Widespread underestimation of the danger of groundwater contamination by shortcuts into aquifers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hartmann ◽  
The karst vulnerablity research consortium
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Groundwater Contamination ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
World Population ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Scale Modelling ◽  
Agricultural Pollutants ◽  
First Time

<p>Groundwater pollution threatens human and ecosystem health in many areas around the globe. Shortcuts to the groundwater through enlarged cracks and fissures, often referred to as concentrated recharge, are known to transmit short-lived pollutants into carbonate aquifers endangering water quality of around a quarter of the world population. However, the large-scale impact of concentrated recharge on water quality remains poorly understood. Here we apply a continental-scale model to quantify for the first time the danger of groundwater contamination by degradable pollutants through concentrated recharge in carbonate rock regions. We show that concentrated recharge is the primary reason for the rapid transport of contaminants to the groundwater, increasing the percentage of non-degraded pollutants from <1% in areas without concentrated recharge to around 20-50% in areas where concentrated recharge is present. Our findings are most pronounced in the Mediterranean region where agricultural pollutants in groundwater recharge like Glyphosate can exceed allowed concentrations by up to 19 times. Our results imply that in regions where shortcuts to the groundwater exist, continuing industrial agricultural productivity to optimize food production may result in a widespread reduction of available drinking water and harm ecosystem services more intense than presently available large-scale modelling concepts suggest.</p>

scholarly journals Risk of groundwater contamination widely underestimated because of fast flow into aquifers

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (20) ◽  
pp. e2024492118
Author(s):  
Andreas Hartmann ◽  
Scott Jasechko ◽  
Tom Gleeson ◽  
Yoshihide Wada ◽  
Bartolomé Andreo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Contamination ◽  
Carbonate Rock ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Water Fractions ◽  
Fast Flow ◽  
Rock Springs

Groundwater pollution threatens human and ecosystem health in many regions around the globe. Fast flow to the groundwater through focused recharge is known to transmit short-lived pollutants into carbonate aquifers, endangering the quality of groundwaters where one quarter of the world’s population lives. However, the large-scale impact of such focused recharge on groundwater quality remains poorly understood. Here, we apply a continental-scale model to quantify the risk of groundwater contamination by degradable pollutants through focused recharge in the carbonate rock regions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. We show that focused recharge is the primary reason for widespread rapid transport of contaminants to the groundwater. Where it occurs, the concentration of pollutants in groundwater recharge that have not yet degraded increases from <1% to around 20 to 50% of their concentrations during infiltration. Assuming realistic application rates, our simulations show that degradable pollutants like glyphosate can exceed their permissible concentrations by 3 to 19 times when reaching the groundwater. Our results are supported by independent estimates of young water fractions at 78 carbonate rock springs over Europe and a dataset of observed glyphosate concentrations in the groundwater. They imply that in times of continuing and increasing industrial and agricultural productivity, focused recharge may result in an underestimated and widespread risk to usable groundwater volumes.

scholarly journals Influence of EU policy on agricultural nutrient losses and the state of receiving surface waters in Finland

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 282 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. EKHOLM ◽  
K. GRANLUND ◽  
P. KAUPPILA
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
Agricultural Catchments ◽  
Receiving Waters ◽  
Environmental Measures ◽  
Current Loading ◽  
Regional Specialisation

In Finland, the first large-scale efforts to control nutrient loading from agriculture got under way with the introduction of the EU Agri-Environmental Program in 1995. We examined whether these efforts have decreased agricultural nutrient losses and improved the quality of receiving waters. To do so we used monitoring data on fluxes of nutrients and total suspended solids in agricultural catchments in 1990–2004 and on the water quality of agriculturally loaded rivers, lakes and estuaries in 1990–2005. No clear reduction in loading or improvement in water quality was detected. Hydrological fluctuations do not seem to have eclipsed the effects of the measures taken, since there was no systematic pattern in runoff in the period studied. The apparent inefficiency of the measures taken may be due to the large nutrient reserves of the soil, which slowed down nutrient reductions within the period studied. Simultaneous changes in agricultural production (e.g. regional specialisation) and in climate may also have counteracted the effects of agri-environmental measures. The actions to reduce agricultural loading might have been more successful had they focused specifically on the areas and actions that contribute most to the current loading.;

Assessment on the Water Quality Influenced by Large-Scale Controlled Planting of Water Hyacinth in the Dianchi Lake

2013 ◽  
Vol 726-731 ◽  
pp. 1782-1785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Zhang ◽  
Zong Shou Cai ◽  
Li Hong Chen ◽  
Jian Wen Ruan
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Water Hyacinth ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
Dianchi Lake ◽  
The Future ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Ecological Treatment

Large-scale controlled planting of water hyacinth has become one of the most important measures of Dianchi Lake’s treatment in the “12th Five-Year Plan”. This paper firstly introduced the present situation of large-scale controlled planting of water hyacinth in Dianchi Lake. The water quality of Caohai and Waihai of Dianchi Lake were compared before and after the project of planting water hyacinth. This paper concluded that the effects of large-scale controlled planting of water hyacinth on the ecological restoration of Caohai lake were outstanding. The area of controlled planting could be spread among other water areas of Dianchi lake where is suitable for the growth of water hyacinth in the future, and water hyacinth will pay a greater role in the ecological treatment of Dianchi Lake.

Taxonomy, ultrastructure, and distribution of some gomphonemoid diatoms (Bacillariophyceae: Gomphonemataceae) from rivers in the United States

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 686-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
J P Kociolek ◽  
J C Kingston
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
North American ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Water Quality Assessment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
National Water

Using the continental-scale collections of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, we examined selected members of the family Gomphonemataceae to expand the current state of knowledge of diatom taxonomy, morphology, and distribution. Ten taxa in the genera Gomphonema, Gomphoneis, and Gomphosphenia are examined. The taxonomic status of two taxa is revised, and one new species is described. Two new features are described for the genus Gomphonema: slit-like areolae and ridge-like flaps or flanges on pseudosepta. Many North American gomphonemoid species appear to be restricted to certain geographic regions; the differences between western and eastern North America are striking. Trained analysts have had difficulty identifying and discriminating many of these taxa. We believe that this difficulty, in large part, results from our poor knowledge of the North American flora. Large-scale monitoring programs such as NAWQA, when teamed up with research organizations with common interests, hold great promise to expand our knowledge of the biodiversity of North American ecosystems.Key words: biogeography, Gomphoneis, Gomphonema, Gomphosphenia, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, taxonomy; ultrastructure.

scholarly journals An Assessment of Drinking Water Quality in Cauvery Delta Region and Palar Region, Tamil Nadu

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 238
Author(s):  
R. Sophia Porchelvi ◽  
P. Selvavathi
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Drinking Purposes ◽  
Cauvery Delta

Delta regions of the Cauvery River basin are one of the significant areas of rice production in India. In spite of large-scale utilization of the river basin for irrigation and drinking purposes, the lack of appropriate water management has seemingly deteriorated the water quality due to increasing anthropogenic activities. Vellore is the second most populous district of Tamil Nadu in India where the Palar River flowing towards east for about 295 Km. Vellore is surrounded by many leather tanneries and small scale dying industries and their effluents are discharged into the Palar river causing impact on the quality of the underground water. To assess the extent of deterioration, physicochemical characteristics of surface water were analyzed select regions of Cauvery Delta River basin and Palar region, Tamil Nadu, during March 2016 to May 2016. This study aimed to examine quality of drinking groundwater. The results represented whether the water was suitable or unsuitable for drinking purposes in this area. It was also observed that some areas like Tiruvarur, Needamangalam, Kamalapuram, Arcot, Soraiyur, Ranipet had low quality drinking water. It is suggested to take some necessary measures for supplying desirable water to the people living in these areas.

scholarly journals Micromechanical study of potential scale effects in small-scale modelling of sinker tree roots

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyu Zhang ◽  
◽  
Matteo Ciantia ◽  
Jonathan Knappett ◽  
Anthony Leung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Distinct Element ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
Scale Modelling ◽  
Element Method

When testing an 1:N geotechnical structure in the centrifuge, it is desirable to choose a large scale factor (N) that can fit the small-scale model in a model container and avoid unwanted boundary effects, however, this in turn may cause scale effects when the structure is overscaled. This is more significant when it comes to small-scale modelling of sinker root-soil interaction, where root-particle size ratio is much lower. In this study the Distinct Element Method (DEM) is used to investigate this problem. The sinker root of a model root system under axial loading was analysed, with both upward and downward behaviour compared with the Finite Element Method (FEM), where the soil is modelled as a continuum in which case particle-size effects are not taken into consideration. Based on the scaling law, with the same prototype scale and particle size distribution, different scale factors/g-levels were applied to quantify effects of the ratio of root diameter (𝑑𝑟) to mean particle size (𝐷50) on the root rootsoil interaction.

The Influence of Large Scale Phosphate Mining on the Water Quality of the Huangbaihe River Basin in China: Dominant Pollutants and Spatial Distributions

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gebrehiwet Legese Reta ◽  
Xiaohua Dong ◽  
Bob Su ◽  
Xiaonong Hu ◽  
Huijuan Bo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Distributions ◽  
Phosphate Mining

scholarly journals Streamflow trends in Europe: evidence from a dataset of near-natural catchments

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 2367-2382 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Stahl ◽  
H. Hisdal ◽  
J. Hannaford ◽  
L. M. Tallaksen ◽  
H. A. J. van Lanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Low Flows ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Monthly Streamflow ◽  
Streamflow Trends

Abstract. Streamflow observations from near-natural catchments are of paramount importance for detection and attribution studies, evaluation of large-scale model simulations, and assessment of water management, adaptation and policy options. This study investigates streamflow trends in a newly-assembled, consolidated dataset of near-natural streamflow records from 441 small catchments in 15 countries across Europe. The period 1962–2004 provided the best spatial coverage, but analyses were also carried out for longer time periods (with fewer stations), starting in 1932, 1942 and 1952. Trends were calculated by the slopes of the Kendall-Theil robust line for standardized annual and monthly streamflow, as well as for summer low flow magnitude and timing. A regionally coherent picture of annual streamflow trends emerged, with negative trends in southern and eastern regions, and generally positive trends elsewhere. Trends in monthly streamflow for 1962–2004 elucidated potential causes for these changes, as well as for changes in hydrological regimes across Europe. Positive trends were found in the winter months in most catchments. A marked shift towards negative trends was observed in April, gradually spreading across Europe to reach a maximum extent in August. Low flows have decreased in most regions where the lowest mean monthly flow occurs in summer, but vary for catchments which have flow minima in winter and secondary low flows in summer. The study largely confirms findings from national and regional scale trend analyses, but clearly adds to these by confirming that these tendencies are part of coherent patterns of change, which cover a much larger region. The broad, continental-scale patterns of change are mostly congruent with the hydrological responses expected from future climatic changes, as projected by climate models. The patterns observed could hence provide a valuable benchmark for a number of different studies and model simulations.

scholarly journals Phytoplankton as a bioindicator of the water quality of Lake Malenets (Pskov Region)

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-61
Author(s):  
Tatiana V. Drozdenko ◽  
Irina V. Kek ◽  
Tatiana A. Mishkova
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Ecological State ◽  
Phytoplankton Species Composition ◽  
Pskov Region ◽  
Quantitative Indicators ◽  
First Time ◽  
Geographical Characteristics ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

This paper shows the use of planktonic algae in determining the ecological state of the reservoir. Phytoplankton is an important link in the aquatic ecosystem, which is the first to react to the slightest fluctuations in environmental conditions by changing its structure and quantitative characteristics, and therefore is very convenient in bioindication studies. In the summer of 2017, the planktonic algaflora of Lake Malenets, located on the territory of the Mikhailovskoye Museum-Reserve in the Pushkinogorsk District of the Pskov Region, was studied for the first time. In total, 87 species and intraspecific taxa of phytoplankton were identified from 8 phylums, 12 classes, 20 orders, 35 families, and 58 genera. The dominant algaflora complex is characterized as diatom-chlorophytic with the presence of golden algae. Using the Sierensen-Chekanovsky index, the degree of similarity of the phytoplankton species composition of Lake Malenets with the nearby Lake Kuchane was estimated. The calculation of quantitative indicators of phytoplankton abundance and biomass was carried out, the ecological and geographical characteristics of microalgae were presented, and the water quality class of Lake Malenets was established. The obtained results are of practical importance, since they allow to establish the ecological state of the water body as well as to develop methodological recommendations for its improvement and stabilization.

scholarly journals Primeiro registro do gênero e espécie Neblinagena doylei Kodada & Jäch (Coleoptera: Elmidae: Larainae) no Brasil

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-64
Author(s):  
Jaime de Liege Gama Neto ◽  
Mahedy Araujo Bastos Passos
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
South America ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
First Time

Resumo. Registra-se pela primeira vez no Brasil Neblinagena doylei Kodada & Jäch (Elmidae, Larainae) ampliando a distribuição geográfica do gênero e da espécie na América do Sul. São apresentadas informações sobre o ambiente e a qualidade da água do local de coleta da espécie. Adicionalmente, citam-se os seguintes gêneros e espécies de Elmidae amostradas juntamente com N. doylei: Cylloepus, Microcylloepus e Neoelmis e as espécies Xenelmis micros Grouvelle e Xenelmis tarsalis Hinton.First record of Genus and Species Neblinagena doylei Kodada & Jäch (Coleoptera: Elmidae: Larainae) in BrazilAbstract. We recorded, for the first time in Brazil, the genus and species Neblinagena doylei Kodada & Jäch, expanding the geographic distribution of the genus and species in South America. We complement this information with data on the environment and water quality of the locality where the species was collected. Adittionally, we cited the following genera and species of Elmidae collected along with N. doylei: Cylloepus, Microcylloepus, Neoelmis, Xenelmis micros Grouvelle and Xenelmis tarsalis Hinton.

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