Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Human Decomposition Ecology At The University Of Tennessee Anthropology Research Facility, Franklin Edward Damann

Doctoral Dissertations

The University of Tennessee Anthropology Research Facility (ARF) is well known for its unique history as a site of human decomposition research in a natural environment. It has been integral to our understanding of the processes of human decomposition. Over the last 30 years 1,089 bodies have decomposed at this 1.28 acre facility, producing a density of 850 corpses per acre of land. This project evaluated the abiotic and biotic characteristics of the soil exposed to various levels of human decomposition in order to determine the effect on the physicochemical properties and the indigenous bacterial communities.

Specifically, 75 soil samples …

Geophysical Study At Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, Manchester, Tennessee, Stephen Jay Yerka

Masters Theses

The Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park covers over 800 acres within Manchester, Tennessee, and is owned and managed by the Tennessee Division of State Parks. The central archaeological site within the park boundary is The Old Stone Fort mounds that enclose about 50 acres on a plateau above the convergence of the Big Duck and the Little Duck Rivers. The hilltop enclosure dates to the Middle Woodland Period, and radiocarbon dates obtained at the site range from the first to the fifth century A. D. Because of its size and apparent complexity, previous investigations of the site have been …

The Influence Of Sediment Bays On Reducing Incoming Sediment In Holmes Lake: Lincoln, Nebraska, Alex Fischer

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Lakes in the urban environment are often challenged with issues of water quality. Holmes Lake, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, has experienced such problems. In an effort to improve water quality in Holmes Lake, the city installed several control devices. One of the devices installed were sediment bays. This study evaluated the effectiveness of those sediment bays by measuring turbidity and suspended sediment after rain events at different locations in and out of the bays. The study found that the bays helped to reduce sediment in some cases, but in other cases no reduction was shown.

Effect Of Mica Content On Surface Infiltration Of Soils In Northwestern Kern County, California, Steven Keyes Stakland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A soils infiltration rate (IR) is the measured rate that soil is able to absorb water, either from precipitation or irrigation. A low IR can cause damage to crops if the necessary amount of water cannot penetrate to the plant roots in the time needed. The damage can be common in permanent plantings such as almond and pistachio orchards where regular tillage is avoided. This indicates a physical aspect to the problem because tillage increases IR. However, there is also an electrochemical side to infiltration problems because certain calcium surfactant treatments can increase IR. Various other methods have been used …

Creation Of A Revised Site Specific Liquefaction Potential Map Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (Gis) Technology And Arcgis® Software, Michael S. Armstrong

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

Geogram 2010, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Seawater Inundation Of Fe-Rich Coastal Lowlands – Hydrogeochemical Coupling And Hysteresis At The Tidal Fringe, Scott Johnston, Annabelle Keene, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Over 17 million ha of coastal lowlands contain acid sulfate soils (CASS). These soils are rich in meta-stable, redoxsensitive Fe (III)-minerals. Large areas of CASS are at risk of increased saline tidal inundation due to sea-level rise. Fieldbased CASS remediation trials reveal that tidal seawater inundation initiates radical changes in sediment hydrogeochemistry, stimulating Fe and SO4 reducing conditions, generating alkalinity and greatly decreasing the acidity hazard. However, these changes also have profound consequences for the fate, mobilisation, redistribution and transformation of Fe minerals and co-associated trace elements. Here, we examine the consequences for iron and arsenic by investigating the hydrology, …

Climate Change Impacts On Acid Sulfate Soil Landscapes, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan, Edward Burton, Scott Johnston, Annabelle Keene, Vanessa Wong, L Mosley

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

The anticipated impacts of climate change are warmer conditions, an increasing proportion of rainfall to occur from heavy falls, increasing occurrence of drought in many regions, increasing frequency of intense tropical cyclones, rising sea levels and frequency of extreme high seas (e.g. storm surges). All of these predicted impacts have direct relevance to coastal acid sulfate soils landscapes, through either exacerbating sulfide oxidation by drought, re-instating reductive geochemical processes or changing the export and mobilisation of contaminants. The interaction of specific land management factors such as man-made drainage will also have a significant role in how the predicted impacts of …

Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On The Biogeochemistry Of A Coastal Floodplain In Eastern Australia, Vanessa Wong, Phillip Hirst, Scott Johnston, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan, Edward Burton, P Slavich

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Existing Methods For Assessing Retained Acidity In Acid Sulfate Soil Materials, C Vithana, Leigh Sullivan, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Scott Johnston

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Mobilisation Of Arsenic Following Sea-Water Inundation Of Acid Sulfate Soils, Scott Johnston, Annabelle Keene, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Reductive Dissolution Of Natural Jarosite In A Tidally Inundated Acid Sulfate Soil: Geochemical Implications, Annabelle Keene, Scott Johnston, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan, Edward Burton

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Lime Particle Size In The Neutralisation Of Sulfidic Acid Sulfate Soil Materials, Kim Watling, Angus Mcelnea, Colin Ahern, Edward Burton, Scott Johnston, Annabelle Keene, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Sulfidisation Processes In A Reactive Fe-Enriched Acid Sulfate Soil, Northeastern Australia, Annabelle Keene, Scott Johnston, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan, Edward Burton

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Remediating Coastal Acid Sulfate Soils By Tidal Inundation: Geochemical Hysteresis Of Iron, Scott Johnston, Annabelle Keene, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Catalytic Action Of Aqueous Ferrous Iron And Sulfide On The Transformation Of Iron Oxides In Acid Sulfate Soils, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Leigh Sullivan, Scott Johnston

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Remediation Of Coastal Acid Sulfate Soils By Tidal Inundation: Effectiveness And Geochemical Implications, Scott Johnston, Annabelle Keene, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

The effects of restoring marine tidal inundation to a severely degraded acid sulfate soil landscape were investigated. Five years of regular tidal inundation led to substantial improvements in a range of key parameters used to assess soil and water quality. The pH of estuarine creeks improved dramatically following reintroduction of tidal inundation. Time series water quality and climatic data indicate a substantial decrease in the magnitude of creek acidification per given quantity of antecedent rainfall. The soil pH also increased by 2–3 units and titratable actual acidity (TAA) decreased by ~40–50 μmol H+ g-1 within former sulfuric horizons. Tidal inundation …

A National Demonstration Site For Innovative Acid Sulfate Soil Research, East Trinity, Scott Johnston, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan, Edward Burton, D Smith, Michelle Martens, Angus Mcelnea, Colin Ahern, Bernard Powell, Luisa Stephens, Steven Wilbraham, Simon Van Heel

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Accumulation Of Schwertmannite Impact On Water Quality In Acid Sulfate Soil Landscapes, Leigh Sullivan, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Yasimin Cabot, Nadia Toppler

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Schwertmannite [Fe8O8(OH)6SO4] has recently been found to be the dominant mineral of iron precipitate accumulations from surface environments surrounding waterways (e.g. the sides of drains and in litter layers) in acid sulfate soil landscapes in eastern Australia. In this study the yellowish-brown, orange-brown, and reddishbrown coatings on macropores (such as channels and planar pores) in 21 soil layers from 10 sites all located within severely-acidified acid sulfate soil landscapes in eastern Australia, were isolated and examined by both differential XRD and SEM-EDS to determine if schwertmannite was present. Schwertmannite was detected in these coatings in 14 of these 21 soil …

Formation And Fate Of Disordered Mackinawite (Fes) In Acid Sulfate Soil Landscapes, Edward Burton, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Coastal lowland acid sulfate soils (CLASS) impact over 8 million ha of valuable land in Australia, and over 24 million ha throughout the world. Poor water quality in CLASS landscapes is a major threat to ecosystem health, agricultural sustainability and fisheries productivity. Research into this problem over the past three decades has focussed largely on pyrite oxidation and the release of acid-sulfate leachate into nearby waterways. However, extreme concentrations of a newly identified sulfide mineral, disordered mackinawite (FeS), exist in many CLASS landscapes. Our research indicates that the formation and fate of sedimentary FeS in floodplain drains and wetlands has …

Deoxygenation And Acidification Dynamics In Acid Sulfate Soil Landscapes: Flood-Induced Oxidation Of Sulfidic Drain Materials, Diane Fyfe, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Drain sediments in acid sulfate soil landscapes often contain large amounts (1–6% dry mass) of highly reactive iron monosulfide minerals. The mobilisation and interaction of these materials with floodwaters is thought to contribute to the intense deoxygenation and acidification that is a common phenomenon in coastal lowland rivers. We examined changes to sediment and water chemistry during laboratory experiments designed to simulate flood-induced sediment re-suspension events. Our results demonstrate that iron monosulfide minerals oxidised within minutes, rapidly consuming available oxygen. Where oxygen was continuously bubbled through the suspension, the half-life of the iron monosulfide was < 15 minutes, with it completely reacting within 4 hours. The complete oxidation of iron monosulfide to sulfate is an acid liberating process. Curiously, pH remained near-neutral during iron monosulfide oxidation with extreme acidification (pH < 3.5) developing only after 4 days. The deoxygenation and acidification processes appear to occur in two distinct steps. The first step involves the rapid oxidation of iron monosulfides and formation of elemental sulfur. This is followed by acidity released during the oxidation of elemental sulfur to sulfate and the formation of characteristic ferric iron precipitates. These results clarify important linkages between water quality and the management of low lying coastal floodplain landscapes.

Elemental Sulfur Dynamics In The Contemporary Redox-Driven Cycles Of Coastal Lowland Acid Sulfate Soils, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Leigh Sullivan, Diane Fyfe

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Elemental sulfur has an important role in the digenic transformation of precursor iron monosulfide minerals to pyrite. It and related polysulfide intermediates are known to enable the rapid formation of pyrite, including complex framboidal morphologies, and it is a key component for pyrite formation in sub-oxic environments such as sub-tidal sediments. Lesser known for elemental sulfur is its role in the contemporary sulfur-cycle of coastal lowland acid sulfate soil landscapes involving iron monosulfide formation and acidifying oxidation processes. We present new data on the occurrence and dynamics of elemental sulfur from coastal acid sulfate soil landscapes and laboratory oxidative resuspensions …

Sedimentary Iron Cycling In Waterways Associated With Acid Sulfate Soils, Edward Burton, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Schwertmannite On Acidification And Sulfide Formation In Acid Sulfate Soil Landscapes, S Henderson, Leigh Sullivan, Richard Bush, Edward Burton

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

In coastal lowland acid sulfate soil (CLASS) landscapes, the iron hydroxy-sulfate mineral schwertmannite (Fe8 O8(OH)5.5(SO4)1.25) forms as pedofeatures such as macropore coatings and as ground surface layers. A series of experiments were conducted to examine the geochemical behavior of these pedofeatures under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Samples of schwertmannite-rich pedofeatures were suspended in water over 10 days to examine their acidification behaviour. An anaerobic incubation was undertaken over 203 days to examine the influence of these pedofeatures on water quality and the reduction of sulfate and formation of sulfide. The results clearly show that the schwertmannite-rich pedofeatures, when introduced to …

Elemental Sulfur Dynamics In Coastal Lowland Acid Sulfate Soil Landscapes, Richard Bush, Edward Burton, Diane Fyfe

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Schwertmannite In Acid Sulfate Subsoils And Associated Groundwater Geochemistry, Leigh Sullivan, Nadia Toppler, Yasmin Cabot, Richard Bush, Edward Burton

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

No abstract provided.

Geochemical Dynamics Of Sedimentary Iron In Waterways From Acid-Sulfate Soil Landscapes, Edward Burton, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

The geochemical cycling of iron (Fe) is of great significance as a regulator of pH and contaminant mobility in soil, sediment and water. Pyrite (FeS2(s) oxidation is a particularly important aspect of Fe behaviour associated with ore/coal mining and coastal lowlands. The geochemical dynamics of Fe in the context of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) environments has been studied intensively. In contrast, Fe geochemistry in waterways associated with coastal lowland Acid-Sulfate Soils (ASS) has received comparatively little research. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the solubility, mineralogy and geochemical dynamics of sedimentary Fe in acid-sulfate waterways associated with …

Fractionation And Extractability Of Sulfur, Iron And Trace Elements In Sulfidic Wetland Soils, Edward Burton, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Pyrite and other reactive iron-sulfide minerals are important to trace element behavior in many wetlands. These minerals provide sinks for potentially toxic trace elements that are introduced from anthropogenic and natural sources. The bioavailability and potential mobility of trace elements in wetland soils is therefore largely determined by the geochemical cycling of key Fe and S fractions. We examined Fe and S fractionation, and the related extractability of selected trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in wetland soils adjacent to a former municipal landfill in eastern Australia. The soil profiles were strongly reducing (Eh < -120 mV) and contained moderately high concentrations of pore-water sulfide (200 – 600 umol/L) and acid-volatile sulfide (AVS; 9.9 – 129 umol/g). Pyrite-S concentrations increased with depth, attaining concentrations as high as 251– 669 umol/g. The Degree of Sulfidisation was generally high (> 80%), indicating …

Copper Geochemistry In An Acidic, Sandy Soil: Sorption-Desorption, Aqueous Speciation And Mobility, Edward Burton, Ian Phillips, Darryl Hawker, Dane Lamb

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

The geochemical behavior of Cu in an acidic, sandy Podosol was examined. Sorption-desorption of Cu exhibited maximum linear distribution coefficients (Kd) at approx. pH 5. Observed depression of Kd values at pH > 5, were attributed to increased solubility of native Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) at higher pH and subsequent formation of poorly-sorbing Cu-DOC complexes. Speciation modelling with the MINTEQA2 code indicated that > 90 % of aqueous Cu was present as Cu-DOC complexes at pH > 5.5. The effect of Cu loading was examined with sorption isotherm analysis at pH 5 using both constant (1:2 and 1:10) and variable solid:solution ratio approaches. …

Conversion Of Naturally Occurring Schwertmannite To Hematite By Controlled Heating: Implications For Soluble Acidity And Titratable Actual Acidity, S Henderson, Leigh Sullivan, Richard Bush, Edward Burton

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Naturally occurring schwertmannite (Fe8(OH)5.5(SO4)1.25), a result of acid sulfate soils (ASS) oxidation and severe acidification, has been identified as a labile source of iron, sulfate and acidity. Schwertmannite forms surface accumulations on coastal flood plains of eastern Australia. These flood plains are subject to wild fire events and fire-stick farming practices. Four samples of naturally occurring schwertmannite, from New South Wales coastal catchments, were converted to hematite by controlled heating. Complete conversion of schwertmannite to hematite (α-Fe2O3) occurred after exposure to temperatures of ≥500oC. The unheated schwertmannite and corresponding hematite samples were analysed for soluble acidity and Titratable Actual Acidity …