scholarly journals Using high-resolution phosphorus data to investigate mitigation measures in headwater river catchments

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 453-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Campbell ◽  
P. Jordan ◽  
J. Arnscheidt
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Septic Tank ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Concentration ◽  
Insufficient Time ◽  
Management Advice

Abstract. This study reports the use of high-resolution water quality monitoring to assess the influence of changes in land use management on total phosphorus (TP) transfers in two 5 km2 agricultural sub-catchments. Specifically, the work investigates the issue of agricultural soil P management and subsequent diffuse transfers at high river flows over a 5-year timescale. The work also investigates the phenomenon of low flow P pollution from septic tank systems (STSs) and mitigation efforts – a key concern for catchment management. Results showed an inconsistent response to soil P management over 5 years with one catchment showing a convergence to optimum P concentrations and the other an overall increase. Both catchments indicated an overall increase in P concentration in defined high flow ranges. Low flow P concentration showed little change or higher P concentrations in defined low flow ranges despite replacement of defective systems and this is possibly due to a number of confounding reasons including increased housing densities due to new-builds. The work indicates fractured responses to catchment management advice and mitigation and that the short to medium term may be an insufficient time to expect the full implementation of policies (here defined as convergence to optimum soil P concentration and mitigation of STSs) and also to gauge their effectiveness.

scholarly journals Using high-resolution phosphorus data to investigate mitigation measures in headwater river catchments

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 10965-11000 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Campbell ◽  
P. Jordan ◽  
J. Arnscheidt
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Septic Tank ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Concentration ◽  
Management Advice

Abstract. This study reports the use of high resolution water quality monitoring to assess the influence of changes in landuse management on total phosphorus (TP) transfers in two 5 km2 agricultural sub-catchments. Specifically, the work investigates the "wicked problem" of agricultural soil P management and subsequent diffuse transfers at high river flows over a five year timescale. The work also investigates the phenomenon of low flow P pollution from septic tank systems (STS) and mitigation efforts – here termed the "filthy issue" of rural catchment management. Results showed an inconsistent response to soil P management over five years with one catchment showing a convergence to optimum P concentrations and the other an overall increase. Both catchments indicated an overall increase in P concentration in defined high flow ranges. Low flow P concentration showed little change or higher P concentrations in defined low flow ranges despite replacement of defective systems and this is possibly due to a number of confounding reasons including increased housing densities due to new-builds. The work indicates fractured responses to catchment management advice and mitigation and that the short to medium term may be an insufficient time to expect the full implementation of policies (here defined as convergence to optimum soil P concentration and mitigation of STS) and also to gauge their effectiveness.

scholarly journals From existing in situ, high-resolution measurement technologies to lab-on-a-chip – the future of water quality monitoring?

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 6457-6506 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Wade ◽  
E. J. Palmer-Felgate ◽  
S. J. Halliday ◽  
R. A. Skeffington ◽  
M. Loewenthal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Septic Tank ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Daily Monitoring ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. This paper introduces new insights into the hydrochemical functioning of lowland river-systems using field-based spectrophotometric and electrode technologies. The streamwater concentrations of nitrogen species and phosphorus fractions were measured at hourly intervals on a continuous basis at two contrasting sites on tributaries of the River Thames, one draining a rural catchment, the River Enborne, and one draining a more urban system, The Cut. The measurements complement those from an existing network of multi-parameter water quality sondes maintained across the Thames catchment and weekly monitoring based on grab samples. The results of the sub-daily monitoring show that streamwater phosphorus concentrations display highly complex, seemingly chaotic, dynamics under storm conditions dependent on the antecedent catchment wetness, and that diurnal phosphorus and nitrogen cycles occur under low flow conditions. The diurnal patterns highlight the dominance of sewage inputs in controlling the streamwater phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations at low flows, even at a distance of 7 km from the nearest sewage works in the rural, River Enborne, and that the time of sample collection is important when judging water quality against ecological thresholds or standards. An exhaustion of the supply of phosphorus from diffuse and septic tank sources during storm events was evident and load estimation was not improved by sub-daily monitoring beyond that achieved by daily sampling because of the eventual reduction in the phosphorus mass entering the stream during events. The dominance of respiration over photosynthesis in The Cut indicated a prevalence of heterotrophic algae, and the seasonal patterns in respiration and photosynthesis corresponded with those of temperature and light in this nutrient over-enriched stream. These results highlight the utility of sub-daily water quality measurements but the deployment of modified wet-chemistry technologies into the field was limited by mains electricity availability. A new approach is therefore needed to allow measurement of a wide range of analytes at a broader range of locations for the development of water quality web-sensor networks. The development and field deployment of a miniaturised "lab-on-a-chip" ion chromatograph is proposed and justified.

scholarly journals A New National Water Quality Model to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Catchment Management Measures in England

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Hankin ◽  
Johan Strömqvist ◽  
Chris Burgess ◽  
Charlotta Pers ◽  
Sally Bielby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Suspended Sediments ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Environment Model ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
National Model

This investigation reports on a new national model to evaluate the effectiveness of catchment sensitive farming in England, and how pollution mitigation measures have improved water quality between 2006 and 2016. An adapted HYPE (HYdrological Predictions for the Environment) model was written to use accurate farm emissions data so that the pathway impact could be accounted for in the land phase of transport. Farm emissions were apportioned into different runoff fractions simulated in surface and soil layers, and travel time and losses were taken into account. These were derived from the regulator’s ‘catchment change matrix’ and converted to monthly load time series, combined with extensive point source load datasets. Very large flow and water quality monitoring datasets were used to calibrate the model nationally for flow, nitrogen, phosphorus, suspended sediments and faecal indicator organisms. The model was simulated with and without estimated changes to farm emissions resulting from catchment measures, and spatial and temporal changes to water quality concentrations were then assessed.

Low flow water quality in rivers; septic tank systems and high-resolution phosphorus signals

2011 ◽  
Vol 412-413 ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.A. Macintosh ◽  
P. Jordan ◽  
R. Cassidy ◽  
J. Arnscheidt ◽  
C. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Septic Tank

2D quantitative analysis of fractures from high-resolution photos for the geomechanical characterization of rock masses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Wyser ◽  
Lidia Loiotine ◽  
Charlotte Wolff ◽  
Gioacchino Francesco Andriani ◽  
Michel Jaboyedoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
Rock Masses ◽  
Sampling Errors ◽  
Discontinuity Sets ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Geomechanical Characterization

<p>The identification of discontinuity sets and their properties is among the key factors for the geomechanical characterization of rock masses, which is fundamental for performing stability analyses, and for planning prevention and mitigation measures as well.<br>In practice, discontinuity data are collected throughout difficult and time-consuming field surveys, especially when dealing with areas of wide extension, difficult accessibility, covered by dense vegetation, or with adverse weather conditions. Consequently, even experienced operators may introduce sampling errors or misinterpretations, leading to biased geomechanical models for the investigated rock mass.<br>In the last decades, new remote techniques such as photogrammetry,<em> Light Detection and Ranging</em> (LiDAR), <em>Unmanned Aerial Vehicle</em> (UAV) and <em>InfraRed Thermography </em>(IRT) have been introduced to overcome the limits of conventional surveys. We propose here a new tool for extracting information on the fracture pattern in rock masses, based on <em>remote sensing </em>methods, with particular reference to the analysis of high-resolution georeferenced photos. The first step consists in applying the <em>Structure from Motion</em> (SfM) technique on photos acquired by means of digital cameras and UAV techniques. Once aligned and georeferenced, the orthophotos are exported in a GIS software, to draw the fracture traces at an appropriate scale. We developed a MATLAB routine to extract information on the geostructural setting of rock masses by performing a quantitative 2D analysis of the fracture traces, based on formulas reported in the literature. The code was written by testing few experimental and simple traces and was successively validated on an orthophoto from a real case study.<br>Currently, the script plots the fracture traces as polylines and calculates their orientation (strike) and length. Subsequently, it detects the main discontinuity sets by fitting an experimental composite Gaussian curve on histograms showing the number of discontinuities according to their orientation, and splitting the curve in simpler Gaussian curves, with peaks corresponding to the main discontinuity sets.<br>Then, for each set, a linear scanline intersecting the highest number of traces is plotted, and the apparent and real spacing are calculated. In a second step, a grid of circular scanlines covering the whole area where the traces are located is plotted, and the mean trace intensity, trace density and trace length estimators are calculated.<br>It is expected to test the presented tools on other case studies, in order to optimize them and calculate additional metrics, such as persistence and block sizes, useful to the geomechanical characterization of rock masses.<br>As a future perspective, a similar approach could be investigated for 3D analyses from point clouds.</p>

scholarly journals High-resolution monitoring of nutrients in groundwater and surface waters: process understanding, quantification of loads and concentrations, and management applications

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 3619-3629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans C. van Geer ◽  
Brian Kronvang ◽  
Hans Peter Broers
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Monitoring Strategies ◽  
Frequency Monitoring ◽  
Water Quality And Quantity

Abstract. Four sessions on "Monitoring Strategies: temporal trends in groundwater and surface water quality and quantity" at the EGU conferences in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 and a special issue of HESS form the background for this overview of the current state of high-resolution monitoring of nutrients. The overview includes a summary of technologies applied in high-frequency monitoring of nutrients in the special issue. Moreover, we present a new assessment of the objectives behind high-frequency monitoring as classified into three main groups: (i) improved understanding of the underlying hydrological, chemical, and biological processes (PU); (ii) quantification of true nutrient concentrations and loads (Q); and (iii) operational management, including evaluation of the effects of mitigation measures (M). The contributions in the special issue focus on the implementation of high-frequency monitoring within the broader context of policy making and management of water in Europe for support of EU directives such as the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive, and the Nitrates Directive. The overview presented enabled us to highlight the typical objectives encountered in the application of high-frequency monitoring and to reflect on future developments and research needs in this growing field of expertise.

Statistical and Data Mining Techniques for Understanding Water Quality Profiles in a Mining-Affected River Basin

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Simmonds ◽  
Juan A. Gómez ◽  
Agapito Ledezma
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Inverse Relation

This article contains a multivariate analysis (MV), data mining (DM) techniques and water quality index (WQI) metrics which were applied to a water quality dataset from three water quality monitoring stations in the Petaquilla River Basin, Panama, to understand the environmental stress on the river and to assess the feasibility for drinking. Principal Components and Factor Analysis (PCA/FA), indicated that the factors which changed the quality of the water for the two seasons differed. During the low flow season, water quality showed to be influenced by turbidity (NTU) and total suspended solids (TSS). For the high flow season, main changes on water quality were characterized by an inverse relation of NTU and TSS with electrical conductivity (EC) and chlorides (Cl), followed by sources of agricultural pollution. To complement the MV analysis, DM techniques like cluster analysis (CA) and classification (CLA) was applied and to assess the quality of the water for drinking, a WQI.

scholarly journals 3T MRI of Peripheral Vascular Malformations: Characteristics and Comparison of Two Fat-Saturated sequences: Short Tau Inversion Recovery Versus Three-Dimensional High-Resolution Volume Interpolated Gradient Recalled Echo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florentine Höhn ◽  
Simone Hammer ◽  
Claudia Fellner ◽  
Florian Zeman ◽  
Wibke Uller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Vascular Malformations ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Peripheral Vascular ◽  
Contrast Enhanced ◽  
Hemodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Short Tau Inversion Recovery

Purpose To assess morphological and hemodynamic characteristics of peripheral vascular malformations on 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including qualitative comparison of two fat-saturated sequences: short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and three-dimensional high-resolution volume interpolated gradient recalled echo (GRE). Materials and Methods During 9 months, 100 patients with suspected or known vascular malformations were prospectively assessed on a 3 T scanner using T2-weighted STIR and turbo spin echo (TSE), T1-weighted TSE, time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with interleaved stochastic trajectories (TWIST) and T1-weighted volume interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) after contrast enhancement. The analysis included signal behavior and morphologic and hemodynamic characteristics. Additionally, the image quality of the fat-saturated sequences was evaluated by 2 radiologists. Results 86 patients (14 dropouts; 57 female, 29 male; mean age 26.8 years, age range 1–56) were analyzed. 22 had high-flow and 64 low-flow malformations, including 14 with a lymphatic component. In 21 of 22 patients with high-flow malformations, typical characteristics (flow voids, hyperdynamic arteriovenous fistula, dilated main/feeder-arteries and draining veins) were documented. Patients with low-flow malformations had phleboliths in 35 cases, fluid-fluid levels in 47 and dilated draining veins in 23. Lymphatic malformations showed peripheral contrast enhancement of cyst walls in the volume interpolated GRE. The comparison of fat-saturated sequences showed significantly better results of the volume interpolated GRE in all categories except the presence of artifacts which were significantly reduced in the STIR (p < 0.05). Conclusion 3 T MRI with MRA provides detailed morphological and hemodynamic information of different types of peripheral vascular malformations. Contrast-enhanced high-resolution volume interpolated GRE proved superior to STIR in differentiating morphologic features and to be diagnostic in the differentiation of lymphatic parts and joint involvement. Key Points:  Citation Format

scholarly journals Estimating mass-wasting processes in active earth slides – earth flows with time-series of High-Resolution DEMs from photogrammetry and airborne LiDAR

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 433-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Corsini ◽  
L. Borgatti ◽  
F. Cervi ◽  
A. Dahne ◽  
F. Ronchetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Mass Wasting ◽  
Aerial Photos ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Earth Flows

Abstract. This paper deals with the use of time-series of High-Resolution Digital Elevation Models (HR DEMs) obtained from photogrammetry and airborne LiDAR coupled with aerial photos, to analyse the magnitude of recently reactivated large scale earth slides – earth flows located in the northern Apennines of Italy. The landslides underwent complete reactivation between 2001 and 2006, causing civil protection emergencies. With the final aim to support hazard assessment and the planning of mitigation measures, high-resolution DEMs are used to identify, quantify and visualize depletion and accumulation in the slope resulting from the reactivation of the mass movements. This information allows to quantify mass wasting, i.e. the amount of landslide material that is wasted during reactivation events due to stream erosion along the slope and at its bottom, resulting in sediment discharge into the local fluvial system, and to assess the total volumetric magnitude of the events. By quantifying and visualising elevation changes at the slope scale, results are also a valuable support for the comprehension of geomorphological processes acting behind the evolution of the analysed landslides.

scholarly journals Trajectories of nitrate input and output in three nested catchments along a land use gradient

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 3503-3524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Ehrhardt ◽  
Rohini Kumar ◽  
Jan H. Fleckenstein ◽  
Sabine Attinger ◽  
Andreas Musolff
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
N Fixation ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Input And Output ◽  
N Input ◽  
Nitrate Concentrations

Abstract. Increased anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen (N) to the biosphere during the last few decades have resulted in increased groundwater and surface water concentrations of N (primarily as nitrate), posing a global problem. Although measures have been implemented to reduce N inputs, they have not always led to decreasing riverine nitrate concentrations and loads. This limited response to the measures can either be caused by the accumulation of organic N in the soils (biogeochemical legacy) – or by long travel times (TTs) of inorganic N to the streams (hydrological legacy). Here, we compare atmospheric and agricultural N inputs with long-term observations (1970–2016) of riverine nitrate concentrations and loads in a central German mesoscale catchment with three nested subcatchments of increasing agricultural land use. Based on a data-driven approach, we assess jointly the N budget and the effective TTs of N through the soil and groundwater compartments. In combination with long-term trajectories of the C–Q relationships, we evaluate the potential for and the characteristics of an N legacy. We show that in the 40-year-long observation period, the catchment (270 km2) with 60 % agricultural area received an N input of 53 437 t, while it exported 6592 t, indicating an overall retention of 88 %. Removal of N by denitrification could not sufficiently explain this imbalance. Log-normal travel time distributions (TTDs) that link the N input history to the riverine export differed seasonally, with modes spanning 7–22 years and the mean TTs being systematically shorter during the high-flow season as compared to low-flow conditions. Systematic shifts in the C–Q relationships were noticed over time that could be attributed to strong changes in N inputs resulting from agricultural intensification before 1989, the break-down of East German agriculture after 1989 and the seasonal differences in TTs. A chemostatic export regime of nitrate was only found after several years of stabilized N inputs. The changes in C–Q relationships suggest a dominance of the hydrological N legacy over the biogeochemical N fixation in the soils, as we expected to observe a stronger and even increasing dampening of the riverine N concentrations after sustained high N inputs. Our analyses reveal an imbalance between N input and output, long time-lags and a lack of significant denitrification in the catchment. All these suggest that catchment management needs to address both a longer-term reduction of N inputs and shorter-term mitigation of today's high N loads. The latter may be covered by interventions triggering denitrification, such as hedgerows around agricultural fields, riparian buffers zones or constructed wetlands. Further joint analyses of N budgets and TTs covering a higher variety of catchments will provide a deeper insight into N trajectories and their controlling parameters.

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