Digital Commons Network^™

Development And Application Of A Pollen-Based Paleohydrologic Reconstruction From The Lower Roanoke River Basin, North Carolina, Usa, Debra Willard, Christopher Bernhardt, Roger Brown, Bryan Landacre, Philip A. Townsend

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We used pollen assemblages to reconstruct late-Holocene paleohydrologic patterns in floodplain deposits from the lower Roanoke River basin (North Carolina, southeastern USA). Using 120 surface samples from 38 transects, we documented statistical relationships between pollen assemblages, vegetation, and landforms. Backswamp pollen assemblages (long hydroperiods) are dominated by Nyssa (tupelo) and Taxodium (cypress) and have high pollen concentrations. Sediments from elevated levees and seasonally flooded forests (shorter hydroperiods) are characterized by dominant Pinus (pine) pollen, variable abundance of hardwood taxa, and low pollen concentrations. We apply the calibration data set to interpret past vegetation and paleohydrology. Pollen from a radiocarbon-dated sediment …

Droughtscape, Winter 2010, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

USDM Forum Highlights

Drought Likely to Ease

Research Shows Birds Vulnerable to Drought

Drought Recedes in 2009

CA, TX Suffer Impacts from Ongoing Drought

NDMC Wishes Ryu Well

Conferees Pick SPI for Global Drought Index

Crustal Thickness Of The Marie Byrd Land Dome And Its Implications, Joshua Svaldi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study focuses on the crustal thickness of the Marie Byrd Land Dome (MBLD) in West Antarctica, which is a region of high elevation in proximity to a zone of extension and crustal thinning. We use the H-K receiver-function stacking method developed by Zhu and Kanamori (2000) to analyze the incoming seismic waves of tcleseismic events. The aim of the project is to determine whether or not the MLBD is in isostatic equilibrium. Values for crustal thickness at the Mt. Patterson site, along the western extremity of MBLD, are 28-31 km, while theoretical calculations have yielded a thickness of 33.5 …

Landscapes And Soils Of The Northam District, D N. Sawkins, Department Of Agriculture And Food

Bulletins 4000 -

The publication aims to provide readers with the principles underlying the formation of local landscapes and soils, and the ability to identify landscapes and their associated soils.

Combined Use Of Frequency-Domain Electromagnetic And Electrical Resistivity Surveys To Delineate Near-Lake Groundwater Flow In The Semi-Arid Nebraska Sand Hills, Usa, John T. Ong, John W. Lane Jr., Vitaly A. Zlotnik, Todd Halihan, Eric A. White

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) survey can be used to select locations for the more quantitative and labor-intensive electrical resistivity surveys. The FDEM survey rapidly characterized the groundwaterflow directions and configured the saline plumes caused by evaporation from several groundwater-dominated lakes in the Nebraska Sand Hills, USA. The FDEM instrument was mounted on a fiberglass cart and towed by an all-terrain vehicle, covering about 25km/day. Around the saline lakes, areas with high electrical conductivity are consistent with the regional and local groundwater flow directions. The efficacy of this geophysical approach is attributed to: the high contrast in electrical conductivity between various …

Salinity Dynamics Of Discharge Lakes In Dune Environments: Conceptual Model, Vitaly A. Zlotnik, Neville I. Robinson, Craig T. Simmons

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Lakes of varying salinity are ubiquitous in dune environments with semiarid climates. Often these lakes become solute traps due to specific groundwater flow conditions. Over geological time after emergence of such lakes, the groundwater flow and mass transport processes lead to accumulation of solutes. This salinity increase can result in mineral deposition and free convection from lakes. However, high solute concentrations in these lakes are often not observed. We propose a conceptual model that estimates the lake salinity dynamics and yields concentration profiles beneath the lakes over centennial and millennial scales. Unlike previous approaches, a simple mathematical model is proposed …

Effects Of Irrigated Agroecosystems: 1. Quantity Of Soil Water And Groundwater In The Southern High Plains, Texas, B. R. Scanlon, R. C. Reedy, J. B. Gates

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Although irrigated agriculture is the primary consumer of global groundwater resources, information on recharge rates and sustainable irrigation is limited. The study objective was to fingerprint irrigation return flow to quantify percolation/recharge and to estimate sustainable irrigation levels. This paper focuses on water quantity; a companion paper addresses water quality. Soil samples from 13 boreholes drilled beneath irrigated agroecosystems in the southern High Plains were analyzed for matric potential and waterextractable Cl and NO₃. Unsaturated zone pore water beneath irrigated agroecosystems can be fingerprinted by higher matric potentials (wetter soils, median mp: −40 m) and higher NO_{3 …}

Planning The Future Of Geocybereducation, Jeffrey G. Ryan, Susan Eriksson

Geology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Trace Element Geochemistry In Groundwater Flow Systems, Stephanie Scholten Willis

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

This research focuses on trace element geochemistry in three groundwater flow systems: the Carrizo Sand, the Upper Floridan, and the Aquia aquifers. The focus is threefold: (i) studying the geochemical behavior, concentrations, and fractionation patterns of rare earth elements (REEs) along two flow paths by examination of both groundwater and sediment samples, (ii) investigating the behavior of arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) and comparing these data to reveal the biogeochemical processes affecting As and Sb concentrations and speciation as well as determining correlations between As and Sb concentrations, and (iii) formulating adsorption isotherms to demonstrate the adsorption capacity of As …

Verrucomicrobia: A Model Phylum To Study The Effects Of Deforestation On Microbial Diversity In Amazon Forest, Kshitij Ranjan

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Amazon rainforest is known for having a very high diversity of plants and animals. However, it is one of the least understood ecosystems regarding microbial diversity. Microorganisms are important for the ecological balance of any ecosystem and play important role in various biogeochemical cycles. As the Amazon rainforest undergoes to rapid deforestation, loss of its biodiversity is expected. This research aims to determine the effects of deforestation on the soil microbial diversity of the Amazon forest. Toward this, we selected the phylum Verrucomicrobia as a model for observing changes in the microbial structure of rainforest soils. Samples were collected …

Growth And Toxicity Of Prymnesium Parvum In Long-Term Cultures At Low Temperature And Salinity, Xianzi He

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

There is a paradox reported concerning observations of toxic blooms of Prymnesium parvum in winter in Texas (USA), and its growth performance in the laboratlry. Culture experiments indicate relatively high optimum temperature and salinity for growth, conditions different from those ofwinter in Texas. Because previous laboratory experiments were of short duration, it was suggested that long-term culturing of many generations could allow physiological and epigenetic changes, as well as natural selection to take place, leading to improved growth performance at low temperature and salinity. In this study, the growth and toxicity of P. parvum was investigated under relatively low temperature …

Landscapes And Soils Of The Narrogin District, D N. Sawkins

Bulletins 4000 -

The publication aims to provide readers with the principles underlying the formation of local landscapes and soils, and the ability to identify landscapes and their associated soils.

Tree Rings And Earthquakes, Matthew F. Bekker

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

The lithosphere, earth’s rigid outer shell comprising crust and upper mantle rock, is broken into about 14 tectonic plates (Christopherson 2009) that move a few centimeters per year over superheated, pliable rock underneath. Forces within earth’s interior push, pull and twist the plates in different directions, producing three types of plate boundaries: convergent (colliding with one another), divergent (moving away from one another) and transform (sliding past one another). Earthquakes occur when plates become locked together, building strain between and within them that is suddenly released, sending a burst of seismic waves that cause shaking and displacement of the surface. …

Geochemical Investigation Of An Offshore Sewage Sludge Deposit, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Michael A. Kruge, Albert Permanyer, Jordi Serra, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

For 20 years ending in the 1990’s the city of Barcelona discharged the products from a large primary sewage treatment plant directly into the Mediterranean Sea via underwater conduits. About ca. 3 million m³ of relict sewage sludge, rich in organic matter and heavy metals, has spread over an elongated area offshore, due to successive ruptures of the conduits. The use of the discharge pipes ceased, but he sludge deposit remains in place for the time being.

To understand the history and present state of the sludge deposit in advance of future remediation, a program of geophysical mapping, sampling, …

The Effect Of Soil Regimes And Topography On Tree Community Composition In The Gordon Natural Area, Calen Daugherty, William Hochella, Kyle Houser, Sarah Johnson, Carolyn Keene

Gordon Natural Area Soils Studies Documents

No abstract provided.

Landscape Values As A Determinant In Geotourism Development: A Case Study Of Utah, Usa, E. Papińska, Elzbieta Białkowska-Jelińska

School of Geosciences Student Publications

The state of Utah is located in west-central United States. The area of 219 887 km²is populated by 2.8 million people (in 2009). Population density is relatively low: 12 persons per square km. The main reasons for low population density are unfavourable natural conditions. The most important are topography and climate. Utah’s landscape diversity is a consequence of a variety of terrain types. For that reason, there are 5 national parks (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands), national monuments, and other lower rank protected areas established in Utah. Each of these places, characterized by unique types of …

Thermal Imaging Of The Waccasassa Bay Preserve: Image Acquisition And Processing, Ellen A. Raabe, Elzbieta Bialkowska-Jelinska

School of Geosciences Student Publications

Thermal infrared (TIR) imagery was acquired along coastal Levy County, Florida, in March 2009 with the goal of identifying groundwater-discharge locations in Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park (WBPSP). Groundwater discharge is thermally distinct in winter when Floridan aquifer temperature, 71-72 °F, contrasts with the surrounding cold surface waters. Calibrated imagery was analyzed to assess temperature anomalies and related thermal traces. The influence of warm Gulf water and image artifacts on small features was successfully constrained by image evaluation in three separate zones: Creeks, Bay, and Gulf. Four levels of significant water-temperature anomalies were identified, and 488 sites of interest were …

Sources And Occurrences Of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals In Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck

Information Circular--KGS

Groundwater from the Jackson Purchase Region was sampled to investigate possible contamination by nonpoint-source chemicals. Conclusions drawn from the resulting data and methodology can be found in “Sources and Occurrences of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals in Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey Report of Investigations 22 (series 12), by R.S. Fisher and E.G. Beck.

Microfacies Analysis Of The Jacksboro Limestone Member (Graham Formation, Virgilian, Pennsylvanian) In Jack County, Texas, Claudio Manuel Leyva

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Jacksboro Limestone is a member of the Graham Formation of the Virgilian (Upper Pennsylvanian) and is exposed only in and around the city of Jacksboro in central Jack County, Texas. The purposes of this investigation were to study the vertical and lateral microfacies changes that occur throughout the Jacksboro Limestone in its outcrop belt and to discuss its relationship as the basal regressive cycle in the Virgilian part of the Pennsylvanian, in particular: (1) describe and classify the primary limestone lithofacies on the basis of carbonate rock textures, (2) interpret, if possible, the depositional environment and physical energy of …

Absorption And Biotransformation Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers De-71 And De-79 In Chicken (Gallus Gallus), Mallard (Anas Platyrhynchos), American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) And Black-Crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax Nycticorax) Eggs, Moira A. Mckernan, Barnett A. Rattner, Jeff S. Hatfield, Robert C. Hale, Mary Ann Ottinger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We recently reported that air cell administration of penta-brominated diphenyl ether (penta-BDE; DE-71) evokes biochemical and immunologic effects in chicken (Gallus gallus) embryos at very low doses, and impairs pipping (i.e., stage immediately prior to hatching) and hatching success at 1.8 µg g^-1 egg (actual dose absorbed) in American kestrels (Falco sparverius). In the present study, absorption of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners was measured following air cell administration of a penta-BDE mixture (11.1 lg DE-71 g^-1 egg) or an octa-brominated diphenyl ether mixture (octa BDE; DE-79; 15.4 lg DE-79 g^{- …}

Abandoned Mine Drainage In The Swatara Creek Basin, Southern Anthracite Coalfield, Pennsylvania, Usa: 2. Performance Of Treatment Systems, Charles A. Cravotta Iii

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A variety of passive and semi-passive treatment systems were constructed by state and local agencies to neutralize acidic mine drainage (AMD) and reduce the transport of dissolved metals in the upper Swatara Creek Basin in the Southern Anthracite Coalfield in eastern Pennsylvania. To evaluate the effectiveness of selected treatment systems installed during 1995–2001, the US Geological Survey collected water-quality data at upstream and downstream locations relative to each system eight or more times annually for a minimum of 3 years at each site during 1996– 2007. Performance was normalized among treatment types by dividing the acid load removed by the …

Characterization Of Mantle/Crust Interactions Using Pb Isotope Analyses Of Lavas In The Southern Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico, Lynnette Crocker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Pb isotope composition of volcanic rocks in the Rio Grande Rift (RGR) can be used to investigate the interaction of mantle melts with continental lithosphere, and has important implications for the composition of the lithosphere. We suggest some compositional signatures may pre-date current tectonic processes. Existing data from several volcanic fields in New Mexico show a converging pattern on a very limited Pb isotope range, corresponding to lower crustal xenolith compositions from Kilbourne Hole. The different volcanic fields show Pb isotope trends diverging from this lower crustal composition, likely depicting mixing with different upper crustal reservoirs. These very common, …

Women In Glaciology, An Historical Perspective, Christina L. Hulbe, Weili Wang, Simon Ommanney

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Women's history in glaciology extends as far back in time as the discipline itself, although their contributions to the scientific discourse have for all of that history been constrained by the sociopolitical contexts of the times. The first Journal of Glaciology paper authored by a woman appeared in 1948, within a year of the founding of the Journal, but it was not until the 1980s that women produced more than a few percent of Journal and Annals of Glaciology papers. Here international perspectives on women's participation in the sciences are presented in order to establish an economic and sociopolitical context …

Grounding-Line Basal Melt Rates Determined Using Radar-Derived Internal Stratigraphy, Ginny Catania, Christina L. Hulbe, Howard Conway

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We use ice-penetrating radar data across grounding lines of Siple Dome and Roosevelt Island, Antarctica, to measure the spatial pattern, magnitude and duration of sub-ice-shelf melting at these locations. Stratigraphic layers across the grounding line show, in places, a large-amplitude downwarp at, or slightly downstream of, the grounding line due to sub-ice-shelf basal melting. Localized downwarping indicates that melting is transient; melt rates, or the grounding line position, have changed within a few hundred years in order to produce the observed stratigraphy. Elsewhere, no meltrelated stratigraphic signature is preserved. In part, heterogeneity in the amount of sub-ice-shelf melt is due …

Propagation Of Long Fractures In The Ronne Ice Shelf Investigated Using A Numerical Model Of Fracture Propagation, Christina L. Hulbe, Christine Marie Ledoux, Kenneth M. Cruikshank

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Long rifts near the front of the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, are observed to begin as fractures along the lateral boundaries of outlet streams feeding the shelf. These flaws eventually become the planes along which tabular icebergs calve. The fractures propagate laterally as they advect through the shelf, with orientations that can be explained by the glaciological stress field. Fracture length remains constrained over much of the advective path, and locations of crack tip arrest are observed to coincide with structural boundaries, such as suture zones between ice from adjacent outlet glaciers. Geomechanical principles and numerical models demonstrate that in …

Paleotsunami Inundation Of A Beach Ridge Plain: Cobble Ridge Overtopping And Interridge Valley Flooding In Seaside, Oregon, Usa, Curt D. Peterson, Harry M. Jol, Thomas Horning, Kenneth M. Cruikshank

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Seaside beach ridge plain was inundated by six paleotsunamis during the last ∼2500 years. Large runups (adjusted >10m in height) overtopped seawardmost cobble beach ridges (7m elevation) at ∼1.3 and ∼2.6 ka before present. Smaller paleotsunami (6−8m in height) likely entered the beach plain interior (4-5m elevation) through the paleo-Necanicum bay mouth. The AD 1700 Cascadia paleotsunami had a modest runup (6-7mheight), yet it locally inundated to 1.5 km landward distance. Bed shear stresses (100−3,300 dyne cm−2) are estimated for paleotsunami surges (0.5−2m depths) that flowed down slopes (0.002−0.017 gradient) on the landward side of the cobble beach ridges. …

Leading The James: The Morphological Changes Of The Missouri River And The Subservient James River, April Deann Moreno

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The James River flows into the Missouri River east of Yankton, SD. The degree to which the morphological changes of the Missouri River had an impact on the course of the James River is debatable. After mapping the Mission Hill and Menominee quadrangles, surficial maps have been made showing the preserved allounits of the area. Hand augers were used to ground-truth surface features located through the use of aerial photographs, topographic maps, and to confirm features on the surficial maps made. OSL samples were taken from both quadrangles and also from Meckling and Saint Helena; the latter two were mapped …

Albian Rudist Fauna From The Karaburun Peninsula, İzmir Region, Western Turkey, Jean-Pierre Masse, Mükerrem Fenerci̇-Masse, İsmai̇l Işintek, Tali̇p Güngör

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Platform carbonates bearing shallow water foraminifera and dasycladale assemblages with an Albian stratigraphic significance, crop out at two localities on the Karaburun Peninsula: Barbaros and Zeytineli. Rudist faunas collected from these localities include Toucasia seunesi Douvillé, Pseudotoucasia catalaunica Astre , Mathesia darderi (Astre), Petalodontia ? sp., and Eoradiolites sp. aff. murgensis. The overall stratigraphic significance of this fauna is consistent with the Albian age derived from micropalaeontological data. Some taxonomic elements, e.g. Toucasia seunesi, Pseudotoucasia catalaunica and Mathesia darderi possess a broad Mediterranean palaeobiogeographic distribution. By contrast, Eoradiolites sp. aff. murgensis, an advanced form resembling Eoradiolites murgensis, restricted to the …

Epidiceras (Bivalvia, Hippuritoidea) From The Tithonian–Berriasian Torinosu-Type Limestones Of The Sakawa Area, Southwest Japan, Shin-Ichi Sano, Peter W. Skelton

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Excavated specimens of two primitive rudists, Epidiceras speciosum (Goldfuss) and Epidiceras guirandi (de Loriol), are systematically described for the first time from the Tithonian-Berriasian Torinosu-type limestones of the Torinosu Group in the Sakawa area, Central Shikoku, Southwest Japan. E. guirandi was previously known only from the Late Kimmeridgian Mediterranean Tethys, so this occurrence in Southwest Japan significantly extends the recorded biogeographical and stratigraphical distribution of the species. Moreover, the documentation of E. speciosum from the Torinosu-type limestones in Japan and the Bau Limestone in Sarawak, Borneo, indicate that this species was already widespread throughout the Tethyan Realm at that time. …

Assessment Of Row Crop, Alfalfa, And Pasture Field Practices On Groundwater Quality In An Upland Bedrock Setting, Henderson County, Kentucky: Report Of Soil- And Water-Quality Data, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John H. Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

An assessment of how present agricultural practices have influenced shallow groundwater and soil quality was conducted on a 540-acre farm in north-central Henderson County. Groundwater- and soil-quality data were collected from row crop (corn and soybean), alfalfa, and pasture fields. In addition to the field settings, groundwater and soil data were collected from the existing farmyard and an abandoned feedlot. Groundwater samples were analyzed for pH, specific conductance, temperature, oxidation-reduction potential, metals, anions, nutrients, herbicides, and various isotopes. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, bioavailable phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, organic matter, total nitrogen, and inorganic nitrogen (nitrate-N). Soil- and …