In situ measurements of microbially-catalyzed nitrification and nitrate reduction rates in an ephemeral drainage channel receiving water from coalbed natural gas discharge, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA
S.H. Harris, R. L. Smith
2009, Chemical Geology (267) 77-84
Nitrification and nitrate reduction were examined in an ephemeral drainage channel receiving discharge from coalbed natural gas (CBNG) production wells in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. CBNG co-produced water typically contains dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), primarily as ammonium. In this study, a substantial...
Inventories and mobilization of unsaturated zone sulfate, fluoride, and chloride related to land use change in semiarid regions, southwestern United States and Australia
Bridget R. Scanlon, David A. Stonestrom, Robert C. Reedy, Fred W. Leaney, John Gates, Richard G. Cresswell
2009, Water Resources Research (45)
Unsaturated zone salt reservoirs are potentially mobilized by increased groundwater recharge as semiarid lands are cultivated. This study explores the amounts of pore water sulfate and fluoride relative to chloride in unsaturated zone profiles, evaluates their sources, estimates mobilization due to past land use change, and assesses the impacts on...
Helmand river hydrologic studies using ALOS PALSAR InSAR and ENVISAT altimetry
Zhong Lu, J.-W. Kim, H. Lee, C. K. Shum, J. Duan, M. Ibaraki, O. Akyilmaz, C.-H. Read
2009, Marine Geodesy (32) 320-333
The Helmand River wetland represents the only fresh-water resource in southern Afghanistan and one of the least mapped water basins in the world. The relatively narrow wetland consists of mostly marshes surrounded by dry lands. In this study, we demonstrate the use of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased...
Composition of the seed bank in drawdown areas of navigation pool 8 of the upper Mississippi river
K.P. Kenow, J.E. Lyon
2009, River Research and Applications (25) 194-207
In an effort to enhance aquatic plant production and habitat diversity on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), resource managers considered water level reduction as a management tool to increase the area of emergent and submersed aquatic vegetation by natural seed germination. To quantify the availability of seed, we assessed the...
Characterizing the oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate sources to aquatic ecosystems
M.B. Young, K. McLaughlin, C. Kendall, W. Stringfellow, M. Rollog, K. Elsbury, E. Donald, A. Paytan
2009, Environmental Science & Technology (43) 5190-5196
The oxygen isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic phosphate (δ18Op) in many aquatic ecosystems is not in isotopic equilibrium with ambient water and, therefore, may reflect the source δ18Op. Identification of phosphate sources to water bodies is critical for designing best management practices for phosphate load reduction to control eutrophication. In...
Arsenite and ferrous iron oxidation linked to chemolithotrophic denitrification for the immobilization of arsenic in anoxic environments
W. Sun, R. Sierra-Alvarez, L. Milner, R. Oremland, J.A. Field
2009, Environmental Science & Technology (43) 6585-6591
The objective of this study was to explore a bioremediation strategy based on injecting NO3− to support the anoxic oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe(II)) and arsenite (As(III)) in the subsurface as a means to immobilize As in the form of arsenate (As(V)) adsorbed onto biogenic ferric (Fe(III)) (hydr)oxides....
Benthic methylmercury production in lacustrine ecosystems of Nahuel Huapi National Park, Patagonia, Argentina
Guevara S. Ribeiro, S.P. Catan, M. Marvin-DiPasquale
2009, Chemosphere (77) 471-477
Seasonal trends of benthic methylmercury (methyl-Hg) production were examined in both littoral and open water sites of three lakes (Escondido, Moreno, and Morenito) in the North Andean Patagonia region of Argentina. Potentials of methyl-Hg production were measured by amending sediment samples with inorganic 197Hg(II), incubating for either 24 and 32 h at...
Effect of grain-coating mineralogy on nitrate and sulfate storage in the unsaturated zone
T. J. Reilly, N.S. Fishman, A. L. Baehr
2009, Vadose Zone Journal (8) 75-85
Unsaturated-zone sediments and the chemistry of shallow groundwater underlying a small (∼8-km2) watershed were studied to identify the mechanisms responsible for anion storage within the Miocene Bridgeton Formation and weathered Coastal Plain deposits in southern New Jersey. Lower unsaturated-zone sediments and shallow groundwater samples were collected and concentrations of selected...
Assigning land use to supply wells for the statistical characterization of regional groundwater quality: Correlating urban land use and VOC occurrence
T.D. Johnson, K. Belitz
2009, Journal of Hydrology (370) 100-108
Many national and regional groundwater studies have correlated land use "near" a well, often using a 500 m radius circle, with water quality. However, the use of a 500 m circle may seem counterintuitive given that contributing areas are expected to extend up-gradient from wells, and not be circular in...
Investigating aquatic ecosystems of small lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan
L. Saito, J. Scott, M. Rosen, Bakhriddin Nishonov, S. Chandra, John P.A. Lamers, Dilorom Fayzieva, M. Shanafield
2009, Conference Paper, Proceedings of World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers
The Khorezm province of Uzbekistan, located in the Aral Sea Basin, suffers from severe environmental and human health problems due to decades of unsustainable land and water management. Agriculture is the dominant land use in Khorezm, and agricultural runoff water has impacted many small lakes. In this water-scarce region, these...
High-frequency in situ optical measurements during a storm event: Assessing relationships between dissolved organic matter, sediment concentrations, and hydrologic processes
John Franco Saraceno, Brian A. Pellerin, Bryan D. Downing, Emmanuel Boss, Philip A. M. Bachand, Brian A. Bergamaschi
2009, Journal of Geological Research (114)
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics during storm events has received considerable attention in forested watersheds, but the extent to which storms impart rapid changes in DOM concentration and composition in highly disturbed agricultural watersheds remains poorly understood. In this study, we used identical in situ optical sensors for DOM fluorescence...
Benthic nutrient sources to hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA
J.S. Kuwabara, B.R. Topping, D. D. Lynch, J.L. Carter, H.I. Essaid
2009, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (28) 516-524
Three collecting trips were coordinated in April, May, and August 2006 to sample the water column and benthos of hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake (OR, USA) through the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae. A pore‐water profiler was designed and fabricated to obtain the first high‐resolution (centimeter‐scale) estimates of the vertical concentration...
Development of regression models to estimate flow duration statistics at ungaged streams in Oklahoma using a regional approach
R.A. Esralew
2009, Conference Paper, Proceedings of World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers
Multiple-regression analysis was used to develop equations for estimating annual and seasonal flow-duration statistics at ungaged streams in and near Oklahoma that are not substantially affected by human alteration. Ordinary least-squares and left-censored (Tobit) multiple-regression techniques were used to develop equations that relate these statistics, from continuous streamflow data at...
Geochemical characterisation of seepage and drainage water quality from two sulphide mine tailings impoundments: Acid mine drainage versus neutral mine drainage
P.M. Heikkinen, M.L. Raisanen, R.H. Johnson
2009, Mine Water and the Environment (28) 30-49
Seepage water and drainage water geochemistry (pH, EC, O2, redox, alkalinity, dissolved cations and trace metals, major anions, total element concentrations) were studied at two active sulphide mine tailings impoundments in Finland (the Hitura Ni mine and Luikonlahti Cu mine/talc processing plant). The data were used to assess the factors...
Comparing approaches for simulating the reactive transport of U(VI) in ground water
G.P. Curtis, M. Kohler, J.A. Davis
2009, Mine Water and the Environment (28) 84-93
The reactive transport of U(VI) in a well-characterized shallow alluvial aquifer at a former U(VI) mill located near Naturita, CO, was predicted for comparative purposes using a surface complexation model (SCM) and a constant K d approach to simulate U(VI) adsorption. The ground water at the site had U(VI) concentrations that...
Exposure of insects and insectivorous birds to metals and other elements from abandoned mine tailings in three Summit County drainages, Colorado
Christine M. Custer, Chi Yang, James G. Crock, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Kathleen S. Smith, Philip L. Hageman
2009, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (153) 161-177
Concentrations of 31 metals, metalloids, and other elements were measured in insects and insectivorous bird tissues from three drainages with different geochemistry and mining histories in Summit Co., Colorado, in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In insect samples, all 25 elements that were analyzed in all years increased in both Snake...
Further declines in organochlorines in eggs of red-breasted mergansers from Lake Michigan, 1977-1978 versus 1990 versus 2002
G. H. Heinz, K. L. Stromborg
2009, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (159) 163-168
From 1977–1978 to 1990, concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and most organochlorine pesticides declined in eggs of red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator) nesting on islands in northwestern Lake Michigan. Further declines took place between 1990 and 2002. Between 1977–1978 and 1990 total PCBs decreased 60% (from 21 to 8.5 μg/g,...
Trends in concentrations and use of agricultural herbicides for Corn Belt rivers, 1996-2006
Aldo V. Vecchia, Robert J. Gilliom, Daniel J. Sullivan, David L. Lorenz, Jeffrey D. Martin
2009, Environmental Science & Technology (43) 9096-9102
Trends in the concentrations and agricultural use of four herbicides (atrazine, acetochlor, metolachlor, and alachlor) were evaluated for major rivers of the Corn Belt for two partially overlapping time periods: 1996-2002 and 2000-2006. Trends were analyzed for 11 sites on the mainstems and selected tributaries in the Ohio, Upper Mississippi,...
Mercury sources, distribution, and bioavailability in the North Pacific Ocean: Insights from data and models
E.M. Sunderland, D. P. Krabbenhoft, J.W. Moreau, S.A. Strode, W.M. Landing
2009, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (23)
Fish harvested from the Pacific Ocean are a major contributor to human methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. Limited oceanic mercury (Hg) data, particularly MeHg, has confounded our understanding of linkages between sources, methylation sites, and concentrations in marine food webs. Here we present methylated (MeHg and dimethylmercury (Me2Hg)) and total Hg concentrations...
Use of heat to estimate streambed fluxes during extreme hydrologic events
Jeannie R.B. Barlow, Richard H. Coupe
2009, Water Resources Research (45)
Using heat as a tracer, quantitative estimates of streambed fluxes and the critical stage for flow reversal were calculated for high‐flow events that occurred on the Bogue Phalia (a tributary of the Mississippi River) following the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In June 2005, piezometers were installed in the Bogue...
A one-dimensional heat-transport model for conduit flow in karst aquifers
Andrew J. Long, P.C. Gilcrease
2009, Journal of Hydrology (378) 230-239
A one-dimensional heat-transport model for conduit flow in karst aquifers is presented as an alternative to two or three-dimensional distributed-parameter models, which are data intensive and require knowledge of conduit locations. This model can be applied for cases where water temperature in a well or spring receives all or part...
Linking hydraulic properties of fire-affected soils to infiltration and water repellency
J. A. Moody, D.A. Kinner, X. Ubeda
2009, Journal of Hydrology (379) 291-303
Heat from wildfires can produce a two-layer system composed of extremely dry soil covered by a layer of ash, which when subjected to rainfall, may produce extreme floods. To understand the soil physics controlling runoff for these initial conditions, we used a small, portable disk infiltrometer to measure two hydraulic...
Late Pleistocene paleohydrology near the boundary of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, southeastern Arizona, USA
Jeffery S. Pigati, Jordon E. Bright, Timothy M. Shanahan, Shannon Mahan
2009, Quaternary Science Reviews (28) 286-300
Ground-water discharge (GWD) deposits form in arid environments as water tables rise and approach or breach the ground surface during periods of enhanced effective precipitation. Where preserved, these deposits contain information on the timing and elevation of past ground-water fluctuations. Here we report on the investigation of a series of...
Sulfur geochemistry of hydrothermal waters in Yellowstone National Park: IV Acid-sulfate waters
D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, J.W. Ball
2009, Applied Geochemistry (24) 191-207
Many waters sampled in Yellowstone National Park, both high-temperature (30-94 ??C) and low-temperature (0-30 ??C), are acid-sulfate type with pH values of 1-5. Sulfuric acid is the dominant component, especially as pH values decrease below 3, and it forms from the oxidation of elemental S whose origin is H2S in...
Biochemical indicators for the bioavailability of organic carbon in ground water
F. H. Chapelle, P. M. Bradley, D.J. Goode, C. Tiedeman, P.J. Lacombe, K. Kaiser, R. Benner
2009, Ground Water (47) 108-121
The bioavailability of total organic carbon (TOC) was examined in ground water from two hydrologically distinct aquifers using biochemical indicators widely employed in chemical oceanography. Concentrations of total hydrolyzable neutral sugars (THNS), total hydrolyzable amino acids (THAA), and carbon‐normalized percentages of TOC present as THNS and THAA (referred to as...
