Assessing groundwater vulnerability to agrichemical contamination in the Midwest US

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Burkart ◽  
Dana W. Kolpin ◽  
David E. James

Agrichemicals (herbicides and nitrate) are significant sources of diffuse pollution to groundwater. Indirect methods are needed to assess the potential for groundwater contamination by diffuse sources because groundwater monitoring is too costly to adequately define the geographic extent of contamination at a regional or national scale. This paper presents examples of the application of statistical, overlay and index, and process-based modeling methods for groundwater vulnerability assessments to a variety of data from the Midwest U.S. The principles for vulnerability assessment include both intrinsic (pedologic, climatologic, and hydrogeologic factors) and specific (contaminant and other anthropogenic factors) vulnerability of a location. Statistical methods use the frequency of contaminant occurrence, contaminant concentration, or contamination probability as a response variable. Statistical assessments are useful for defining the relations among explanatory and response variables whether they define intrinsic or specific vulnerability. Multivariate statistical analyses are useful for ranking variables critical to estimating water quality responses of interest. Overlay and index methods involve intersecting maps of intrinsic and specific vulnerability properties and indexing the variables by applying appropriate weights. Deterministic models use process-based equations to simulate contaminant transport and are distinguished from the other methods in their potential to predict contaminant transport in both space and time. An example of a one-dimensional leaching model linked to a geographic information system (GIS) to define a regional metamodel for contamination in the Midwest is included.

Author(s):  
Songtao Wang ◽  
Zongjun Gao ◽  
Yuqi Zhang ◽  
Hairui Zhang ◽  
Zhen Wu ◽  
...  

This study investigated the characteristics and sources of heavy metals in a soil–ginger system and assessed their health risks. To this end, 321 topsoil samples and eight soil samples from a soil profile, and 18 ginger samples with root–soil were collected from a ginger-planting area in the Jing River Basin. The average concentration of heavy metals in the topsoil followed the order: Cr > Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > As > Cd > Hg. In the soil profile, at depths greater than 80 cm, the contents of Cr, Ni, and Zn tended to increase with depth, which may be related to the parent materials, whereas As and Cu contents showed little change. In contrast, Pb content decreased sharply from top to bottom, which may be attributable to external environmental and anthropogenic factors. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd contents in soil are affected by natural sources, Pb and As contents are significantly affected by human activities, and Hg content is affected by farmland irrigation. Combined results of the single pollution index (Pi), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and potential ecological risk assessment (Ei and RI) suggest that soil in the study area is generally not polluted by heavy metals. In ginger, Zn content was the highest (2.36 mg/kg) and Hg content was the lowest (0.0015 mg/kg). Based on the bioconcentration factor, Cd and Zn have high potential for enrichment in ginger. With reference to the limit of heavy metals in tubers, Cr content in ginger exceeds the standard in the study area. Although Cr does not accumulate in ginger, Cr enrichment in soil significantly increases the risk of excessive Cr content in ginger.


2020 ◽  
pp. 161-166
Author(s):  
Marthak Rutu

In this research paper one dimensional population models developed centuries ago shows that growth and/decay of single homogeneous populations But environmental effects spatial heterogeneity or age-structure deterministic models prevailing single species population models.


2020 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 02012
Author(s):  
Ignasius Loyola Setyawan Purnama ◽  
Vincentia Anindha Primacintya

Groundwater vulnerability to pollution refers to the ease with which pollutants reach groundwater, in other words indicating the level of ease of an area to experience pollution. At present, the theme is one of the themes that attracts many researchers because pollution is more frequent in an area. The purpose of this study is to assess groundwater vulnerability in the study area for pollution using the GOD method and conduct a study of 3 groundwater vulnerability assessments, to determine the most appropriate assessment to be applied in the study area. The method used to determine groundwater vulnerability to pollution is GOD, which uses three parameters to assess the vulnerability of groundwater, namely aquifer type, rock type above aquifer and groundwater level. Furthermore, the results of the vulnerability assessment using the GOD method are compared with the vulnerability assessment according to the SINTACS and DRASTIC methods that have been carried out before in this area. The results showed that the variation of groundwater vulnerability index values in the study area according to the GOD method was from 0.35 to 0.63. Locations that are classified as medium vulnerability are generally located in the limestone Sentolo Formation, while locations that are classified as high vulnerability class are located in the volcanic rock of Yogyakarta Formation. Noting the results of determining groundwater vulnerability from the three methods, it can be said that the three methods are suitable for assessing groundwater vulnerability in the study area. However, looking at the distribution pattern of the level of pollution, the DRASTIC method can provide more detailed results related to the level of vulnerability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 339-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr S. Kondratenko ◽  
Leonid V. Matveev ◽  
Alexander D. Vasiliev

Abstract A new method is developed to calculate characteristics of contaminant transport (including non-classical regimes) in statistically homogeneous sharply contrasting media. A transport integro-differential equation in the space-time representation is formulated on the basis of the model earlier proposed by one of the authors (L. M.). Analytical expressions for transport characteristics in limiting time intervals in the one-dimensional case are derived. An interpolation form is proposed for the integral kernel of the transport equation. On a basis of this expression, an algorithm is developed for numerical modelling the contaminant transport in statistically homogeneous sharply contrasting media. Trial numerical 1D calculations are performed based on this algorithm. Good agreement was found between the numerical simulation results and the asymptotic analytical expressions.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Bogdał ◽  
Andrzej Wałęga ◽  
Tomasz Kowalik ◽  
Agnieszka Cupak

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the values of 22 quality indicators of surface waters flowing out of two small catchments differing in physiographic parameters and land use, in particular forest cover and urbanization of the area. The research was carried out in the years 2012–2014 at four measurement-control points located on the Chechło river and the Młoszówka stream (Poland), which are the main tributaries of the retention reservoir. Basic descriptive statistics, statistical tests, as well as cluster analysis and factor analysis were used to interpret the research results. The water that outflowed from the forestry-settlement catchment of the Młoszówka stream contained higher concentrations of total phosphorus, phosphates, nitrite, and nitrate nitrogen and salinity indicators than outflow from the Chechło river. Water from the Młoszówka stream was characterized by more favourable oxygen conditions. Higher oxygen concentration in the catchment influenced a large slope of the watercourse and thus higher water velocity, which is promoted by the mixed process. In the case of the forest catchment of the Chechło river, the water quality was generally better than in the Młoszówka stream, mainly in cases of total suspended solids TSS, total phosphorus TP, phosphates PO43−, total nitrogen TN, nitrite N–NO2−, nitrate N–NO3−, and salinity parameters. Despite it being a short section of the river taken into the study, favourable self-purification processes like mixed, nitrification, and denitrification were observed in its water. The research shows that forest areas have a positive effect on the balance of most substances dissolved in water, and natural factors in many cases shape the quality and utility values of surface waters on an equal footing with anthropogenic factors. In the case of a large number of examined parameters and complex processes occurring in water, the interpretation of the results makes it much easier by applying multivariate statistical methods.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Potsane ◽  
R. J. Moitsheki

The transport of chemicals through soils to the groundwater or precipitation at the soils surfaces leads to degradation of these resources. Serious consequences may be suffered in the long run. In this paper, we consider macroscopic deterministic models describing contaminant transport in saturated soils under uniform radial water flow backgrounds. The arising convection-dispersion equation given in terms of the stream functions is analyzed using classical Lie point symmetries. A number of exotic Lie point symmetries are admitted. Group invariant solutions are classified according to the elements of the one-dimensional optimal systems. We analyzed the group invariant solutions which satisfy the physical boundary conditions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document