Control of water infiltration into near surface LLW disposal units: Progress report on field experiments at a humid region site, Beltsville, Maryland

AbstractVertical deformation profiles of subterranean geological formations are conventionally measured by borehole extensometry. Distributed strain sensing (DSS) paired with fiber-optic cables installed in the ground opens up possibilities for acquiring high-resolution static and quasistatic strain profiles of deforming strata, but it is currently limited by reduced data quality due to complicated patterns of interaction between the buried cables and their surroundings, especially in upper soil layers under low confining pressures. Extending recent DSS studies, we present an improved approach using microanchored fiber-optic cables—designed to optimize ground-to-cable coupling at the near surface—for strain determination along entire lengths of vertical boreholes. We proposed a novel criterion for soil–cable coupling evaluation based on the geotechnical bearing capacity theory. We applied this enhanced methodology to monitor groundwater-related vertical motions in both laboratory and field experiments. Corroborating extensometer recordings, acquired simultaneously, validated fiber optically determined displacements, suggesting microanchored DSS as an improved means for detecting and monitoring shallow subsurface strain profiles.

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Ground ice in the Northern Foothills, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/172756404781814726 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

pp. 495-500 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Mauro Guglielmin ◽

Hugh M. French

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Isotope ◽

Ross Sea ◽

Progress Report ◽

Ground Ice ◽

Lake Ice ◽

Near Surface ◽

Victoria Land ◽

Different Types ◽

Glacier Ice ◽

Surface Ice

AbstractThis progress report classifies the different types of ground-ice bodies that occur in the Northern Foothills, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Oxygen isotope variations are presented, but interpretation is kept to a minimum pending further investigations. Surface ice, as distinct from moving glacier ice, occurs in the form of widespread buried (‘dead’) glacier ice lying beneath ablation (sublimation) till, together with perennial lake ice, snow banks and icing-blister ice.’Dry’ permafrost is uncommon, and interstitial ice is usually present at the base of the active layer and in the near-surface permafrost. This probably reflects the supply of moisture from the Ross Sea and limited sublimation under today’s climate. Intrusive ice occurs as layers within perennial lake-ice covers and gives rise to small icing blisters. Small ice wedges found beneath the furrows of high-centered polygons appear to agree with the model of sublimation-till development proposed by Marchant and others (2002).

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Field Measurements of Surface and Near-Surface Turbulence in the Presence of Breaking Waves

Journal of Physical Oceanography ◽

10.1175/jpo-d-14-0133.1 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 943-965 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

Peter Sutherland ◽

W. Kendall Melville

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

North Pacific Ocean ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Breaking Waves ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Near Surface ◽

Wave Energy Dissipation ◽

Eddy Simulation ◽

The North

AbstractWave breaking removes energy from the surface wave field and injects it into the upper ocean, where it is dissipated by viscosity. This paper presents an investigation of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation beneath breaking waves. Wind, wave, and turbulence data were collected in the North Pacific Ocean aboard R/P FLIP, during the ONR-sponsored High Resolution Air-Sea Interaction (HiRes) and Radiance in a Dynamic Ocean (RaDyO) experiments. A new method for measuring TKE dissipation at the sea surface was combined with subsurface measurements to allow estimation of TKE dissipation over the entire wave-affected surface layer. Near the surface, dissipation decayed with depth as z−1, and below approximately one significant wave height, it decayed more quickly, approaching z−2. High levels of TKE dissipation very near the sea surface were consistent with the large fraction of wave energy dissipation attributed to non-air-entraining microbreakers. Comparison of measured profiles with large-eddy simulation results in the literature suggests that dissipation is concentrated closer to the surface than previously expected, largely because the simulations did not resolve microbreaking. Total integrated dissipation in the water column agreed well with dissipation by breaking for young waves, (where cm is the mean wave frequency and is the atmospheric friction velocity), implying that breaking was the dominant source of turbulence in those conditions. The results of these extensive measurements of near-surface dissipation over three field experiments are discussed in the context of observations and ocean boundary layer modeling efforts by other groups.

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Effects of maquis clearing on the properties of the soil and on the near-surface hydrological processes in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment

Journal of Agricultural Engineering ◽

10.4081/jae.2014.428 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 176 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Mario Pirastru ◽

Marcello Niedda ◽

Mirko Castellini

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Hydraulic Properties ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Hydrological Processes ◽

Soil Water Storage ◽

Water Yield ◽

Mediterranean Environment ◽

Canopy Interception ◽

Near Surface ◽

Semi Arid

Many hillslopes covered with maquis in the semi-arid Mediterranean environment have been cleared in recent decades. There is little information on what effect this has on the hydrology of the soil. We compared the hydraulic properties of the soil and the subsurface hydrological dynamics on two adjacent sites on a hillslope. One site was covered with maquis, the other with grass. The grass started to grow some 10 years ago, after the maquis had been cleared and the soil had been ploughed. Our study found that the hydraulic properties and the hydrological dynamics of the maquis and the grassed soil differed greatly. The grassed soil had less organic matter and higher apparent density than did the soil covered in maquis. Moreover, the maquis soil retained more water than the grassed soil in the tension range from saturation to 50 cm of water. Infiltration tests performed in summer and in winter indicated that the field saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) of the maquis soil was higher than that of the grassy soil. However the data showed that the Kfs of the two soils changed with the season. In the maquis soil the Kfs increased from summer to winter. This was assumed to be due to water flowing more efficiently through wet soil. By contrast, in the grassy soil the Kfs decreased from summer to winter. This was because the desiccation cracks closed in the wet soil. As result, the influence of the land use change was clear from the Kfs measurements in winter, but less so from those in the summer. Changes in land use altered the dynamics of the infiltration, subsurface drainage and soil water storage of the soil. The maquis soil profile never saturated completely, and only short-lived, event based perched water tables were observed. By contrast, soil saturation and a shallow water table were observed in the grass covered site throughout the wet season. The differences were assumed to be due to the high canopy interception of the maquis cover, and to the macropores in the grassed soil being destroyed after the maquis had been cleared and the soil ploughed. The results of this work are helpful for predicting the changes in the hydraulic properties of the soil and in the near-surface hydrological processes in similar Mediterranean environments where the natural vegetation has been cleared. These changes must be taken into consideration when developing rainfall-runoff models for flood forecasting and water yield evaluation.

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Cropping system influences on soil physical properties in the Great Plains

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1079/raf2005122 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 15-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

J.L. Pikul ◽

R.C. Schwartz ◽

J.G. Benjamin ◽

R.L. Baumhardt ◽

S. Merrill

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Cropping System ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

System Effect ◽

Near Surface ◽

Infiltration Rates

AbstractAgricultural systems produce both detrimental and beneficial effects on soil quality (SQ). We compared soil physical properties of long-term conventional (CON) and alternative (ALT) cropping systems near Akron, Colorado (CO); Brookings, South Dakota (SD); Bushland, Texas (TX); Fargo, North Dakota (ND); Mandan (ND); Mead, Nebraska (NE); Sidney, Montana (MT); and Swift Current, Saskatchewan (SK), Canada. Objectives were to quantify the changes in soil physical attributes in cropping systems and assess the potential of individual soil attributes as sensitive indicators of change in SQ. Soil samples were collected three times per year from each treatment at each site for one rotation cycle (4 years at Brookings and Mead). Water infiltration rates were measured. Soil bulk density (BD) and gravimetric water were measured at 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–30 cm depth increments and water-filled pore space ratio (WFPS) was calculated. At six locations, a rotary sieve was used to separate soil (top 5 cm) into six aggregate size groups and calculate mean weight diameter (MWD) of dry aggregates. Under the CON system at Brookings, dry aggregates (>19 mm) abraded into the smallest size class (<0.4 mm) on sieving. In contrast, the large aggregates from the ALT system abraded into size classes between 2 and 6 mm. Dry aggregate size distribution (DASD) shows promise as an indicator of SQ related to susceptibility of soil to wind erosion. Aggregates from CON were least stable in water. Soil C was greater under ALT than CON for both Brookings and Mead. At other locations, MWD of aggregates under continuous crop or no tillage (ALT systems) was greater than MWD under CON. There was no crop system effect on water infiltration rates for locations having the same tillage within cropping system. Tillage resulted in increased, decreased, or unchanged near-surface BD. Because there was significant temporal variation in water infiltration, MWD, and BD, conclusions based on a single point-in-time observation should be avoided. Elevated WFPS at Fargo, Brookings, and Mead may have resulted in anaerobic soil conditions during a portion of the year. Repeated measurements of WFPS or DASD revealed important temporal characteristics of SQ that could be used to judge soil condition as affected by management.

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Depression storage and infiltration effects on overland flow depth-velocity-friction at desert conditions: field plot results and model

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-16-3293-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. 3293-3307 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

M. J. Rossi ◽

J. O. Ares

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Overland Flow ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Life Forms ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Soil Core ◽

Infiltration Rates ◽

Overland Flows ◽

Desert Areas ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. Water infiltration and overland flow are relevant in considering water partition among plant life forms, the sustainability of vegetation and the design of sustainable hydrological models and management. In arid and semi-arid regions, these processes present characteristic trends imposed by the prevailing physical conditions of the upper soil as evolved under water-limited climate. A set of plot-scale field experiments at the semi-arid Patagonian Monte (Argentina) were performed in order to estimate the effect of depression storage areas and infiltration rates on depths, velocities and friction of overland flows. The micro-relief of undisturbed field plots was characterized at z-scale 1 mm through close-range stereo-photogrammetry and geo-statistical tools. The overland flow areas produced by controlled water inflows were video-recorded and the flow velocities were measured with image processing software. Antecedent and post-inflow moisture were measured, and texture, bulk density and physical properties of the upper soil were estimated based on soil core analyses. Field data were used to calibrate a physically-based, mass balanced, time explicit model of infiltration and overland flows. Modelling results reproduced the time series of observed flow areas, velocities and infiltration depths. Estimates of hydrodynamic parameters of overland flow (Reynolds-Froude numbers) are informed. To our knowledge, the study here presented is novel in combining several aspects that previous studies do not address simultaneously: (1) overland flow and infiltration parameters were obtained in undisturbed field conditions; (2) field measurements of overland flow movement were coupled to a detailed analysis of soil microtopography at 1 mm depth scale; (3) the effect of depression storage areas in infiltration rates and depth-velocity friction of overland flows is addressed. Relevance of the results to other similar desert areas is justified by the accompanying biogeography analysis of similarity of the environment where this study was performed with other desert areas of the world.

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Characterization and formation of melt layers in polar snow: observations and experiments from West Antarctica

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/172756505781829395 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 51 (173) ◽

pp. 307-312 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Sarah B. Das ◽

Richard B. Alley

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Preferential Flow ◽

Ice Core ◽

Ice Cores ◽

West Antarctica ◽

Near Surface ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Ice Core Record ◽

Temperature Records ◽

Polar Snow

AbstractSurface melting rarely occurs across most of the Antarctic ice sheet, away from the warmer coastal regions. Nonetheless, isolated melt features are preserved in the firn and ice in response to infrequent and short-lived melting events. An understanding of the formation and occurrence of these melt layers will help us to interpret records of past melt occurrences from polar ice cores such as the Siple Dome ice-core record from West Antarctica. A search in the near-surface firn in West Antarctica found that melt features are extremely rare, and consist of horizontal, laterally continuous, one to a few millimeter thick, ice layers with few air bubbles. The melt layers found date from the 1992/93 and 1991/92 summers. Field experiments to investigate changes in stratigraphy taking place during melt events reproduced melt features as seen in the natural stratigraphy. Melting conditions of varying intensity were created by passively heating the near-surface air for varying lengths of time inside a clear plastic hotbox. Melt layers formed due entirely to preferential flow and subsequent refreezing of meltwater from the surface into near-surface, fine-grained, crust layers. Continuous melt layers were formed experimentally when positive-degree-day values exceeded 1ºC-day, a value corresponding well with air-temperature records from automatic weather station sites where melt layers formed in the recent past.

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Ignition and fire spread thresholds in gorse (Ulex europaeus)

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf09008 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 589 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Stuart A. J. Anderson ◽

Wendy R. Anderson

Keyword(s):

Moisture Content ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Fire Management ◽

Fire Spread ◽

Operational Experience ◽

Management Planning ◽

Near Surface ◽

Ulex Europaeus ◽

Fuel Layer ◽

Major Variable

Field experiments were carried out in stands of gorse (Ulex europaeus L.) in New Zealand to determine the conditions under which fires would both ignite and spread. Research and operational experience in shrub fuels suggest that there is a clear difference between conditions that support ignition only (fuel ignites but does not spread beyond a single bush or clump) and conditions that are conducive to fire spread (fuel ignites and develops into a spreading fire). It is important for fire management agencies to be equipped with knowledge of these thresholds, because the different conditions require different levels of preparedness and response. Results indicate that the major variable influencing both fire ignition and fire spread development in gorse is the moisture content of the elevated dead fine fuel layer. Fires were observed to spread successfully in this elevated fuel layer only, independently of the surface fuels and the near-surface fuels. Elevated dead fuels failed to ignite at a moisture content of greater than 36%, and ignition only resulted in a spreading fire at moisture contents below 19%. The results correlate well with field observations and fire practitioners’ experience in these fuels, and provide reliable guidelines for fire management planning.

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