Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Characterization Of Problematic Red Clay Soils In Arkansas For The Purpose Of Onsite Wastewater System Placement, Bailey Darnell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distinguishing between red-clay soils that are non-expansive and can reduce and red-clay soils developing in problematic red parent material, which are expansive, but also non-reducing, is key for proper on-site wastewater system placement. The Arkansas Department of Health allows for the placement of on-site wastewater systems in certain red-clay soils that have the potential to reduce, but only in the Ozark Highlands [Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 116A], which is referred to as the red-soil exception. There is currently little scientific data to support the geographic restriction of the red-soil exception. The objectives of this study were to: i) confirm …

When It Rains, It Pours: A Case Study Of Spatio-Temporal Variations In High-Intensity Precipitation Events In Arkansas, Deanna Mantooth-Hendrix

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is having an impact on weather systems and ecosystems worldwide. Glaciers are receding, oceans are acidifying, hurricanes are stronger, and extreme precipitation is increasing in frequency. Even with the wealth of data and knowledge about the threat of climate change, some places are slow to adapt because they think that the impact to their ecosystem will not be severe. The goal of this project was to determine if climate change is having an impact on extreme precipitation in the top urban areas of Arkansas. The major concern with an increase in extreme events in urban areas is flooding. …

Stream Water Quality To Support Huc 12 Prioritization In The Lake Wister Watershed, Oklahoma: August 2017 Through May 2019, Bradley J. Austin, Brina A. Smith, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Nonpoint source pollution associated with human land use (agriculture and urbanization) is one of the leading causes of impairment to waterways in the United States (EPA 2000). The primary pollutants associated with agricultural and urban land use are sediment and nutrients which enter nearby streams during rain events and are then carried downstream. These sediments and nutrients may result in water quality issues in the downstream water bodies like increased algal growth or decreased water clarity (e.g. Smith et al., 1999). Best management practices (BMPs) are often used to mitigate the effects of nonpoint source pollution in the watershed. Practices …

Incorporating Recent Geochemical And Isotopic Constraints In Age Dating The Waters Of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, Kristina Marie Raley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mean water age for spring discharge in Hot Springs National Park was calculated as approximately 4,400 years by Bedinger et al (1978) using carbon-14. Their analysis indicated that the water was a mixture of a small portion of cold water that was less than twenty years old with a preponderance of hot water. However, this result includes some error due to Bedinger et al. using general isotopic values for soil dissolved inorganic carbon and mineral carbon instead of obtaining actual values from the study area. A more accurate age calculation for the springs has been made possible by additional geological …

Spatial And Temporal Water Quality Dynamics In The Lake Maumelle Reservoir: Geochemical And Planktonic Variance In A Drinking Water Source, Matthew Daniel Carey

Theses and Dissertations

The Lake Maumelle reservoir is Central Arkansas’s main water supply, primarily servicing the residents of Little Rock, AR. Maintaining a high standard of water quality is important to the over 400,000 residents of this area whom rely on this oligotrophic/mesotrophic waterbody for drinking water. Lake Maumelle is a scenic attraction for recreational boating and bass fishing. The Lake Maumelle watershed is densely forested and mostly within the Ouachita National Forest. Past research has focused primarily on watershed management with land use/land cover modeling and quarterly water sampling of the 13.91mi2 reservoir. Objectives of this investigation were to further understand seasonal …

Evaluating Climate Change Policy Through The Endangered Species Act, Richie Donahou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research sets out to address a growing knowledge gap of climate change science in regards to the state of Arkansas. Within the coming chapters, the goal of this research is to examine climate data and to identify if any evidence of climate change can be detected and what are the policies in place to adapt to these potential changes. Furthermore, the scope of this research will be narrowed to a few counties over the southwest Arkansas, and a specific endangered species, the Leopard Darter. Upon examination of previous environmental and ecological climate change related research it became clear that …

Gis Modeling Of The Prominent Geohazards In Arkansas, Kyle Walker Rowden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The State of Arkansas is prone to numerous geohazards. This thesis is a twofold study of prominent geohazards in Arkansas: the first fold includes a novel triggerless approach for mass wasting susceptibility modeling applied to the Boston Mountains in NW Arkansas, and the second fold is a GIS-based regression modeling of the extreme weather patterns at the state level. Each study fold is presented in this thesis as a separate chapter embracing a published peer-reviewed paper. In the first paper, I have used the analytical hierarchy process to assign preliminary statistical weights to the most cogent variables influencing mass wasting …

An Investigation Of Biological Carbon Sequestration At The Pea Ridge National Military Park, Dorine Reed Bower

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The direct correlation between increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 and global temperatures is now irrefutable. A 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 levels from a pre-industrial level of 270 ppm to a present-day level of 405 ppm, has resulted in documented record temperatures and a concomitant rising of sea levels from melting ice caps.

The ability of biological/terrestrial ecological systems to store atmospheric carbon is a viable option in the effort to mitigate the climate impacts of rising anthropogenically-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Components of the vegetation and soils in the Pea Ridge National Military Park (the Park) were examined for carbon …

Beaver Lake Numeric Chlorophyll-A And Secchi Transparency Standards, Phases Ii And Iii: Uncertainty And Trend Analysis, J. Thad Scott, Brian E. Haggard, Zachary Simpson, Matthew Rich

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The objective of Phases II and III of this study were to 1) assess the variation in chl‐a and ST across multiple spatial and temporal scales in Beaver Lake in order to validate the assessment method, and 2) quantify trends in chl‐a, ST, and nutrient (total phosphorus and total nitrogen) concentrations in Beaver Lake and the major inflowing rivers to verify any potential water quality impairment.

Database Analysis To Support Nutrient Criteria Development (Phase Iii), J. T. Scott, E.M. Grantz

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The intent of this publication of the Arkansas Water Resources Center is to provide a location whereby a final report on water research to a funding agency can be archived. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) contracted with University of Arkansas researchers for a multiple year project titled “Database Analysis to Support Nutrient Criteria Development”. This publication covers the third of three phases of that project and has maintained the original format of the report as submitted to TCEQ. This report can be cited either as an AWRC publication (see below) or directly as the final report to TCEQ.

Water Quality Monitoring At Impaired Sites On The Cache River, Ar, Usa, Molly Elaine Kennon-Lacy

Student Theses and Dissertations

Cache River Watershed, AR has several impairments, including: dissolved lead (Pb) and copper (Cu), and total dissolved solids (TDS). Eight sites were monitored monthly measuring: pH, conductivity, DO, total suspended solids (TSS), TDS, turbidity, hardness, dissolved and total nutrients and metals (Pb and Cu), to add to ADEQ’s database. Flow was measured to determine if there was a relationship between measured parameters and periods of low or high flow. Filtration size (0.45 vs 0.20 µm) was compared to conclude if using different size filters on water samples affected concentrations of metals in water. Bioassays were performed using aquatic organisms on …

Chlorine Demand Shows Thresholds And Hierarchy With Source Water Quality At Beaver Lake, Arkansas, Jaime M. Gile

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of source water quality in Beaver Lake on the amount of chlorine (Cl) needed to develop decision support system to help guide chlorination practices in pre-treatment of source water. Chlorine demand assays were performed on water samples from Beaver Lake collected from the intake structure at Beaver Water District from March 2014 through August 2015, and using data from these assays, the two points of interest in this study were the Cl dose at which Cl residuals began to accumulate and the mean Cl demand occurring after that dose. Three methods of analysis were used …

Trend Analysis Of Water Quality In Northwest Arkansas Streams Reflects Changes In The Watershed, Zachary Paul Simpson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Watershed export of nutrients, sediments, and chemicals impacts receiving waters. Changes within the watershed (e.g., anthropogenic or climatic) can alter the transport of constituents in streams. Stream monitoring is crucial for understanding these effects. This study developed a potential improvement to flow-adjusting constituent concentrations in streams, an important step of analyzing monitoring data in lotic systems for trends. The method incorporates a K-fold cross-validation procedure to optimize a model explaining the relationship between the concentration and streamflow, thus providing a valuable tool to researchers in water quality. Additionally, two case studies were conducted on watersheds located in northwest Arkansas using …

Bella Vista Lakes Project: Fertility Management, J. Thad Scott

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Method Comparison And Stressor-Response Experimental Study Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Impacts To Periphyton In Ozark Streams, Ashley Renee Rodman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stream bioassessment is important for understanding algal-nutrient relationships and the development of scientifically defensible numeric nutrient criteria. However, multiple methods of periphyton data collection are currently used, and little is known about the comparability of resulting datasets. Literature also suggests other factors besides nutrients (i.e. variable grazing, light, and flow) can confound algal-nutrient relationships. A one-year method comparison study and 31-day algal biomass-nutrient manipulative experiment were conducted in the southern Ozarks of Arkansas. The method comparison study was implemented using two common bioassessment procedures (whole-surface and delimiter-reduced periphyton removal) to assess the potential for combining datasets. During the manipulative experiment, …

Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring In Kings River And Leatherwood Creek, Eric Cummings, Erin E. Scott, Marty Matlock, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure used to regulate water quality. Under the CWA, States are required to assess water bodies relative to water‐quality standards and designated beneficial uses and then to submit lists of impaired bodies every other year to the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). In 2015, at least 4,800 water bodies were listed as impaired by dissolved oxygen across the US (USEPA, 2015). Aquatic species like fish and macroinvertebrates depend on adequate dissolved oxygen for survival. Low dissolved oxygen can lead to fish kills, reduced aquatic diversity, and nuisance smells from anaerobic conditions – …

A Step In The Right Direction: Streambank Restoration Efforts At The Botanical Garden Of The Ozarks, Dylan S. Milholen, Madison Brown, Steven Thao, Lisa S. Wood

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks (BGO) is a unique destination in Northwest Arkansas that draws more than 80,000 visitors a year. While the BGO manages low-input practices, run-off from pesticide application and synthetic fertilizers containing phosphorus and nitrogen are of concern to water quality, habitat, and overall ecological interactions of the BGO streambanks and adjacent Hilton Creek, which flows directly into Lake Fayetteville. One way to reduce pollution to waterbodies is through the use of riparian buffers. This project sought to establish a riparian buffer immediately adjacent to a portion of Hilton Creek in an effort to improve ecological …

Modifying A Cow-Calf Biophysical Simulation Model For Analyses Of Alternative Enterprises, Jennifer L. Lutes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cow-calf producers in the United States, tasked with providing beef calves for the beef industry, have had a multitude of difficulties to overcome in recent years. Producers in northwest Arkansas were negatively impacted by high hay prices coupled with low beef cattle market prices due to severe drought experienced in portions of 2010, 2011, and 2012. During this time they also faced high grain prices, due to a record low harvest, combined with portions of the corn harvest diverted from human and animal feed to ethanol production. Tight lending policies of this time, reminiscent of the housing market crash in …

Paddling A Trail, Erin Jennings Gilleece

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Paddling A Trail documents construction of the first water trail in Arkansas. The 15 minute film is narrated by Arkansas Canoe Club Conservation Chair Debbie Doss. It follows Doss, and other volunteers as they mark the Wattensaw Bayou Trail in Hazen, Arkansas. The film is co-narrated by Kristen Bartlow of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The footage was shot over three days, in two different locations. These were the White River in Northwest Arkansas and Wattensaw Bayou in Hazen, AR. The film illustrates the positive role trails can have on the environment and local economies. More importantly, the film …

Constituent Load Estimation In The Lower Ouachita-Smackover Watershed, Zach P. Simpson, Erin E. Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Water quality was monitored at 21 sites in the Lower Ouachita‐Smackover Watershed from 2013 November through 2014 September. The U.S. Geological Survey maintains discharge monitoring stations at two of these sites, Moro Creek (USGS 07362500) and Smackover Creek (USGS 07362100), which were sampled during base flow and storm event conditions, whereas the other sites were only sampled during baseflow. The Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) estimated constituent loads for nitrate‐N (NO₃‐–N), total nitrogen (TN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) using the U.S. Geological Survey LOADEST software. LOADEST creates regression models between constituent concentrations …

Evaluating The Assessment Methodology For The Chlorophyll-A And Secchi Transparency Criteria At Beaver Lake, Arkansas, J. Thad Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Pecci Code (Python Estimation For Carbon Concentration And Isotopes) For Calculating The Concentration And Stable Carbon Isotopic Composition Of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (Dic) In Precipitation For Northwestern Arkansas, Katherine J. Knierim, Phillip D. Hays

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

In karst settings, hydrograph separations using isotopic tracers are commonly and effectively used to quantify the proportions of rain rapidly delivered to springs along fractures and conduits during storm events. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is an effective, non‐conservative tracer for use in hydrograph separations of karst waters because of the ubiquitous nature of carbon in the sources of waters to caves and springs and unique concentrations and isotopic compositions of carbon inputs. DIC concentration and isotopic composition (δ¹³C‐DIC) in rain are typically calculated based on atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) using equilibrium carbonate reactions and stable carbon isotope fractionation values. As …

Relation Of Chlorine Demand To The Water Quality Of Beaver Lake, Erin E. Scott, Jaime M. Gile, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Monitoring For Selected Priority Watersheds In Arkansas, Upper Saline, Poteau And Strawberry Rivers, L. B. Massey, J.A. Mccarty, M.D. Matlock, A.N. Sharpley, B.E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Arkansas Natural Resources Commission has identified three priority hydrological unit code (HUC) 8 watersheds, the Upper Saline (HUC 08040203), Poteau (HUC 11110105), and Strawberry Watersheds (HUC 11010012). SWAT models have been developed to estimate nutrient and sediment loads in these watersheds where limited water‐quality data was available. The purpose of this project was to collect additional water samples across these HUC 8 watersheds to better understand how water quality changes across subwatershed with differing land use mixes, as well as estimate nitrate‐nitrogen (NO3‐N), total phosphorus (TP), and total suspended sediment (TSS) loads. Water samples were collected at twenty sites near …

Ecological Design In The Ozarks - Workshop And Lake Frances Charrette, Steven D. Patterson, Brian E. Haggard, Mark E. Boyer

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Groundwater Quality Assessment From Domestic Water Wells In The Fayetteville Shale Gas Play Area In Central Arkansas, Anna Marie Nottmeier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study establishes a spatially distributed domestic water well groundwater quality data set, throughout the Fayetteville Shale Gas Play (FSGP) in central Arkansas. The data set facilitates characterization of the geology and groundwater quality across the study area, benefits residents who may have concerns about the potential impacts on their well water quality, and provides a groundwater quality basis to which complaints can be compared and resolved. The assessment included: research of the study area, site reconnaissance, water sampling and collection, interviews with owners of the property, analytical analysis, Quality Assurance and Quality Control, and groundwater data interpretation.

The study …

Pooling For Horizontal Wells: Can They Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?, Bruce M. Kramer

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

74 pages.

This paper was originally published as:

Bruce M. Kramer, “Pooling for Horizontal Wells: Can They Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?,” 55 Rocky Mt. Min. L. Inst. 8-1, § 8.05 (2009).

Slides: Water And Development Of Unconventional Oil And Gas Resources, Judy Jordan

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Judy Jordan, Oil & Gas Liaison, Garfield County, Rifle, CO

21 slides

Water Quality Monitoring And Constituent Load Estimation In The Upper White River Basin, 2009, L.B. Massey, B.E. Haggard, R.S. Avery, R.A. Morgan

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The Arkansas Water Resources Center monitored water quality at seven sites in the Upper White River Basin during base flow conditions and storm events from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Water samples were collected manually with an alpha or Kemmerer style sampler and analyzed for nitrate‐nitrogen (NO₃‐N), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl‐), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved ammonia (NH₃‐N), total N (TN), total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity. Physico‐chemical parameters were measured in field including pH, conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration. The selected sites were all at established discharge monitoring stations maintained by the …

Water Quality Monitoring And Constituent Load Estimation In The Upper Illinois River Watershed, 2009, L.B. Massey, B.E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) monitored water quality at eight sites in the Upper Illinois River Watershed (UIRW) during base flow conditions and storm events from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Water samples were collected manually with an alpha or Kemmerer style sampler and analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved ammonia (NH₃-N), total N (TN), total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity. Physico-chemical parameters were measured in the field including pH, conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration. The selected sites were at established discharge monitoring stations maintained …