks being the main source compared to granitoid.The study points out good correlations between Be, Cs, Rb and Mg spatial distributions and physicochemical parameters of waters(K, EC, TDS), and inversely with the lowest p H. p H is established as the most functioning physico-chemical constraint of alkali and alkaline-earth mobility in Dschang. The p H lowest values within the geochemical anomaly also highlight the impact of human activities on water acidity, which later enhance elements mobility and enrichment. Despite low elements contents relative to WHO standards, our findings point out an example of anthropogenic impact on water geochemistry linked to solid waste pollution; it also demonstrates significant anthropogenic changes of environmental physicochemical parameters of prime importance in the mobility and distribution of elements in the study area.Similar assessments should be extended in major towns in Cameroon.     

Sensitivity assessment of strontium isotope as indicator of polluted groundwater for hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids produced in the Dameigou Shale of Qaidam Basin

Hydrogeochemical processes that would occur in polluted groundwater and aquifer system, may reduce the sensitivity of Sr isotope being the indicator of hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids(HFFF) in groundwater. In this paper, the Dameigou shale gas field in the northern Qaidam Basin was taken as the study area, where the hydrogeochemical processes affecting Sr isotope was analysed. Then, the model for Sr isotope in HFFF-polluted groundwater was constructed to assess the sensitivity of Sr isotope as HFFF indicator. The results show that the dissolution can release little Sr to polluted groundwater and cannot affect the εSr(the deviation of the 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio) of polluted groundwater. In the meantime, cation exchange can considerably affect Sr composition in the polluted groundwater. The Sr with low εSr is constantly released to groundwater from the solid phase of aquifer media by cation exchange with pollution of Quaternary groundwater by the HFFF and it accounts for 4.6% and 11.0% of Sr in polluted groundwater when the HFFF flux reaches 10% and 30% of the polluted groundwater, respectively. However, the Sr from cation exchange has limited impact on Sr isotope in polluted groundwater. Addition of Sr from cation exchange would only cause a 0.2% and 1.2% decrease in εSr of the polluted groundwater when the HFFF flux reaches 10% and 30% of the polluted groundwater, respectively. These results demonstrate that hydrogeochemical processes have little effect on the sensitivity of Sr isotope being the HFFF indicator in groundwater of the study area. For the scenario of groundwater pollution by HFFF, when the HFFF accounts for 5%(in volume percentage) of the polluted groundwater, the HFFF can result in detectable shifts of εSr(ΔεSr=0.86) in natural groundwater. Therefore, after consideration of hydrogeochemical processes occurred in aquifer with input of the HFFF, Sr isotope is still a sensitive indicator of the Quaternary groundwater pollution by the HFFF produced in the Dameigou shale of Qaidam Basin.     

Prediction criteria for groundwater potential zones in Kemuning District,Indonesia using the integration of geoelectrical and physical parameters

The presence of groundwater is strongly related to its geological and geohydrological conditions.It is,however,important to study the groundwater potential in an area before it is utilized to provide clean water.Werner-Schlumberger’s method was used to analyze the groundwater potential while hydraulic properties such as soil porosity and hydraulic conductivity were used to determine the quality and ability of the soil to allow water’s movement in the aquifer.The results show that the aquifer in the Sekara and Kemuning Muda is at a depth of more than 6 meters below the ground level with moderate groundwater potential.It is also found that the aquifer at depths of over 60 m have high groundwater potential.Moreover,soil porosity in Kemuning is found to be average while the ability to conduct water was moderate.This makes it possible for some surface water to seep into the soil while the remaining flows to the rivers and ditches.     

Geographical information system-based groundwater quality index assessment of northern part of Kolkata,India for drinking purpose

Groundwater is a resource under stress. In both developed and developing countries, it has been found that increasing human influence has led to the contamination of the groundwater resource. To understand the magnitude of this problem, a study was conducted in 58 wards within Northern part of Kolkata, India, where water samples from tube wells were collected and analysed on essential drinking water quality parameters, prescribed by WHO. Using Principal component analysis, and Water quality index mapping, the aforementioned results have been interpreted. This has helped to depict that not only is the groundwater unsuitable for drinking, but that the parametric values have a tendency to increase abruptly within the shortest of ranges, indicating urban pollution as the root cause of contamination. This paper shall thus discuss the spatial change in groundwater quality in northern Kolkata and suggest measures which might be implemented to secure a sustainable future for the city.     

Fluxes and behavior of radium isotopes, barium, and uranium in seven Southeastern US rivers and estuaries

This paper demonstrates the importance of advective transport of water through permeable estuarine and salt marsh sediments. This transport delivers significant quantities of radium and barium to the coastal ocean; and, in some cases may remove significant quantities of uranium. These conclusions are based on repeated analyses of seven river–estuarine systems from North Carolina to Florida. Fluxes of radium and barium from these river systems are shown to be inadequate to balance the dissolved inventories of these elements in the South Atlantic Bight. The strong interactions that occur between surface and subsurface waters as these rivers encounter coastal marshes lead us to consider these river mouths as marsh-dominated in terms of their chemical fluxes to the ocean. Such interactions between the river and coastal marsh must be considered when estimating fluxes of material between the land and ocean.     

Radium tracing of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and associated nutrient fluxes in a highly-permeable bed coastal zone, Korea

In order to estimate submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and SGD-driven nutrient fluxes, we measured the concentrations of nutrients, ²²⁴Ra, and ²²⁶Ra in seawater, river water, and coastal groundwater of Yeongil Bay (in the southeastern coast of Korea) in August 2004 and February 2005. The bottom sediments over the shallow areas of this bay are composed mainly of coarse sands. Large excess concentrations of ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si supplied from SGD were observed in August 2004, while these excess concentrations were not apparent in February 2005. Based on the mass balance for ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si, which showed conservative mixing behavior in seawater, SGD was estimated to be approximately 6 × 10⁶ m³ day^− 1 (seepage rate = 0.2 m day^− 1) in shallow areas (< 9 m water depth) in August 2004, which is much higher than the SGD level typically found in other coastal regions worldwide. During the summer period, SGD-driven nutrients in this bay contributed approximately 98%, 12%, and 76% of the total inputs for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphorus (DIP), and silicate (DSi), respectively. Our study implies that the ecosystem in this highly permeable bed coastal zone is influenced strongly by SGD during summer, while such influences are negligible in winter.     

Benthic nitrate biogeochemistry affected by tidal modulation of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) through a sandy beach face, Ria Formosa, Southwestern Iberia

To investigate both the role of tides on the timing and magnitude of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD), and the effect on benthic nitrogen biogeochemistry of nitrate-enriched brackish water percolating upwards at the seepage face, we conducted a study of SGD rates measured simultaneously with seepage meters and mini-piezometers, combined with sets (n = 39) of high resolution in-situ porewater profiles describing NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻, Si(OH)₄ and salinity distribution with depth (0–20 cm). Sampling took place during two consecutive spring tidal cycles in four different months (November 2005, March, April and August 2006) at a backbarrier beach face in the Ria Formosa lagoon, southern Portugal. Our results show that the tide is one of the major agents controlling the timing and magnitude of SGD into the Ria Formosa. Intermittent pumping of brackish, nitrate-bearing water at the beach face through surface sediments changed both the magnitudes and depth distributions of porewater NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ concentrations. The most significant changes in nitrate and ammonium concentrations were observed in near-surface sediment horizons coinciding with increased fraction of N in benthic organic matter, as shown by the organic C:N ratio. On the basis of mass balance calculations executed on available benthic profiles, providing ratios of net Ammonium Production Rate (APR) to Nitrate Reduction Rate (NRR), coupled to stoichiometric calculations based on the composition of organic matter, potential pathways of nitrogen transformation were speculated upon. Although the seepage face occasionally contributes to reduce the groundwater-borne DIN loading of the lagoon, mass balance analysis suggests that a relatively high proportion of the SGD-borne nitrogen flowing into the lagoon may be enhanced by nitrification at the shallow (1–3 cm) subsurface and modulated by dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA).     

Application of AMD to the Determination of Cropprotection Agents in Drinking Water. Part III: Solid Phase Extraction and Affecting Factors Anwendung der AMD-Technik zur Bestimmung von Pflanzenbehandlungsmittel-Wirkstoffen im Trinkwasser. Teil III: Festphasenextraktion und ihre Einflußfaktoren

The more sensitive an analysis method the more care must be given to sample preparation. Solid phase extraction (SPE) onto RP 18 phases has established itself as a general purification and enrichment technique for trace components in aqueous samples. Various factors may thereby influence the recovery rate. For example, the ratio amount of sorbent and sample volume should be taken into account to avoid breakthrough of the investigated substance. Extracting phenylurea herbicides from drinking water, the ratio should be 1 g RP 18 sorbent per 1 L water sample. Concerning the flow rate for the fungicides procymidone, vinclozolin, and iprodione, the recovery rate decreases using higher flow rates than 3 or 6 mL/min. In the case of phenylurea herbicides, a flow rate of 10 or 14 mL/min showed best results. Even the coefficient of variation is below ± 5% at these flow rates. Furthermore, the company dependence should be considered because the recovery rate might differ by up to 40% using the nominally identical material. The same applies to the batch dependence of quality from the same company. The concentration of the eluate must also be monitored and carried out with great care to avoid decreasing the recovery rate. Considering these factors of influence, SPE is a very useful tool in sample preparation, particularly if an automated system is used.     

Cost-effective network design for groundwater flow monitoring

The extensive use of groundwater resources has increased the need for developing cost-effective monitoring networks to provide an indication of the degree to which the subsurface environment has been affected by human activities. This study presents a cost-effective approach to the design of groundwater flow monitoring networks. The groundwater network design is formulated with two problem formats: maximizing the statistical monitoring power for specified budget constraint and minimizing monitoring cost for statistical power requirement. The statistical monitoring power constraint is introduced with an information reliability threshold value. A branch and bound technique is employed to select the optimal solution from a discrete set of possible network alternatives. The method is tested to the design of groundwater flow monitoring problem in the Pomona County, California.