Chemical and Isotopic Patterns of Nitrate Variability in the Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon

Chemical and Isotopic Patterns of Nitrate Variability in the Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon PDF Author: Christopher Flanders Vick
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Groundwater
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
A relatively stable, persistent and historical problem with elevated NO3− concentrations in rural drinking wells in the southern Willamette Valley, Oregon is evident. What is the origin of NO3− in rural drinking water wells in this area? The answer to the question is not simple. Many non-point sources contribute to the elevated levels of NO3− in ground water, including residential and agricultural. The objective of this study was to use isotopes of NO3− and other chemical indicators to determine the sources of NO3− in drinking water wells in the southern Willamette Valley, OR. Criteria for wells to be included in the study were (1) less than 75 feet in depth (2) installed after 1960 and (3) domestic use. Four hundred sixty-six wells met the criteria of the study and 120 wells were sampled during the summer of 2003. Geologic units, dominant land use and soil types were determined for each well in an attempt to determine vulnerability of wells, for NO3− contamination. Twenty drinking water wells were selected to undergo isotopic and further chemical analyses. In order to determine the chemical and isotopic fingerprints of the dominant sources of NO3− contamination soil samples were augered from 10 septic drain fields and water samples were collected below 10 agricultural fields. NO3−N concentrations in the study area ranged from below detection (

Chemical and Isotopic Patterns of Nitrate Variability in the Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon

Chemical and Isotopic Patterns of Nitrate Variability in the Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon PDF Author: Christopher Flanders Vick
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Groundwater
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
A relatively stable, persistent and historical problem with elevated NO3− concentrations in rural drinking wells in the southern Willamette Valley, Oregon is evident. What is the origin of NO3− in rural drinking water wells in this area? The answer to the question is not simple. Many non-point sources contribute to the elevated levels of NO3− in ground water, including residential and agricultural. The objective of this study was to use isotopes of NO3− and other chemical indicators to determine the sources of NO3− in drinking water wells in the southern Willamette Valley, OR. Criteria for wells to be included in the study were (1) less than 75 feet in depth (2) installed after 1960 and (3) domestic use. Four hundred sixty-six wells met the criteria of the study and 120 wells were sampled during the summer of 2003. Geologic units, dominant land use and soil types were determined for each well in an attempt to determine vulnerability of wells, for NO3− contamination. Twenty drinking water wells were selected to undergo isotopic and further chemical analyses. In order to determine the chemical and isotopic fingerprints of the dominant sources of NO3− contamination soil samples were augered from 10 septic drain fields and water samples were collected below 10 agricultural fields. NO3−N concentrations in the study area ranged from below detection (

Temporal and Spatial Variability of Groundwater Nitrate in the Southern Willamette Valley of Oregon

Temporal and Spatial Variability of Groundwater Nitrate in the Southern Willamette Valley of Oregon PDF Author: Jeffrey Glenn Mutti
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Groundwater
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
Groundwater nitrate contamination is a well-documented issue in the Southern Willamette Valley (SWV) of Oregon, as a Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) has recently been declared. As a GWMA, groundwater nitrate monitoring must occur until regional concentrations are below 7 mg/L NO3-N. However, the presence of temporal variability can make it difficult to determine if contamination exceeds a threshold and if contamination is increasing or decreasing over time. To examine the potential impact of temporal variability on groundwater nitrate monitoring in the SWV, a well network was created and sampled monthly for 15 months. Results indicate that substantial intra-well temporal variability is present, and that spatial variability of groundwater nitrate is greater than temporal variability. Generally, temporal variability was associated with recharge events, which flushed higher concentration soil-water into the aquifer. Though individual wells showed seasonality, network-wide seasonal trends were not statistically significant (which is believed to be caused by a dampening effect due to local heterogeneities). From a monitoring perspective, this implies that less frequent groundwater nitrate sampling (such as quarterly) can capture network-wide seasonal response to the same degree as monthly sampling. To determine how long-term land management practices are likely to impact regional nitrate leaching and future monitoring trends, a nitrogen loading model was created for the SWV. Present-day data were used to calibrate and validate the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, with 3 alternative future scenarios then being evaluated. The effects of agrarian Groundwater Best Management Practices (GW-BMPs) were examined with respect to nitrate leaching in present and future scenarios. Modeled values indicate that agrarian GW-BMP implementation is a more effective agent for reduced nitrate leaching than land use change alone. Together, land use change and the adoption of GW-BMPs were found to decrease nitrate leaching values by 32 to 46% of their present-day rates. These predicted results do not include the impact of denitrification or changes in septic leaching, and therefore should be regarded with caution as they do not completely represent future conditions. Considering this, a conservative conclusion which can be drawn is that GW-BMP implementation is a safer alternative than reliance on projected land use/crop change alone for lessening groundwater nitrate concentrations in the GWMA. This is the first study to successfully apply SWAT as a tool to examine the spatial and temporal variability of nitrate leaching.

Groundwater-surface Water Interaction

Groundwater-surface Water Interaction PDF Author: Corinna Abesser
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Groundwater
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Selected papers from a symposium on A new Focus on Integrated Analysis of Groundwater-Surface Water Systems, held during the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics XXIV General Assembly in Perugia, Italy, 11-13 July 2007.

Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology

Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology PDF Author: Peter G. Cook
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461545579
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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Book Description
Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology synthesizes the research of specialists into a comprehensive review of the application of environmental tracers to the study of soil water and groundwater flow. The book includes chapters which cover ionic tracers, noble gases, chlorofluorocarbons, tritium, chlorine-36, oxygen-18, deuterium, and isotopes of carbon, strontium, sulphur and nitrogen. Applications of the tracers include the estimation of vertical and horizontal groundwater velocities, groundwater recharge rates, inter-aquifer leakage and mixing processes, chemical processes and palaeohydrology. Practicing hydrologists, soil physicists and hydrology professors and students will find the book to be a valuable support in their work.

Riparian Areas

Riparian Areas PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309082951
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areasâ€"the lands bordering rivers and lakesâ€"even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America's waterbodies should be a national goal.

Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water. (2nd. Ed.).

Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water. (2nd. Ed.). PDF Author: Geological Survey (U.S.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description


Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science

Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science PDF Author: Robert Michener
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470691174
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 592

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Book Description
This book highlights new and emerging uses of stable isotope analysis in a variety of ecological disciplines. While the use of natural abundance isotopes in ecological research is now relatively standard, new techniques and ways of interpreting patterns are developing rapidly. The second edition of this book provides a thorough, up-to-date examination of these methods of research. As part of the Ecological Methods and Concepts series which provides the latest information on experimental techniques in ecology, this book looks at a wide range of techniques that use natural abundance isotopes to: follow whole ecosystem element cycling understand processes of soil organic matter formation follow the movement of water in whole watersheds understand the effects of pollution in both terrestrial and aquatic environments study extreme systems such as hydrothermal vents follow migrating organisms In each case, the book explains the background to the methodology, looks at the underlying principles and assumptions, and outlines the potential limitations and pitfalls. Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science is an ideal resource for both ecologists who are new to isotopic analysis, and more experienced isotope ecologists interested in innovative techniques and pioneering new uses.

Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology

Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology PDF Author: C. Kendall
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 008092915X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 870

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Book Description
This book represents a new "earth systems" approach to catchments that encompasses the physical and biogeochemical interactions that control the hydrology and biogeochemistry of the system. The text provides a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of catchment hydrology, principles of isotope geochemistry, and the isotope variability in the hydrologic cycle -- but the main focus of the book is on case studies in isotope hydrology and isotope geochemistry that explore the applications of isotope techniques for investigating modern environmental problems. Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology is the first synthesis of physical hydrology and isotope geochemistry with catchment focus, and is a valuable reference for professionals and students alike in the fields of hydrology, hydrochemistry, and environmental science. This important interdisciplinary text provides extensive guidelines for the application of isotope techniques for all investigatores facing the challenge of protecting precious water, soil, and ecological resources from the ever-increasing problems associated with population growth and environmental change, including those from urban development and agricultural land uses.

Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice

Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice PDF Author: Monica G. Turner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387216944
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
An ideal text for students taking a course in landscape ecology. The book has been written by very well-known practitioners and pioneers in the new field of ecological analysis. Landscape ecology has emerged during the past two decades as a new and exciting level of ecological study. Environmental problems such as global climate change, land use change, habitat fragmentation and loss of biodiversity have required ecologists to expand their traditional spatial and temporal scales and the widespread availability of remote imagery, geographic information systems, and desk top computing has permitted the development of spatially explicit analyses. In this new text book this new field of landscape ecology is given the first fully integrated treatment suitable for the student. Throughout, the theoretical developments, modeling approaches and results, and empirical data are merged together, so as not to introduce barriers to the synthesis of the various approaches that constitute an effective ecological synthesis. The book also emphasizes selected topic areas in which landscape ecology has made the most contributions to our understanding of ecological processes, as well as identifying areas where its contributions have been limited. Each chapter features questions for discussion as well as recommended reading.

Scientific Investigations Report

Scientific Investigations Report PDF Author: Sharon E. Kroening
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Earth sciences
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description