Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Kentucky Karst Dye Trace Database, Sarah M. Arpin, Benjamin W. Tobin, Maaz Fareedi, Adam Link, James C. Currens

Research Data--KGS

This dataset provides the geographical locations of karst groundwater basins, groundwater flowpaths, and dye injection/recovery points in Kentucky. Dye tracing is a common method used for understanding groundwater movement. Dye is poured (or injected) into a sinking stream, well, sinkhole, or body of water, where it is carried down-gradient by flowing water. The locations at which dye is recovered (typically at artesian springs) indicates a connection from injection to recovery site. This connection is refered to as a groundwater flowpath. Conducting multiple dye traces across an area allows for the interpretation of regional groundwater flow by assessing where flowpaths either …

Hydrology Data For Fern Cave, Alabama (2020-2022), Benjamin Tobin, Benjamin V. Miller, Matthew Niemiller, Andrea Erhardt

Research Data--KGS

Dataset includes water level from four sites within Fern Cave in Jackson County Alabama. Additionally, it includes chemistry of water, sediments and cave-adapted isopods.

Identifying The Isotopic Signature Of Lake-Effect Precipitation In Shallow Groundwater, Andrew Brown

Honors Projects

Three different stable isotopes of water occur in nature, with the majority of water on Earth containing the oxygen isotope 16O. These isotopes have slightly differing physical and chemical properties. H2O with heavier oxygen isotopes should theoretically precipitate earlier than lighter isotope H2O, meaning this natural process should allow for the observation of the magnitude of effects of lake-effect precipitation on the basis of water isotope differences. Furthermore, it may allow for better understanding of the significance lake-effect precipitation plays in recharging shallow aquifers. In this study, patterns of lake-effect precipitation from Lake Michigan were observed in a collection of …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2021, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Leslie M. Howard, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Robert Matthew Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division

This report is a synthesis of groundwater-level monitoring programs in Nebraska. It is a continuation of the series of annual reports and maps produced by the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) of the University of Nebraska in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since the 1950s. Groundwater-level monitoring began in Nebraska in 1930 in an effort to survey the state’s groundwater resources and to observe changes in its availability on a continuing basis. The CSD and USGS cooperatively developed, maintained, and operated an observation-well network throughout the state. These two agencies were responsible for collecting and archiving this information, …

Geologic Homogenization, Conditioning, & Reuse, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) project to evaluate the geologic homogenization, conditioning, and reuse (GHCR) concept of water management. Describes the GHCR concept and summarizes results of the multiyear project.

Comprehensive Report On Extraterrestrial Resource Extraction, Robinson Raphael

Student Works

The prospect of asteroid mining provides a plethora of riches that include metals and water. As the number of discovered asteroids continues to grow, opportunities arise to commercialize these resources within Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). With urgent applications on Earth and in space, NEAs allow for a surge in sales. Planning forward, Astroider Aerospace Systems follows a mission split into four phases. Phase 1 develops a series of spacecraft using existing technologies, titled as Near-Earth Asteroid Miners and Near-Earth Asteroid Surveyors. Phase 2 first launches the surveyors to candidate NEAs, prospecting them for ores. To identify potential celestial bodies for this …

Carbonatite Metasomatism And Water Systematics Of Peridotite Xenoliths From Lanzarote, Canaries, Sierra N. Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

Water in Earth’s mantle, present as structurally bound hydrogen in minerals, influences large scale processes like mantle deformation, plate tectonics, and melting. To better understand the processes controlling water concentrations in the Earth’s upper mantle, we analyzed hydrogen (calculated as ppm wt. H₂O), major, and trace element concentrations in minerals from peridotite mantle xenoliths of Lanzarote, Canaries. The Canaries Islands are thought to be the surface expression of a deep-seated mantle plume erupting through the Atlantic Ocean lithosphere. Carbonatite magmas have erupted in the Canaries and previous studies have shown evidence for carbonatite metasomatism in Lanzarote peridotites. Thus, …

Analysis Of Water Concentration Formed Within Deformed Synthetic Quartz Crystals, Andrew Steward

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Analyzing the strength of synthetic quartz is essential to understanding the strength of natural milky quartz, which likely controls the strength of Earth’s continental crust. Synthetic quartz is sometimes used for deformation experiments because it has a homogenous water distribution unlike natural milky quartz. The purpose of this study is to determine if annealing synthetic quartz at T = 600°C will convert the water in synthetic quartz to free water, like milky quartz, but with little water loss. Following two annealing experiments at Texas A&M University, I performed four annealing experiments to measure the water content of five synthetic quartz …

Impact Of Interlayer Cation Composition And Strongly Bound Water On Smectite ẟ²H, As Determined By A Modified Tcea Method, Nadine J. Kanik

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Interlayer cation composition and cation hydration enthalpy can potentially affect the excess hydrogen-yield and δ²H of smectitic clays. Complexities arise from condensed atmospheric water adsorbed on the clay, as it constitutes a potential additional source of hydrogen when attempting to measure the δ²H of structural OH groups. To approach this problem, the δ²H of different cation-saturated, dried forms of six Clay Minerals Society Source Clay smectites were measured. A modified sample drying and on-line High-Temperature-Conversion-Elemental-Analysis (TCEA) Continuous-Flow-Isotope-Ratio-Mass-Spectrometry protocol, facilitated isotopic measurements. A stronger interlayer cation hydration enthalpy (Ca²⁺>Na⁺>K⁺), …

Protean Caves And Cyrenean Grottos: The Subterranean World Of Vergil's Fourth Georgic, Kirby Schoephoerster

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using the studies and methodologies spearheaded by the burgeoning field of geomythology, this project aims to reevaluate one of the most famous works of ancient literature, the Georgics of Vergil, within the context of karst geology. In other words, I plan to critically investigate the famous myth of Aristaeus using a geomythological lens that focuses on how Vergil treats caves and cave systems as related to (his) myth. The didactic poem as a whole, and much less so the myth of Aristaeus, has been assessed relatively little by archaeologists, and by geomythologists not at all. Yet, book four contains an …

Water Systematics Of Samoan Peridotite Xenoliths, Aaron Wolfgang Ashley

Theses and Dissertations

Water influences geodynamic processes such as melting, deformation and rheology. Yet its distribution in the oceanic upper mantle is primarily known indirectly from melt inclusions and glasses of erupted mantle melts (i.e. MORB and OIB). To constrain the mechanisms influencing the distribution of water in the mantle, we analyzed 15 peridotite xenoliths from Savaiʻi and 2 dunite xenoliths from Taʻū (Samoa) for water concentrations (by polarized FTIR) and major/trace elements. Savaiʻi peridotites are among the most melt depleted oceanic xenoliths recovered (degrees of melt depletion ≥15%). They show strong evidence of transient metasomatism by both carbonatite and silicate melts, with …

Informing Water Use Decision-Making For Waterfowl And Agricultural Production On A Ranch Along The North Platte River, Nebraska, Douglas R. Hallum P.G.

Conservation and Survey Division

In 2014, operators of a ranch along the North Platte River approached Conservation and Survey Division seeking expertise to interpret data collected on their ranch. The interpretations inform ranch decisions to accomplish operators’ goals. This publication documents the work by: 1) characterizing the ranch, 2) summarizing data collected, 3) characterizing hydrogeology of the site and the adjacent reach, and 4) conceptualizing groundwater/surface water interaction.

The ranch is a recreation property and a migratory waterfowl refuge with a few general goals: 1) develop and maintain high-quality wet meadow habitat, 2) maximize the extent and duration of surface water on the property …

Comparative Microbial Community Dynamics In A Karst Aquifer System And Proximal Surface Stream In Northwest Arkansas, Josue Rodriguez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Northwest Arkansas has well-developed karst systems, with numerous sinking streams and springs. Karst conduits make it easy for contaminants to enter groundwater systems, degrading the water quality and destroying fragile karst ecosystems. With the increase of urbanization, potential threats in the form of fecal contamination may prove to be more of a problem. The purpose of this research is to compare the difference between microbial communities within two different settings, a karst aquifer and a surface stream. The microbial communities within Blowing Spring Cave and Little Sugar Creek were detected and identified in water and sediment samples. Samples were also …

Microtextural Studies Of Feldspar In Ordinary Chondrites, Jonathan A. Lewis

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Ordinary chondrites contain an important record of events that took place during the earliest period of solar system evolution. These include primary processes, such as chondrule formation, and secondary processes, those that affected asteroids after accretion and modified primary components. Secondary processes include aqueous alteration, thermal metamorphism, and shock effects from impact events. Secondary minerals can provide insight into the chemical and physical conditions that affected their parent asteroids. Feldspar is known to be a secondary mineral that crystallized during thermal metamorphism. The goal of this work is to use the formation and evolution of feldspar to elucidate the conditions …

Aquifers Of Nebraska Ii: The Niobrara Aquifer, Dana Divine, Robert Matthew Joeckel, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division

The marine shale, chalk, marl, and chalky limestone of the Niobrara Formation directly underlie Quaternary sediments in 23 counties from south-central to northeastern Nebraska. Nevertheless, the formation serves as an aquifer only in and around Cedar, Madison, and Nuckolls counties. Niobrara aquifer wells mostly supply irrigation, domestic, and livestock needs. Two hundred of the approximately 230 active registered wells in Nebraska that are screened entirely in the Niobrara aquifer are in Cedar County and environs. About another 200 wells in this area are screened in both the Niobrara aquifer and overlying Quaternary sediments. Wells screened entirely in the Niobrara aquifer …

Volatiles In Subglacially Erupted Basaltic Glasses And Their Use In Reconstructing Paleo-Ice Thicknesses, Carver Lee

Masters Theses

Volatile concentrations in basaltic tuyas, edifices that form during a subglacial eruption and remain once the ice sheet has retreated, have been used to calculate the thickness of the overlying ice sheet at the onset of the eruption (Tuffen, 2010). However, subglacial eruptions are complex events and this technique does not always provide a clear answer (Schopka et al., 2006; Edwards et al., 2009). The purpose of this research is to evaluate this technique and investigate constraints on the quality of data collected by attempting to calculate the minimum ice thickness under which Hlöðufell, a tuya in south-central Iceland, erupted. …

Results Of Test-Hole Drilling For Observation Well Planning In The Upper Loup Natural Resources District, Fall 2016, Douglas Hallum, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division

The High Plains Aquifer underlies much of Nebraska (Figure 1). It is the primary source of groundwater within the Upper Loup Natural Resources District (ULNRD) of central Nebraska (Figure 2). Water derived from the aquifer is an important natural resource for the area and supplies water for recreation, wildlife and agriculture, as well as domestic, municipal, and industrial uses. A general lack of water level observations in the region (Figure 3), recently developed groundwater irrigated acres along the upper Calamus River (Figure 4), falling spring water levels measured in existing irrigation wells (Figure 5), and a stable to falling stream …

Climate Change Adaptation For Southern California Groundwater Managers: A Case Study Of The Six Basins Aquifer, Frank Lyles

Pomona Senior Theses

Groundwater has been very important to the economic development of Southern California, and will continue to be a crucial resource in the 21st century. However, Climate Change threatens to disrupt many of the physical and economic processes that control the flow of water in and out of aquifers. One groundwater manager, the Six Basins Watermaster in eastern Los Angeles and western San Bernardino Counties, has developed a long-term planning document called the Strategic Plan that mostly fails to address the implications of Climate Change, especially for local water supplies. This thesis presents an in-depth analysis of the Six Basin Watermaster’s …

Modeling The Influence Of The Heterogeneous Substrate On The Transport Of The Jet Fuel Solute Plume, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Hannah Sarah Gatz-Miller

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

A subsurface model was developed to characterize the influence of heterogeneity on solute phase plume migration of the Jet Fuel spill of Kirtland Air Force Base. Core –logs from KAFB boreholes were compiled, and lithology was interpolated across the study area using transition probability geostatistics (T-PROGS). High conductivity materials in the travel path resulted in a faster than average breakthrough time while, if low conductivity materials were placed in the travel path, particles were either forced to divert around the low K material, which added time and changed the direction of travel, or were forced by the hydraulic gradient to …

Extent Of Capillary Rise In Sands And Silts, Rachel Lynn Salim

Masters Theses

The values reported in literature for the height of capillary rise in fine sands, silts, and clays are contradictory. Most of the values were based on mathematical models, which used estimated rather than measured input data. This work measured capillary rise values in laboratory experiments in fine-grained sands and silts.

Two uniform sands with grains 0.35--0.7 mm in diameter and 0.3-0.6 mm in diameter, silt with an average grain size below 40 microns, and 0.35--0.7 mm sand coated with a water-repellant spray were carefully packed into two-inch diameter glass columns. These columns were placed into clear plastic tanks with water …

Laboratory Manual For Introductory Geology, Bradley Deline, Randa Harris, Karen Tefend

Geological Sciences and Geography Open Textbooks

This textbook is a comprehensive lab manual for the core curriculum Introductory Geosciences classes with both informational content and laboratory exercises. Topics include basic laws and theories in Geology, the Earth's interior and plate tectonics, water and climate change, igneous rocks and volcanoes, and earthquakes.

Accessible files with optical character recognition (OCR) and auto-tagging provided by the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation.

Long-Term Protection Of Freshwater Resources Following Co2 Storage, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the mechanisms being utilized to protect freshwater resources following the subsurface geological storage of CO₂. Outlines the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) proactive research to ensure water safety as geologic storage of CO₂ becomes more widespread.

Water Water Everywhere: Analyzing Long Island's Water Issues And Finding Solutions For A Sustainable Future, Anthony T. Becker

2014 Student Theses

Over three million people call Long Island their home. With access to beautiful landscapes, world-renowned beaches, and proximity to New York City, it is no wonder that so many proudly call this geographic stretch of glacial till their home. However, throughout the years our actions do not necessarily reflect this affection we have to our home. Years of sprawl and human infestation across the island have resulted in widespread environmental degradation. Specifically, the water we drink and the beaches we enjoy have become endangered. I plan on studying the urban ecology of how intensified population growth led to the eutrophication …

Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Water Working Group, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership’s (RCSP) Water Working Group (WWG). Includes information on the role of water in carbon capture and storage (CCS), and describes the function of the WWG in addressing stakeholder concerns regarding the development of that technology.

Monitoring, Verification, And Accounting Plans Of Water Resources During The Geologic Storage Of Carbon Dioxide, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Working Group (WWG), which examines the monitoring aspects of the CO₂ monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) framework as it pertains to geologic storage (GS) sites. Highlights measures taken to protect water resources.

Carbon Capture And Storage: Protecting Freshwater Resources, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet on the importance of protecting water resources during carbon capture and storage (CCS). Outlines suggested regulatory framework and touches on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) measures to avoid unforeseen risks in the future.

Groundwater-Level Changes In Nebraska - Spring 2012 To Spring 2013, A. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Annual Outflow And Annual Inflow Of Water From/To Nebraska, 1950- 2010, Susan Olafsen-Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Annual Outflow Of Water From Nebraska, 1950 - 2010, S. Olafsen-Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Ice Core Dissolved Organic Matter From A Greenland Ice Core By Nanospray Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry, Joshua Jeremiah Shiloh Marsh

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Recent studies of ice cores have embarked on the task of determining the classes of dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in melt-water from the cores collected in numerous locations in the northern and southern hemispheres. This DOM originally derives from wet precipitation and is thought to reflect atmospheric organic matter derived from anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic sources. Because the amount of DOM is so low, previous studies have necessarily used large sample volumes (greater than 500 mL) to concentrate sufficient ice core DOM necessary for mass spectral analysis. Solid phase extraction (SPE) with C₁₈ resins was followed by evaporative concentration …