Hydrology Commons^™

Dune Formation On Late Holocene Sandy Bay Barriers Along Lake Michigan’S Door Peninsula: The Importance Of Increased Sediment Supply Following The Nipissing And Algoma High Lake-Level Phases, J. Elmo Rawling Iii, Paul R. Hanson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

This study focuses on the geomorphology and geochronology of dunes formed on three sandy barrier systems at Clark, Europe and Kangaroo Lakes in Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. The Lake Michigan shoreline in the peninsula contains abundant evidence for fluctuations in lake level with paleo-shoreline features that lie up to ~7 m above the present shoreline. Dunes are not very common along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Wisconsin, but the three bay barriers studied contain beach ridges that were buried by varying depths of eolian sand in the form of low relief sandsheets as well as parabolic and transverse dunes that have …

Ashfall Tephra In The Ogallala Group Of The Great Plains: Characteristics And Significance, Michael E. Perkins, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Michael R. Voorhies, Barbara P. Nash, Bruce E. Bailey

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

The Miocene Ogallala Group blankets the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains. This sheet of largely fluvial deposits, lying downwind of major silicic volcanic fields to the west, was ideally located to receive and preserve tephra from these fields. This investigation brings modern methods of tephrochronlogy to bear on the age and identity of Ogallala tephra. Results indicate that ~40 separate tephra layers, ranging in age from ~16.5–5.0 Ma, in the Ogallala. Most tephra came from Yellowstone hotspot sources. The relative frequency of hotspot tephra in the Ogallala matches that in more proximal regions to the west with peak …

Sources Of Co2 Controlling The Carbonate Chemistry Of The Logsdon River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Bruce Elliott Hatcher

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Logsdon River is a major, base-level stream within the Turnhole Bend Drainage basin of the Mammoth Cave System. The Logsdon River system has provided a unique opportunity to examine the geochemical evolution of a stream flowing through a major karst conduit that can be traversed for 10 km. This study examines CO₂ inputs at the upstream portion of the river, which provide major control for the river’s hydrochemistry. Samples were collected from the upstream portion of Logsdon River at what is referred to as the S-188 sump and also nearby at Crowbar Dome over the course of 44 weeks …

Glacier Slip And Seismicity Induced By Surface Melt, Peter L. Moore, J. Paul Winberry, Neal R. Iverson, Knut A. Christianson, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Miriam Jackson, Mark E. Mathison, Denis Cohen

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Many of the key processes governing fast glacier flow involve interaction between a glacier and its basal hydrological system, which is hidden from direct observation. Passive seismic monitoring has shown promise as a tool for remotely monitoring basal processes, but lack of glacier-bed access prevents clear understanding of the relationships between subglacial processes and corresponding seismic emissions. Here we describe direct measurements of basal hydrology, sliding, and broadband seismicity made in a unique subglacial facility in Norway during the onset of two summer melt seasons. In the most pronounced of these episodes, rapid delivery of surface meltwater to the bed …

Paleohydrology And The Origin Of Jewel Cave, Mike Wiles

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

With more than 267 m (166 miles) of mapped cave passages, Jewel Cave is the third longest cave in the world. The passages are beneath an area of 775 ha (3 mi²), located almost entirely within the Hell Canyon drainage basin. The canyon itself is situated in the bottom of a south-plunging syncline and most of the cave passages are located within the east limb. A down-dip cross section shows the cave passages assuming the shape of an elongate lens, located just below the Pahasapa/Minnelusa contact. The lower boundary is a maximum of 75 m (250 feet) below …

Hydrogeologic Controls On The Occurrence And Movement Of Groundwater Discharged At Magic Springs In The Spring Branch Creek Drainage Basin: Spring Branch, Texas, Mark T. Childre

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

The hydrogeologic controls, flow velocities, flow direction, groundwater delineation, and physical characteristics in a joint controlled dendritic conduit-spring system have been characterized. The known conduit branches from Magic Springs past C My Shovel (CM) Cave with 4475 meters (m) of measurable passages and tributaries. Surface entrance to CM Cave is located 1360 m upstream from discharge at Magic Springs.

Four storm events were measured characterizing the dynamics. The rise time and half flow period time (t_0.5) occur in less than one day. The conduit volume exceeds one half million m³. The conduit-spring system drains within 3.7 …

Geogram 2013, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeologic Variations Across A Barrier Island That Influence Inter-Dune Wetlands False Cape State Park, Virginia, Matthew Collier Richardson

OES Theses and Dissertations

False Cape State Park in southeastern Virginia Beach, Virginia contains a transgressive barrier island complex. Inter-dune swales located on the eastern coast of the barrier island contain soils that experience hydric conditions. However, these swales lack the prolonged presence of hydric soil indicators that are necessary for a site to be officially recognized as a jurisdictional wetland. The appearance and subsequent disappearance of redoximorphic wetland soil features in the young, sandy soils of the inter-dune swales here may stem from changes in the patterns of groundwater recharge and discharge across the island. These soils are being monitored by the Mid …

Unusual Polygenetic Void And Cave Development In Dolomitized Miocene Chalks On Barbados, West Indies, Jonathan B. Sumrall, John E. Mylroie, Hans G. Machel

International Journal of Speleology

Barbados provides an unusual case of polygenetic cave development within dolomitized chalks and marls of the Miocene Oceanics Group. These diagenetic processes are driven by a succession and interplay of tectonic uplift, fracturing, hypogene fluid injection, overprinting by mixing zone diagenesis, and mechanical and biological erosion in the current littoral zone. The significance of the voids and caves within the chalks on Barbados are: 1) these appear to be the first dissolution caves documented in dolomitized chalk, and 2) these features show a polygenetic origin documenting the diagenetic changes in lithology that allowed the development and preservation of these cave …

Late Holocene Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction In Barbados, Gilman Reno Ouellette

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Barbados is the easternmost island in the Caribbean region, and is uniquely situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Being an isolated island with a karstified aquifer providing the majority of the nation’s water resources, Barbados has found itself in water scarce situations in recent years. In order to better understand natural shifts in groundwater recharge (which is determined by shifts in precipitation), longer records of precipitation are needed than are available from modern measurements. This study presents a paleoclimate reconstruction for the late Holocene on Barbados using stable and radiogenic isotope ratios in speleothem lamina as proxies. In …

Assessment And Conceptualization Of Groundwater Flow In The Edwards Aquifer Through The Knippa Gap In Uvalde County, Texas, Jennifer Raye Adkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Edwards aquifer is one of the major regional karst aquifers in the United States, with an average withdrawal of 950 million liters per day (L/d). This investigation focuses on the connection between the Uvalde pool and the San Antonio pool of the Edwards aquifer, known as the Knippa Gap, west of the San Antonio metropolitan area in Uvalde County. This is a major zone of recharge to the Edwards aquifer and is approximately 6.4 km wide. The Knippa Gap is bounded by northeast trending faults of the Balcones Fault Zone (BFZ) on the north (specifically the Cooks and Trio …

Landslides Of Nebraska, Duane A. Eversoll

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeologic Characterization Of Dutch Canyon, Scappoose, Oregon, Derrick Lee Wagner

Dissertations and Theses

Dutch Canyon is located directly west of the City of Scappoose in Columbia County Oregon. This area is proximate to Highway 30, a major access corridor to downtown Portland, and is experiencing a population increase, which is expected to continue and likely accelerate. As a result, there is growing pressure on water resources. Individual and community efforts to utilize groundwater resources have been hampered by generally poor groundwater yields and water quality concerns outside of the Columbia River corridor and a lack of published hydrogeologic information for the region.

The intent of this study is to identify the water-bearing units …

Investigations Into The Regional And Local Timescale Variations Of Subglacial Drainage Networks, Justin Hiester

Dissertations and Theses

Subglacial water plays an important role in the regulation of an ice sheet's mass balance. It may be the dominant control on the velocities of ice streams and outlet glaciers on scales of months to millennia. Recent satellite observations of ice surface elevation changes have given researchers new insights into how subglacial water is stored and transported. Localized uplift and settling of the ice surface implies that lakes exist beneath the ice sheet that are being filled and drained on relatively short time scales. %At the base of an ice sheet water can be transported through a variety of drainage …

The Evaluation Of Water Storage In Death Valley Using Grace Satellite Data, Maile Sweigart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As drought conditions spread across the United States, concerns over water supplies, water use, and water management policies are growing and possible contributing environmental factors are continually being scrutinized. This thesis examines Death Valley as an analog for Southern Nevada and utilizes NASA EOS data, combined with ancillary climate data, to assess the effect of decadal climate variability on groundwater storage in the Death Valley area. Historical climate data, combined with satellite imagery observations, were compiled and calculated for analyses. Conclusions derived from statistical analyses infer trends between GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data and fluctuating levels of …

A Combined Radio- And Stable-Isotopic Study Of A California Coastal Aquifer System, Peter W. Swarzenski, Mark Baskaran, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Brian D. Edwards, Michael Land

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Stable and radioactive tracers were utilized in concert to characterize geochemical processes in a complex coastal groundwater system and to provide constraints on the kinetics of rock/water interactions. Groundwater samples from wells within the Dominguez Gap region of Los Angeles County, California were analyzed for a suite of major cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) and anions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻), silica, alkalinity, select trace elements (Ba, B, Sr), dissolved oxygen, stable isotopes of hydrogen (δD), oxygen (δ¹⁸O), dissolved inorganic carbon (δ¹³C_DIC), and radioactive …

Preliminary Groundwater Level Changes At Selected Sites In Nebraska Following The Drought Of 2012, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Leslie M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Flow Rates And Composition Of The Filter, And Decay/Ingrowth Correction Factors Involved With The Determination Of In Situ Particulate 210Po And 210Pb In Seawater, Mark Baskaran, Thomas Church, Gi Hong, Anupam Kumar, Ma Qiang, Hui Choi, Sylvain Rigaud, Kanchan Maiti

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Accurate measurements of particulate ²¹⁰Po (²¹⁰Po_p) and ²¹⁰Pb (²¹⁰Pb_p) are required in the investigation of (i) partitioning of Po and Pb between particulate and dissolved phases and (ii) export estimates of carbon and other key trace metals from the euphotic zone via sinking particulate matter. Based on the intercomparison of different composition of the filter material (QMA, Supor, Millipore, and Pall GN6) and flow rates (2 to 8 L min), we show how these factors affect the measured concentrations of ²¹⁰Po_p and ²¹⁰Pb_p and their activity …

Sump Diving “River Caves”, Mark Wenner

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Note: “Sump” is a term used in caving to describe a passage in a cave that is submerged under water.

Sump diving, and “lure of the sump” originated in the UK in the early 1920’s, as did the use of “rebreather’s, and the “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus”, S.C.U.B.A. The techniques developed by cavers, and “sump divers” in Europe, and then used in British cave systems like Wookey Hole set a cave diving precedence; the development of a unique style, and system for diving caves. These diving practices and techniques influenced the exploration of resurgences, springs, siphons, and river caves throughout …

Multiple Storm Event Impacts On Epikarst Storage And Transport Of Organic Soil Amendments In South-Central Kentucky, Jason Polk, Sean Vanderhoff, Chris Groves, Benjamin Miller, Carl Bolster

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

The groundwater in agricultural karst areas, such as Kentucky’s Pennyroyal Plateau, is susceptible to contamination from organic soil amendments and pesticides. During 2011, water samples and geochemical data were collected every four hours before, during, and between storm events from a waterfall in Crumps Cave from January to September to track the transport and residence time of epikarst water and organic soil amendments during variable fl ow conditions. Geochemical data consisting of pH, specific conductivity, temperature, and discharge were collected continuously at 10-minute intervals, along with rainfall amounts. The changes in geochemistry indicate simultaneous storage and transport of meteoric water …

Sable Melodists, Janet Bass Smith

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Inside Mammoth Cave on Broadway Avenue, between the last TB hut and Star Chamber, the name Sable Melodists is inscribed on the wall, using what appears to be charcoal. Next to Sable Melodists are the names of two men: R. H. Condon, and J. M. Foans. (See Figures 1, 2, and 3) When the name Sable Melodists was researched several years ago, the only information available was that it was a minstrel group. A recent search revealed more information, and provoked a more complete investigation of minstrel groups and minstrel shows, and their evolution.

Pre-Service Teachers Learn About Karst Geology At Mammoth Cave National Park, Jeanine Huss, Cheryl Messenger

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

All Preservice elementary science methods students at Western Kentucky University participate in a one-day or two-day experience at Mammoth Cave National Park. This trip has occurred over the past seven semesters. Through this experience, students gain knowledge about their local unique karst environment.

Using Interactive Simulation To Extend Access To Learning Along The Historic Tour Route Of Mammoth Cave National Park, Christopher L. Atchison, Don Stredney, Karen E. Irving, Rick Toomey, Alan Price, Thomas Kerwin, Bradley Hittle, Phillip J. Reed

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

This poster presentation displays work of a current project to address the problem of limited inclusion to field-based learning experiences for students with physical disabilities. Led by researchers at Georgia State University, Ohio State University and Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning, the overall objective of the project is through integration of emerging simulation technologies and techniques, to provide a rich virtual environment of a geological field site for students with mobility impairments. Through the development of a synthetic field-based module that employs a virtual environment that interchangeably uses two and three-dimensional representation for presenting an alternative to …

Mammoth Cave National Park Backcountry Trail And Stream Monitoring, 2009-2012, Larry Johnson, Student Conservation Association Conservation

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

This project conducted an assessment of backcountry trail conditions on the north side of the Green River in Mammoth Cave National Park during summers of 2009-2012. The project included assessing physical parameters of trails, (width, depth, etc.) and conducting an assessment of water quality of streams in proximity of backcountry trails. The project was conducted by Student Conservation Association resource assistants (12 weeks each) supervised by a natural resource specialist from the Mammoth Cave Division of Science and Resources Management. Trail assessment procedures were based on techniques developed by Jeff ery L. Marion, Ph.D, USGS, Virginia Tech (et al.) and …

Improvements To The Rv Waste-Transfer Station Design To Reduce Contaminated Storm Runoff, David Solomon, Sean Mcmillian, Ashley West, Lonnie Sharpe

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Mammoth Cave in Central Kentucky is the world’s longest cave system and has been designated an international biosphere. It has unique organisms that live in the cave system and they are dependant upon high quality water supplied through rain recharge. We have documented quaternary ammonia compounds (QAC) levels ranging from 0.2 to 22 mg/L in storm fl ow, as well as, other chemicals coming from the RV waste-transfer station. The objective of this project was to re-design the drain system around the dump station to prevent spillage from washing down into the cave. The first design feature is a v-trench …

Use Of Sorption Isotherms To Improve The Efficacy Of The Storm-Water Filters, Hung-Wai Ho, Rick Toomey

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Sorption has been widely used as an inexpensive and environmental friendly water treatment technology. A large variety of adsorbents with different adsorption mechanisms have drawn interests, and combinations of adsorbents will enhance sorption of mixed solutions. However, current sorption research tends to focus on single material. The objective of this study was to develop sorption isotherms for ZPG®, (Zeolite, Perlite, Granular Activated Carbon), used in a stormwater filter cartridge. Contaminants of concern include Cu2+ and quaternary ammonia compounds (QAC). Adsorption isotherms were established for Cu2+ and QAC, and the best fit for the isotherm data was a Langmuir isotherm for …

Water Quality Monitoring At Mammoth Cave National Park, Brenda Wells, Joe Meiman

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Since the main objective of the monitoring program for Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) is to detect, and understand changes in major ecosystem resources, the poster information will show results of what has occurred with water quality in the park since 2004. The data cover 13 sites, sampled once a month for 2 years on and 5 years off . The main parameters monitored for MACA include: air and water temperature, pH, fl ow, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, E. Coli, nitrates and turbidity. The data are compiled and analyzed at the end of every sampling cycle ultimately for addressing park management …

Three Examples Of Chemical Transport In Storm Runoff At Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Ashley West, David Solomon, Hung-Wai Ho, Victor Roland, Irucka Embry, Rick Toomey, Roger Painter, Lonnie Sharpe, Dafeng Hui

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

The karst landscape at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, was formed by water through the dissolution of soluble rocks forming sinkholes, disappearing streams, emerging springs, closed depressions, and a combination of wet and dry caves. The Park’s cave streams and pools provide a home to unique organisms. Surface waters in the Park tend to rapidly drain into subsurface geologic features and caves. This rapid infiltration makes the subsurface vulnerable to contamination. The objective of this investigation was to characterize chemical transport from the surface into the cave. The preliminary results were achieved by tracer studies and monitoring water chemistry along …

Potential Effects Of Hydrogen Sulfide And Hydrocarbon Seeps On Mammoth Cave Ecosystems, Rick Olson

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Recently, Mammoth Cave Guide Bruce Hatcher reported what appeared to be contaminated water seeping into Marianne’s Pass. I visited the site and concluded that it was not likely due to pollution, and that it was a natural phenomenon. To be sure, I sampled the water for fecal coliform and E. coli analyses since sewer lines are in the area. The results were <1 mpn/100ml in both cases. A sulfur spring is mentioned at this site in Rambles in the Mammoth Cave, which was published in 1845, and this predates any well drilling that could lead to hydrocarbon and sulfide pollution. Another line of evidence that the seeps are natural is that they are all deeply weathered into the bedrock, which takes a long time. The seeps support thousands of springtails, which feed on the microbial mats, and crickets are common as well. A possible effect on biodiversity will be discussed.

Particulate Inorganic Carbon Flux In Karst And Its Signifi Cance To Karst Development And The Carbon Cycle, Randall L. Paylor, Carol M. Wicks

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Chemical removal of carbonate is generally assumed to dominate the inorganic carbon cycle in karst, but mechanical removal of carbonate during storm events may be significant. To determine the significance, particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) flux in bed load and suspended load is being quantified and compared to dissolved inorganic carbon flux in three karst systems: Mammoth Cave, KY; Blowing Cave, KY; and Tumbling Creek Cave, MO