Hydrologic Investigations of Groundwater and Surface-water Interactions In Subarctic Alaska

Dynamic interactions between rivers and adjacent aquifers can significantly affect near-bank geochemistry and processes associated with natural attenuation of contaminants by mixing water or introducing oxygen or nutrients. During 1997 and 1998 in a study near Fairbanks, Alaska U.S.A, the hydrologic conditions in the Chena River and in the adjacent groundwater were monitored. The river stage, groundwater elevations, and the water chemistry and temperature in both river and groundwater were measured. In the spring of 1997, the groundwater gradient close to the Chena River reversed causing surface water to enter the aquifer. Changes in temperature, specific conductance and alkalinity were used to determine the extent of bank recharge. For approximately one week during spring snowmelt of 1997, surface-water influx from the Chena River occurred approximately between the depths of 5.33 m and 9.1 m below ground surface. The effects of bank recharge extended at least 6.1 m but not to 30.5 m from the banks of the Chena River into the aquifer. Bank recharge caused 64 to 68 per cent of the groundwater, 6.1 m from the bank at a depth of 6.78 m to be displaced by surface water influx. Peak flows during 1998 were not high enough to cause flow reversals.

Download Full-text

Pressurized drainage can effectively reduce subsidence of peatlands – lessons from polder Spengen, the Netherlands

Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences ◽

10.5194/piahs-382-741-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 382 ◽

pp. 741-746

Author(s):

Jantine Hoekstra ◽

Annette van Schie ◽

Henk A. van Hardeveld

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Water Demand ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Dairy Farming ◽

Water Levels ◽

Water Basin ◽

Soil Subsidence ◽

Basin Surface ◽

Below Ground

Abstract. Reducing soil subsidence caused by peat oxidation is a major challenge in the Dutch peatlands. To maintain suitable conditions for dairy farming water levels are periodically lowered to keep pace with soil subsidence. Consequently, soil subsidence continues, causing increasing water management costs. We experimented with pressurized drainage in Polder Spengen, a peatland polder in the west of the Netherlands that is primarily used for dairy farming. In this polder, surface water levels of 40 cm below ground surface are maintained, which results in average soil subsidence rates of 7 mm yr−1. Pressurized drainage is a novel technique to reduce soil subsidence, it uses field drains that are connected to a small water basin. Surface water can be pumped in or out the water basin, which enables active manipulation of the pressure head in the field drains. The objective of this study is to implement this technique into practice and determine its effect on groundwater tables, soil subsidence rates, and water demand. We applied pressurized drainage in 55 ha of peatland meadows in Polder Spengen, distributed over seven farms. We monitored groundwater tables, surface elevation and water demand. Preliminary results show that during the extreme dry summer of 2018, groundwater tables could be maintained at 40 cm below ground surface, which is 60 cm higher compared to locations without pressurized drainage. This reduced soil subsidence by 50 %. Throughout the entire summer of 2018, the water demand amounted to 3–5 mm d−1. We believe the technique can effectively contribute to minimize soil subsidence, but relatively high implementation costs may be a barrier to large-scale implementation.

Download Full-text

Seismic solutions utilizing existing in-mine infrastructure for mineral exploration: A case study from Maseve platinum mine, South Africa

The Leading Edge ◽

10.1190/tle41010054.1 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 54-61

Author(s):

Moyagabo K. Rapetsoa ◽

Musa S. D. Manzi ◽

Mpofana Sihoyiya ◽

Michael Westgate ◽

Phumlani Kubeka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Seismic Data ◽

Mineral Exploration ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Seismic Survey ◽

Noisy Environment ◽

Borehole Data ◽

Passive Seismic ◽

Below Ground

We demonstrate the application of seismic methods using in-mine infrastructure such as exploration tunnels to image platinum deposits and geologic structures using different acquisition configurations. In 2020, seismic experiments were conducted underground at the Maseve platinum mine in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa. These seismic experiments were part of the Advanced Orebody Knowledge project titled “Developing technologies that will be used to obtain information ahead of the mine face.” In these experiments, we recorded active and passive seismic data using surface nodal arrays and an in-mine seismic land streamer. We focus on analyzing only the in-mine active seismic portion of the survey. The tunnel seismic survey consisted of seven 2D profiles in exploration tunnels, located approximately 550 m below ground surface and a few meters above known platinum deposits. A careful data-processing approach was adopted to enhance high-quality reflections and suppress infrastructure-generated noise. Despite challenges presented by the in-mine noisy environment, we successfully imaged the platinum deposits with the aid of borehole data and geologic models. The results open opportunities to adapt surface-based geophysical instruments to address challenging in-mine environments for mineral exploration.

Download Full-text

Nature of Soils and Soil Development

Serpentine Geoecology of Western North America ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195165081.003.0009 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Earl B. Alexander ◽

Roger G. Coleman ◽

Todd Keeler-Wolfe ◽

Susan P. Harrison

Keyword(s):

Lower Limit ◽

Total Mass ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Root Penetration ◽

Unconsolidated Material ◽

Below Ground ◽

Porous Soil ◽

Living Organisms ◽

Bacteria And Fungi ◽

The Many

We walk on soils frequently, but we seldom observe them. Soils are massive, even though they are porous. Soil 1m (40 inches) deep over an area of 1 hectare (2.5 acres) might weigh 10,000–15,000 metric tons. It is teeming with life. There are trillions, or quadrillions, of living organisms (mostly microorganisms), representing thousands of species, in each square meter of soil (Metting 1993). In fact, species diversity, or number of species, may be greater below ground than above ground. We seldom see these organisms because we seldom look below ground or dig into it. The many worms and insects one finds digging in a garden are a small fraction of the species in soils because the greatest diversity of soil-dwelling species exists among microscopic insects, mites, roundworms (or nematodes), and fungi. Even though individual organisms in soils are mostly very small or microscopic, the total mass of living organisms in a hectare of soil, excluding plant roots, may be 1–5 or 10 metric tons. More than one-half of that biomass is bacteria and fungi. Living microorganism biomass generally accounts for about 1%–5% of the organic carbon and about 2%–6% of the nitrogen in soils (Lavelle and Spain 2001). The upper limit of soil is the ground surface of the earth. The lower limit is bedrock for engineers, or the depth of root penetration for edaphologists. Unconsolidated material that engineers call soil can be called “regolith” (Merrill 1897, Jackson 1997) to distinguish it from the soil of pedologists and edaphologists. Regolith may consist of disintegrated bedrock, gravel, sand, clay, or other materials that have not been consolidated to form rock. Pedologists investigate the upper part of regolith, where changes are effected by exchanges of gases between soil and aboveground atmosphere and by biological activity. This soil of pedologists may coincide with that of edaphologists or include more regolith. In fact, the lower limit of soil that pedologists investigate is arbitrary, unless this limit is a contact with bedrock that is practically impenetrable with pick and shovel.

Download Full-text

Refinement of Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation Method for Rice Cultivation

Bangladesh Rice Journal ◽

10.3329/brj.v17i1-2.20899 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 17 (1-2) ◽

pp. 33-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Priya Lal Chandra Paul ◽

MA Rashid ◽

Mousumi Paul

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Water Level ◽

Block Design ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Ground Level ◽

Wetting And Drying ◽

Alternate Wetting And Drying ◽

Below Ground

Experiments were conducted at BRRI farm Gazipur during Boro season 2010-12 to determine maximum depth of water level below ground surface in alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four irrigation treatments. The treatments of AWD method were: T1 = continuous standing water, T2 = irrigation when water level reached 15 cm below ground level, T3 = irrigation when water level reached 20 cm below ground level and T4 = irrigation when water level reached 50 cm below ground level. The experiment involved BRRI dhan28 as a test crop. The treatment T2 gave the highest grain yield (5.9 and 6.2 ton/ha) in 2010-11 and 2011-12, respectively. Maximum benefits per hectare were found Tk. 5476 and 4931 for using 807 and 880 mm water during 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively and thus water productivity was 7.1 kg/ha-mm in T2 for both the seasons. Continuous standing (T1) water (1013 and 1100 mm) gave comparable grain yield 5.7 and 6.0 ton/ha in 2010-11 and 2011-12, respectively. Minimum water productivity was found in treatment T1 (5.6 and 5.4 kg/ha-mm) for both the seasons. Application of irrigation when water was 15 cm below soil surface was found most profitable in AWD system and the grain yield was decreased when water level was below 15 cm depth. Therefore, the recommended AWD technology could increase rice yield and save irrigation water by 25-30 percent.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/brj.v17i1-2.20899Bangladesh Rice j. 2013, 17(1&2): 33-37

Download Full-text

Emergency Response to a significant jet fuel release in Honolulu

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2017.1.000422 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 (1) ◽

pp. 2017422

Author(s):

D. Zuroski ◽

T. Johnson ◽

C. Benson ◽

F. Stroud

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Jet Fuel ◽

Monitoring Systems ◽

Large Area ◽

Tank Farm ◽

Unified Command ◽

Definition Of

In December of 2014, there was a substantial shortage (42,000 gallons) of Jet fuel noted in the inventory at the tank farm that supplies jet fuel to the Honolulu International Airport. The tank farm is directly adjacent to Ke'ehi Lagoon and in near proximity to Honolulu Harbor. Jet fuel was found floating on the water table (less than two feet below the ground surface) throughout a large area of the tank farm, as well as outside the tank farm and within 150 feet of the lagoon. EPA, the State of Hawaii, and the RP utilized a streamlined and nimble approach to Unified Command in performing the successful Emergency Response. Operations were conducted in close coordination with the USCG and Honolulu FD. All actions were designed to keep the fuel from reaching the surface water. This case study will detail the line of attack which included aggressive extraction the jet fuel, definition of the extent of the (subsurface) release, and design and installation of engineered capture, removal, and monitoring systems.

Download Full-text

Design of axially and laterally loaded piles using in situ tests: A case history

Canadian Geotechnical Journal ◽

10.1139/t85-072 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 518-527 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

P. K. Robertson ◽

R. G. Campanella ◽

P. T. Brown ◽

I. Grof ◽

J. M. O. Hughes

Keyword(s):

Ground Surface ◽

Cone Penetration Test ◽

Load Test ◽

Penetration Test ◽

Cone Penetration ◽

In Situ Tests ◽

Below Ground ◽

Load Tests ◽

Pile Load Test ◽

Laterally Loaded

A 915 mm diameter steel pipe pile was driven and tested by the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways as part of their foundation studies for the proposed Annacis channel crossing of the Fraser River. The pile was driven open ended to a maximum depth of 94 m. The pile was tested axially to failure when the pile tip was at depths of 67, 78, and 94 m below ground surface. Following the final axial load test, the pile was loaded laterally to a total deflection at the ground surface of 150 mm. A slope indicator casing was installed in the pile to monitor the deflected shape during lateral loading.Adjacent to the pile, a piezometer-friction cone penetration test (CPT) and a full-displacement pressuremeter profile were made. Results of the axial and lateral load tests are presented along with the data from the CPT and the full-displacement pressuremeter tests. Results of several analyses using the data from the CPT and pressuremeter tests to predict the axial and lateral performance of the pile are presented. A comparison and discussion is presented between the predicted and measured axial and lateral behaviour of the pile, for which excellent agreement was found. Key words: pile load test, cone penetration test, pressuremeter test.

Download Full-text

Application of a coupled ground-surface water flow model to simulate periodic groundwater flow influenced by a sloping boundary, capillarity and vertical flows

Environmental Modelling & Software ◽

10.1016/j.envsoft.2005.02.005 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 770-778 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Nick Cartwright ◽

Oluf Zeilund Jessen ◽

Peter Nielsen

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Groundwater Flow ◽

Water Flow ◽

Flow Model ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Surface Water Flow

Download Full-text

Active Microbial Communities Inhabit Sulphate-Methane Interphase in Deep Bedrock Fracture Fluids in Olkiluoto, Finland

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2015/979530 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Malin Bomberg ◽

Mari Nyyssönen ◽

Petteri Pitkänen ◽

Anne Lehtinen ◽

Merja Itävaara

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Salinity Gradient ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Gene Transcript ◽

Depth Range ◽

Transition Zones ◽

Indicator Microorganisms ◽

Crystalline Bedrock ◽

Below Ground ◽

Archaeal Communities

Active microbial communities of deep crystalline bedrock fracture water were investigated from seven different boreholes in Olkiluoto (Western Finland) using bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA,dsrB, andmcrA gene transcript targeted 454 pyrosequencing. Over a depth range of 296–798 m below ground surface the microbial communities changed according to depth, salinity gradient, and sulphate and methane concentrations. The highest bacterial diversity was observed in the sulphate-methane mixing zone (SMMZ) at 250–350 m depth, whereas archaeal diversity was highest in the lowest boundaries of the SMMZ. Sulphide-oxidizingε-proteobacteria (Sulfurimonassp.) dominated in the SMMZ andγ-proteobacteria (Pseudomonasspp.) below the SMMZ. The active archaeal communities consisted mostly of ANME-2D and Thermoplasmatales groups, although Methermicoccaceae, Methanobacteriaceae, and Thermoplasmatales (SAGMEG, TMG) were more common at 415–559 m depth. Typical indicator microorganisms for sulphate-methane transition zones in marine sediments, such as ANME-1 archaea,α-,β- andδ-proteobacteria, JS1, Actinomycetes, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and MBGB Crenarchaeota were detected at specific depths.DsrB genes were most numerous and most actively transcribed in the SMMZ while themcrA gene concentration was highest in the deep methane rich groundwater. Our results demonstrate that active and highly diverse but sparse and stratified microbial communities inhabit the Fennoscandian deep bedrock ecosystems.

Download Full-text