Earth Sciences Commons^™

Ground Water, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A geologic overview of the groundwater supply underlying Cheyenne County, Nebraska (1997).

How Much Ecological Information Is Preserved In Fossil Coral Reefs And How Reliable Is It?, B. J. Greenstein, H. Allen Curran

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

The coral reef fossil record is the exclusive database from which analyses of the response of coral communities to environmental change over geological time scales may be gauged. However, few studies have attempted to ascertain whether the reef fossil record is a reasonably accurate representation of a once living coral community. To address this issue, we have performed a systematic comparison of the taxonomic composition and diversity present in exposure of Pleistocene patch reef and reef tract facies found in the Bahamas to that observed for life and death assemblages currently present in analogous modern reefs of the Florida Keys. …

Focus Catchments : A New Approach To Salinity Research : National Dryland Salinity Program, Steve Porritt

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Dry/and salinity is a major threat to the resource base of many rural industries around Australia. More than 1.8 million hectares of once productive land are affected by salinity, with a further 1.6 million hectares at risk in the next 15 to 25 years in Western Australia alone. Much of the past Commonwealth and State expenditure on salinity programs and activities has been poorly targeted and coordinated. In view of this, a national dry/and salinity program that supports specific State salinity management programs has been established jointly between the Commonwealth and State government agencies.

The Upper Kent River Catchment is …

Correlation Of Late-Pleistocene Lake-Level Oscillations In Mono Lake, California, With North Atlantic Climate Events, Larry Benson, Steve P. Lund, James W. Burdett, Michaele Kashgarian, Timothy P. Rose, Joseph P. Smoot, Martha Schwartz

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Oxygen-18 (¹⁸O) values of sediment from the Wilson Creek Formation, Mono Basin, California, indicate three scales of temporal variation (Dansgaard-Oeschger, Heinrich, and Milankovitch) in the hydrologic balance of Mono Lake between 35,400 and 12,900 ¹⁴C yr B.P. During this interval, Mono Lake experienced four lowstands each lasting from 1000 to 2000 yr. The youngest low stand, which occurred between 15,500 and 14,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., was nearly synchronous with a desiccation of Owens Lake, California. Paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) data indicate that three of four persistent low stands occurred at the same times as Heinrich events …

Nearly Synchronous Climate Change In The Northern Hemisphere During The Last Glacial Termination, Larry V. Benson, James Burdett, Steve Lund, Michaele Kashgarian, Scott Mensing

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The climate of the North Atlantic region underwent a series of abrupt cold/warm oscillations when the ice sheets of the Northern Hemisphere retreated during the last glacial termination (17,700–11,500 years ago). Evidence for these oscillations, which are recorded in European terrestrial sediments as the Oldest Dryas/Bølling/ Older Dryas/Allerød/Younger Dryas vegetational sequence, has been found in Greenland ice cores. The geographical extent of many of these oscillations is not well known, but the last major cold event (the Younger Dryas) seems to have been global in extent. Here we present evidence of four major oscillations in the hydrological balance of the …

Soil Information Sheets For The Northern Agricultural Areas, Natural Resources Assessment Group, Agriculture Western Australia, Landcare Western Australia

Agriculture reports

These soil information sheets are produced for farmers in the Northern Wheatbelt. Each sheet summaries information on the particular soil's characteristic properties and associated land use suitability and management. A photograph of a representative profile is provided for each soil. Technical terms are defined in the glossary. Information is presented under the following headings: Soil series and group, occurrence, native vegetation, soil profile description, characteristic soil properties, soil classification (Australian Soil Classification and Northcote Principal Profile Form).

A Strategy For Monitoring Glaciers, Andrew G. Fountain, Robert M. Krimmel, Dennis C. Trabant

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glaciers are important features in the hydrologic cycle and affect the volume, variability, and water quality of runoff. Assessing and predicting the effect of glaciers on water resources require a monitoring program to provide basic data for this understanding. The monitoring program of the U.S. Geological Survey employs a nested approach whereby an intensively studied glacier is surrounded by less intensively studied glaciers and those monitored solely by remote sensing. Ideally, each glacierized region of the United States would have such a network of glaciers. The intensively studied glacier provides a detailed understanding of the physical processes and their temporal …

Histomorphological Responses Of Red Shiner (Cyprinella Lutrensis) To Atrazine, Terbufos, And Their Mixture, Ibrahim A. Messaad

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Alterations of normal histomorphology of fish tissues, behavior, and thermal tolerance are recognized by environmental toxicologists and fish biologists as powerful tools indicating diverse biochemical and physiological changes. Toxicity of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine), terbufos (S-(((1,1-dimethyl-ethyl)thio)methyl)O,O-diethyl phosphorodithioate), and their mixture to red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis) at 23$\sp\circ$C and 30$\sp\circ$C was investigated in 14-d bioassays after 14-d acclimation. During the bioassays, fish behavior, indications of toxicosis, and external anomalies were observed. After the bioassays, the critical thermal maximum (CTM) was determined. Fish also were preserved for examinations of gill, liver, and kidney tissues using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM). SEM …

The Effects Of Wet Meadow Fragmentation On Grassland Birds, Christopher J. Helzer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeology And Stable Isotope Investigations Of A Landfill Impacted Site In Southwest Michigan, Eliot Anong Atekwana

Dissertations

The Cork Street landfill in the City of Kalamazoo is unlined and constructed in glacial drift material. Although water quality in some of the landfill monitoring wells is poor, the degree of the landfill’s influence to groundwater, wetlands and Davis Creek located downgradient of the landfill is unknown. The objective of this study is to evaluate the degree of the landfill’s impact in this region through hydrologic and stable isotope analysis.

Site characterization using geophysical surveys and specific conductance measurements indicates highly conductive shallow groundwater probably attributable to groundwater contamination. Hydrologic evaluation of this region shows that groundwater flows towards …

The Use Of Bauxite Residue As A Soil Amendment In The Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment - Report On Results Of 1995 Environmental Monitoring Program, Mark Rivers

Natural resources published reports

This report was submitted in accordance with the recommendations of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) who have stated that a monitoring program shall be undertaken by Agriculture Western Australia within six months of the widespread use of bauxite residue as a soil amendment. Although this widespread use of bauxite residue has not yet formally commenced, pre-emptive monitoring has been undertaken in order to gain some understanding of the general environmental characteristics of the Peel-Harvey catchment and, in particular, the characteristics and quality of the water flowing through the catchment.

It represents the second annual report submitted to the EPA describing …

Western Australian Salinity Action Plan, Agriculture Western Australia, Department Of Conservation And Land Management, Department Of Environmental Protection, Water And Rivers Commission

Natural resources published reports

Salinity is one of the State's most critical environmental problems, threatening major economic and social consequences. It is preventable and, in the long term, reversible. Complete elimination is not realistic, but we can dramatically reduce its impact.

Salinity is caused by replacing deep-rooted native plants with shallow-rooted crops and pastures. More rainfall passed below the root zone and accumulates as groundwater so that watertables rise. The groundwater mobilises natural salts in the soil as it rises and carries them towards the surface, eventually degrading land and streams.

Impact Of Groundwater Contamination In East Multnomah County On The Interlachen Community, Scott A. Wells, Shuguang Li, Marvin Beeson, Michael L. Cummings, Richard Pratt, Robert Leslie Annear, Karann Brandt

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Friends of Blue and Fairview Lake through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program contracted with Portland State University faculty and staff to provide an independent review of the groundwater contamination problem at the Boeing-Cascade site in East Multnomah County. An independent consultant, Karann Brandt, of PRC Environmental Management, Inc., was also assisting the panel with the review.

The region of groundwater contamination is a 2.5 square mile region bounded by NE Halsey Blvd. to the Columbia River and NE 178th to NE 223rd (see Figure 1). The groundwater contamination is primarily of volatile organic compounds …

Managing Pastures For Long-Term Prosperity, Hugh Pringle, Jenny Riches

Natural resources published reports

A Workshop held by the Sandstone Land Conservation District Committee

Lake Mason Station

April 1994

A workshop hosted by Sandstone Land Conservation District Committee (LCDC) was held at Lake Mason station on 28 April 1994. This workshop was based on two previous workshops hosted by the Kalgoorlie and north-eastern Goldfields LCDCs in May 1991 (Pringle et al. 1992). The success of the earlier workshops prompted the rangeland survey team in association with the Sandstone LCDC and the Kalgoorlie District Office of Agriculture Western Australia to initiate the project.

The aims were to provide a summary of local wisdom regarding pasture …

Propagation Of Juniperus For Conservation Plantings In The Great Plains, Scott Allen Lee

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Bulletin 4329 - Environmental Hazards Of Farming In Western Australia, Greg Hamilton, Ian Foster, Philip M. Goulding

Bulletins 4000 -

This Bulletin is one of a series on crop establishment practices which minimise soil disturbance and improve stubble retention. In partnership with primary producers, Agriculture Western Australia 1s focussed on improved and profitable farming which conserves or improves the quality of the State's soil resources.

Agricultural land in Western Australia is naturally fragile and susceptible to degradation. Salinity and wind erosion are the most visible and significant forms of degradation, but all forms are present over large areas of agricultural land (House of Representatives Enquiry into Land Degradation in Western Australia, 1988).

The fragility of Western Australia's soils has been …

The Biology Of Alewife Alosa Pseudoharengus In Lake Ogallala, Nebraska, Eric A. Laux

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Rice Production On The Quality Of Water In Tailwater Collection Reservoirs, R. A. Dewell, T. L. Lavy

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Since maintaining high water quality standards in the state remains a high priority, monitoring for pesticides in water sources must continue. Determining the type, concentration, and characteristics of any pesticides present in water supplies are essential to the overall assessment of water quality. Five independent locations, implementing contained water management systems and recyclable water, were monitored in 1995 and 1996. Irrigation, runoff, and pond water samples were collected every 10 to 14 days between permanent flood establishment and draining. Water samples were transported to the laboratory and extracted for 16 pesticides using solid phase extraction (SPE) techniques. Quantification and confirmation …

Effects Of Zebra, Mussel, Dreissena Polymorpha Infestation On Lake Dardanelle Water Quality, Charles J. Gagen, Joseph N. Stoeckel

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Zebra mussels recently invaded southern waterways including the Arkansas River. Large-scale filtration of suspended particulate matter by dense populations could alter reservoir ecosystem function. Furthermore, they attach to hard surfaces, thereby threatening normal operations of artificial structures. We designed this study to provide baseline data prior to establishment of high population levels of zebra mussels in Lake Dardanelle. The characterization of spatial and temporal variability in water quality, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and macrophytes will allow testing of several hypotheses. We sampled zebra mussel veliger and settling juvenile densities and zooplankton densities at four fixed sites and the key water quality variables …

Bioaccumulation Of Methyl Mercury Through A Food Chain, J. T. Knight

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The bioaccumulation of mercury through the food chain has received much attention in Arkansas during the last three years. The discovery of mercury contamination and subsequent fish consumption advisories in southwest Arkansas have increased public awareness of the potential for bioaccumulation of different toxic compounds. It is postulated that the mercury problem in Arkansas is a result of methylation and resulting bioaccumulation of mercury as methyl mercury. This study was designed to derive a Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) for mercury in a simple food chain under controlled conditions. A BAF is calculated by dividing the concentration found in the organism by …

Modeling Transport Of Colloid-Bound Herbicides And Heavy Metals To Groundwater, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, R. E. Phillips, A. K. Seta

KWRRI Research Reports

Recent studies have suggested that contaminant transport to groundwater may be enhanced by association with colloidal particles. This study evaluated the role of water dispersible colloids with diverse mineralogical composition in co-transporting selected herbicides and heavy metals through intact soil columns. Colloid recovery in the eluents ranged from 45-90% for the herbicides and 10-60% for the heavy metals. The presence of colloids enhanced the transport of atrazine by 2-18%, and metolachlor by 8-30%. The corresponding increase for Cu and Zn was 2-150 and 5-30 times, respectively. For Pb, there was essentially no elution in the absence of colloids, suggesting nearly …

Growth And Yield Of Snap Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) As Affected By Shelterbelts And Planting Dates, Mohd Nazip Suratman

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Thermal Tolerances Of Platte River Fishes: Field And Laboratory Studies, Brett P. Fessell

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Chronic Effects Of Baseflow Levels Of Atrazine On Platte River Algae, Karen J. Nelson

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Prey Availability On Walleye (Stizostedion Vitreum), Mark T. Porath

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Esperance Region Catchment Planning Strategy, John Platt, Brendan Nicholas, Rod Short, Stephen Gee

Natural resources published reports

The Esperance Region Catchment Planning Strategy project was initiated by the Esperance Land Conservation District Committee.

This report provides a reference document for farmers and other land managers such as government agencies and local government, and should help them to strategically focus their catchment planning activities.

It will help land managers to identify the major catchments and land systems in their area, management issues for long term sustainability, and a regional strategy for catchment planning.

Catchment planning involves both technical and social processes.

Technically it is a process of planning the sustainable use of water resources within a catchment.

Groundwater Recharge Of The Middle Deschutes Basin, Oregon, Thomas Gene Boyd

Dissertations and Theses

All surface water in the Middle Deschutes River basin of Oregon has already been allocated. Growth in the basin has put pressure on the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) to grant an increasing number of groundwater permits. The OWRD is concerned that the allocation of too much groundwater will cause adverse effects on other groundwater users and surface water supplies and ultimately lead to groundwater depletion. For this reason, the U.S. Geological Survey is presently undertaking the first in-depth study of the groundwater resources of the basin.

As part of this USGS study, I estimated recharge rates and their distribution …

Flash-Flood Monitoring And Modeling In Kentucky, Mark French, Nageshwar Bhaskar, George K. A. Kyiamah

KWRRI Research Reports

This research project focused on the evaluation of hydrologic issue of flash-flooding in the state of Kentucky. The primary objectives of this project were the following:
(1) to initiate the establishment of a hydrologic database archive necessary for characterizing rainfall and runoff associated with flash-flooding;
(2) identification of appropriate modeling approaches for evaluating site-specific flash-flood runoff behavior.

Specific tasks accomplished to meet the objectives include the following:
(1) development of a rainfall and streamflow data archive using existing measurement gages and identification of the rain gage data from two sources for preliminary quality control;
(2) identification of the spatial and …

Geologic History Of Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Nebraska, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Roger K. Pabian, J. R. Thomasson

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Contents:

Introduction
Acknowledgments
Cautions
General Stratigraphy
Oligocene Series-White River Group-Brule Formation-Whitney Member
Miocene Series-Ogallala Group-Ash Hollow Formation
Pliocene Series-Broadwater Formation
Quaternary deposits
Older colluvium and loess
Younger colluvium and alluvium
General Paleontology
Evidence of past life: fossils and subfossils
Collecting fossils
Vertebrate fossils
Fossils from the Whitney Member of the Brule Formation
Plants
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Fossils from the Ash Hollow Formation
Plants
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Fossils from the Broadwater Formation
Plants
Vertebrates
Quaternary fossils
Plants
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Additional studies of Nebraska fossils
Geologic History
Prehistory and History
References
Appendices I-IV

Geraldton Region Land Resources Survey, L Gary Rogers, National Landcare Program (Australia)

Land resources series

This report presents results from soil and landform mapping at a scale of 1:250,000 for approximately 2.1 million hectares of the wheat-sheep belt of Western Australia. The study area corresponds with the Geraldton advisory district for Agriculture Western Australia and is the northern extent of the wheatbelt. The area covers parts of three major geological regions of Western Australia: the Perth Basin, Carnarvon Basin and the Yilgarn Craton. Fifty-one soil-landscape systems have been identified, some of which have been divided into subsystems, and are illustrated on the accompanying maps. The landform, parent material, rainfall, land use, native vegetation and soils …