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Donald O. Rosenberry

Publications and source records attributed to Donald O. Rosenberry.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Evaluation of 11 equations for determining evaporation for a small lake in the North Central United States

Eleven equations for calculating evaporation were compared with evaporation determined by the energy budget method for Williams Lake, Minnesota. Data were obtained from instruments on a raft, on land near the lake, and at a weather station 60 km south of the lake. The comparisons were based on monthly values for the open-water periods of 5 years, a total of 22 months. A modified DeBruin-Keijman, Priestley-Taylor, and a modified Penman equation resulted in monthly evaporation values that agreed most closely with energy budget values. To use these equations, net radiation, air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity need to be measured near the lake. In addition, thermal surveys need to be made to determine change in heat stored in the lake. If data from distant climate stations are the only data available, and they include solar radiation, the Jensen-Haise and Makkink equations resulted in monthly evaporation values that agreed reasonably well with energy budget values.

Minnesota↗

Effect of surficial disturbance on exchange between groundwater and surface water in nearshore margins

Low‐permeability sediments situated at or near the sediment‐water interface can influence seepage in nearshore margins, particularly where wave energy or currents are minimal. Seepage meters were used to quantify flow across the sediment‐water interface at two lakes where flow was from surface water to groundwater. Disturbance of the sediment bed substantially increased seepage through the sandy sediments of both lakes. Seepage increased by factors of 2.6 to 7.7 following bed disturbance at seven of eight measurement locations at Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, where the sediment representing the greatest restriction to flow was situated at the sediment‐water interface. Although the veneer of low‐permeability sediment was very thin and easily disturbed, accumulation on the bed surface was aided by a physical setting that minimized wind‐generated waves and current. At Lake Belle Taine, Minnesota, where pre‐disturbance downward seepage was smaller than at Mirror Lake, but hydraulic gradients were very large, disturbance of a 20 to 30 cm thick medium sand layer resulted in increases in seepage of 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. Exceptionally large seepage rates, some exceeding 25,000 cm/d, were recorded following bed disturbance. Since it is common practice to walk on the bed while installing or making seepage measurements, disruption of natural seepage rates may be a common occurrence in nearshore seepage studies. Disturbance of the bed should be avoided or minimized when utilizing seepage meters in shallow, nearshore settings, particularly where waves or currents are infrequent or minimal.

Minnesota, New Hampshire↗

Tracking tracer breakthrough in the hyporheic zone using time‐lapse DC resistivity, Crabby Creek, Pennsylvania

Characterization of the hyporheic zone is of critical importance for understanding stream ecology, contaminant transport, and groundwater‐surface water interaction. A salt water tracer test was used to probe the hyporheic zone of a recently re‐engineered portion of Crabby Creek, a stream located near Philadelphia, PA. The tracer solution was tracked through a 13.5 meter segment of the stream using both a network of 25 wells sampled every 5–15 minutes and time‐lapse electrical resistivity tomographs collected every 11 minutes for six hours, with additional tomographs collected every 100 minutes for an additional 16 hours. The comparison of tracer monitoring methods is of keen interest because tracer tests are one of the few techniques available for characterizing this dynamic zone, and logistically it is far easier to collect resistivity tomographs than to install and monitor a dense network of wells. Our results show that resistivity monitoring captured the essential shape of the breakthrough curve and may indicate portions of the stream where the tracer lingered in the hyporheic zone. Time‐lapse resistivity measurements, however, represent time averages over the period required to collect a tomographic data set, and spatial averages over a volume larger than captured by a well sample. Smoothing by the resistivity data inversion algorithm further blurs the resulting tomograph; consequently resistivity monitoring underestimates the degree of fine‐scale heterogeneity in the hyporheic zone.

Pennsylvania↗

Quantification of surface water and groundwater flows to open‐ and closed‐basin lakes in a headwaters watershed using a descriptive oxygen stable isotope model

Accurate quantification of hydrologic fluxes in lakes is important to resource management and for placing hydrologic solute flux in an appropriate biogeochemical context. Water stable isotopes can be used to describe water movements, but they are typically only effective in lakes with long water residence times. We developed a descriptive time series model of lake surface water oxygen‐18 stable isotope signature ( δL ) that was equally useful in open‐ and closed‐basin lakes with very different hydrologic residence times. The model was applied to six lakes, including two closed‐basin lakes and four lakes arranged in a chain connected by a river, located in a headwaters watershed. Groundwater discharge was calculated by manual optimization, and other hydrologic flows were constrained by measured values including precipitation, evaporation, and streamflow at several stream gages. Modeled and observed δL were highly correlated in all lakes ( r = 0.84–0.98), suggesting that the model adequately described δL in these lakes. Average modeled stream discharge at two points along the river, 16,000 and 11,800 m 3 d −1 , compares favorably with synoptic measurement of stream discharge at these sites, 17,600 and 13,700 m 3 d −1 , respectively. Water yields in this watershed were much higher, 0.23–0.45 m, than water yields calculated from gaged streamflow in regional rivers, approximately 0.10 m, suggesting that regional groundwater discharge supports water flux through these headwaters lakes. Sensitivity and robustness analyses also emphasized the importance of considering hydrologic residence time when designing a sampling protocol for stable isotope use in lake hydrology studies.

Water Resources Research↗

Delineating a road-salt plume in lakebed sediments using electrical resistivity, piezometers, and seepage meters at Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, U.S.A

Electrical-resistivity surveys, seepage meter measurements, and drive-point piezometers have been used to characterize chloride-enriched groundwater in lakebed sediments of Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, U.S.A. A combination of bottom-cable and floating-cable electrical-resistivity surveys identified a conductive zone ( &lt; 100 ohm- m ) "> ( < 100 ohm- m ) (<100ohm-m) overlying resistive bedrock ( &lt; 1000 ohm- m ) "> ( < 1000 ohm- m ) (<1000ohm-m) beneath the lake. Shallow pore-water samples from piezometers in lakebed sediments have chloride concentrations of 200 &#x2013; 1800 &#x3BC; eq / liter "> 200 – 1800 μ eq / liter 200–1800μeq/liter , and lake water has a chloride concentration of 104 &#x3BC; eq / liter "> 104 μ eq / liter 104μeq/liter . The extent of the plume was estimated and mapped using resistivity and water-sample data. The plume ( 20 &#xD7; 35 m "> 20 × 35 m 20×35m wide and at least 3 m "> 3 m 3m thick) extends nearly the full length and width of a small inlet, overlying the top of a basin formed by the bedrock. It would not have been possible to mapthe plume's shape without the resistivity surveys because wells provided only limited coverage. Seepage meters were installed approximately 40 m "> 40 m 40m from the mouth of a small stream discharging at the head of the inlet in an area where the resistivity data indicated lake sediments are thin. These meters recorded in-seepage of chloride-enriched groundwater at rates similar to those observed closer to shore, which was unexpected because seepage usually declines away from shore. Although the concentration of road salt in the northeast inlet stream is declining, the plume map and seepage data indicate the groundwater contribution of road salt to the lake is not declining. The findings demonstrate the benefit of combining geophysical and hydrologic data to characterize discharge of a plume beneath Mirror Lake. The extent of the plume in groundwater beneath the lake and stream indicate there will likely be a long-term source of chloride to the lake from groundwater.

New Hampshire↗

Assessment of electrical resistivity method to map groundwater seepage zones in heterogeneous sediments

Underwater electrical‐resistivity data were collected along the southwest shore of Mirror Lake, NH, as part of a multi‐year assessment of the utility of geophysics for mapping groundwater seepage beneath lakes. We found that resistivity could locate shoreline sections where water is seeping out of the lake. A resistivity line along the lake bottom starting 27‐m off shore and continuing 27‐m on shore (1‐m electrode spacing) showed the water table dipping away from the lake, the gradient indicative of lake discharge in this area. Resistivity could also broadly delineate high‐seepage zones. An 80‐m line run parallel to shore using a 0.5‐m electrode spacing was compared with measurements collected the previous year using 1‐m electrode spacing. Both data sets showed the transition from high‐seepage glacial outwash, to low‐seepage glacial till, demonstrating reproducibility. However, even the finer 0.5‐m electrode spacing was insufficient to resolve the heterogeneity well enough to predict seepage variability within each zone. For example, over a 12.5‐m stretch where seepage varied from 1–38 cm/day, resistivity varied horizontally from 700–3900 ohm‐m and vertically in the top 2‐m from 900–4000 ohm‐m without apparent correlation with seepage. In two sections along this 80‐m line, one over glacial outwash, the other over till, we collected 14 parallel lines of resistivity, 13.5 m long spaced 1 m apart to form a 13.5 × 13 m data grid. These lines were inverted individually using a 2‐D inversion program and then interpolated to create a 3‐D volume. Examination of resistivity slices through this volume highlights the heterogeneity of both these materials, suggesting groundwater flow takes sinuous flow paths. In such heterogeneous materials the goal of predicting the precise location of high‐seepage points remains elusive.

Conference Paper↗

Hydrologic processes and the water budget: Chapter 2

This chapter focuses on the hydrological setting of Mirror Lake and its water budget. It first describes the glacial deposits and bedrock topography in the Mirror Lake area. It then provides an overview of the hydrologic processes associated with Mirror Lake and examines the field and analytical methods used to determine its water budget. It presents results from the hydrologic studies, which are based on monthly and annual water budgets for the calendar years 1981 through 2000.

New Hampshire↗

Evaluation of methods and uncertainties in the water budget

Water budget studies of Mirror Lake aim to measure hydrologic components interacting with the lake as accurately as possible. However, measurements of water budget components are subject to some degree of uncertainty. This chapter describes the methods used to quantify water budget components of Mirror Lake in detail. It examines uncertainties in precipitation values, monthly evaporation, water flows, and exchange with groundwater. It shows how those values were derived, including the assumptions that went into the calculations and the uncertainties inherent in the values.

New Hampshire↗

Improving conceptual models of water and carbon transfer through peat

Northern peatlands store 500 × 10 15 g of organic carbon and are very sensitive to climate change. There is a strong conceptual model of sources, sinks, and pathways of carbon within peatlands, but challenges remain both in understanding the hydrogeology and the linkages between carbon cycling and peat pore water flow. In this chapter, research findings from the glacial Lake Agassiz peatlands are used to develop a conceptual framework for peatland hydrogeology and identify four challenges related to northern peatlands yet to be addressed: (1) develop a better understanding of the extent and net impact of climate-driven groundwater flushing in peatlands; (2) quantify the complexities of heterogeneity on pore water flow and, in particular, reconcile contradictions between peatland hydrogeologic interpretations and isotopic data; (3) understand the hydrogeologic implications of free-phase methane production, entrapment, and release in peatlands; and (4) quantify the impact of arctic and subarctic warming on peatland hydrogeology and its linkage to carbon cycling.

Book chapter↗

Estimates of Nutrient Loading by Ground-Water Discharge into the Lynch Cove Area of Hood Canal, Washington

Low dissolved oxygen concentrations in the waters of Hood Canal threaten marine life in late summer and early autumn. Oxygen depletion in the deep layers and landward reaches of the canal is caused by decomposition of excess phytoplankton biomass, which feeds on nutrients (primarily nitrogen compounds) that enter the canal from various sources, along with stratification of the water column that prevents mixing and replenishment of oxygen. Although seawater entering the canal is the largest source of nitrogen, ground-water discharge to the canal also contributes significant quantities, particularly during summer months when phytoplankton growth is most sensitive to nutrient availability. Quantifying ground-water derived nutrient loads entering an ecologically sensitive system such as Hood Canal is a critical component of constraining the total nutrient budget and ultimately implementing effective management strategies to reduce impacts of eutrophication. The amount of nutrients entering Hood Canal from ground water was estimated using traditional and indirect measurements of ground-water discharge, and analysis of nutrient concentrations. Ground-water discharge to Hood Canal is variable in space and time because of local geology, variable hydraulic gradients in the ground-water system adjacent to the shoreline, and a large tidal range of 3 to 5 meters. Intensive studies of ground-water seepage and hydraulic-head gradients in the shallow, nearshore areas were used to quantify the freshwater component of submarine ground-water discharge (SGD), whereas indirect methods using radon and radium geochemical tracers helped quantify total SGD and recirculated seawater. In areas with confirmed ground-water discharge, shore-perpendicular electrical resistivity profiles, continuous electromagnetic seepage-meter measurements, and continuous radon measurements were used to visualize temporal variations in ground-water discharge over several tidal cycles. The results of these field investigations show that ground-water discharge into the Lynch Cove area of Hood Canal is highly dynamic and strongly affected by the large tidal range. In areas with a steep shoreline and steep hydraulic gradient, ground-water discharge is spatially concentrated in or near the intertidal zone, with increased discharge during low tide. Topographically flat areas with weak hydraulic gradients had more spatial variability, including larger areas of seawater recirculation and more widely dispersed discharge. Measured total-dissolved-nitrogen concentrations in ground water ranged from below detection limits to 2.29 milligrams per liter and the total load entering Lynch Cove was estimated to be approximately 98 ? 10.3 metric tons per year (MT/yr). This estimate is based on net freshwater seepage rates from Lee-type seepage meter measurements and can be compared to estimates derived from geochemical tracer mass balance estimates (radon and radium) of 231 to 749 MT/yr, and previous water-mass-balance estimates (14 to 47 MT/ yr). Uncertainty in these loading estimates is introduced by complex biogeochemical cycles of relevant nutrient species, the representativeness of measurement sites, and by energetic dynamics at the coastal aquifer-seawater interface caused by tidal forcing.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

Field Techniques for Estimating Water Fluxes Between Surface Water and Ground Water

This report focuses on measuring the flow of water across the interface between surface water and ground water, rather than the hydrogeological or geochemical processes that occur at or near this interface. The methods, however, that use hydrogeological and geochemical evidence to quantify water fluxes are described herein. This material is presented as a guide for those who have to examine the interaction of surface water and ground water. The intent here is that both the overview of the many available methods and the in-depth presentation of specific methods will enable the reader to choose those study approaches that will best meet the requirements of the environments and processes they are investigating, as well as to recognize the merits of using more than one approach. This report is designed to make the reader aware of the breadth of approaches available for the study of the exchange between surface and ground water. To accomplish this, the report is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 describes many well-documented approaches for defining the flow between surface and ground waters. Subsequent chapters provide an in-depth presentation of particular methods. Chapter 2 focuses on three of the most commonly used methods to either calculate or directly measure flow of water between surface-water bodies and the ground-water domain: (1) measurement of water levels in well networks in combination with measurement of water level in nearby surface water to determine water-level gradients and flow; (2) use of portable piezometers (wells) or hydraulic potentiomanometers to measure hydraulic gradients; and (3) use of seepage meters to measure flow directly. Chapter 3 focuses on describing the techniques involved in conducting water-tracer tests using fluorescent dyes, a method commonly used in the hydrogeologic investigation and characterization of karst aquifers, and in the study of water fluxes in karst terranes. Chapter 4 focuses on heat as a tracer in hydrological investigations of the near-surface environment.

Techniques and Methods↗

Comparison of 15 evaporation methods applied to a small mountain lake in the northeastern USA

Few detailed evaporation studies exist for small lakes or reservoirs in mountainous settings. A detailed evaporation study was conducted at Mirror Lake, a 0.15 km2 lake in New Hampshire, northeastern USA, as part of a long-term investigation of lake hydrology. Evaporation was determined using 14 alternate evaporation methods during six open-water seasons and compared with values from the Bowen-ratio energy-budget (BREB) method, considered the standard. Values from the Priestley-Taylor, deBruin-Keijman, and Penman methods compared most favorably with BREB-determined values. Differences from BREB values averaged 0.19, 0.27, and 0.20 mm d-1, respectively, and results were within 20% of BREB values during more than 90% of the 37 monthly comparison periods. All three methods require measurement of net radiation, air temperature, change in heat stored in the lake, and vapor pressure, making them relatively data intensive. Several of the methods had substantial bias when compared with BREB values and were subsequently modified to eliminate bias. Methods that rely only on measurement of air temperature, or air temperature and solar radiation, were relatively cost-effective options for measuring evaporation at this small New England lake, outperforming some methods that require measurement of a greater number of variables. It is likely that the atmosphere above Mirror Lake was affected by occasional formation of separation eddies on the lee side of nearby high terrain, although those influences do not appear to be significant to measured evaporation from the lake when averaged over monthly periods.

New Hampshire↗

Use of carboxylated microspheres to assess transport potential of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts at the Russian River water supply facility, Sonoma County, California

Carboxylated microspheres were employed as surrogates to assess the transport potential of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts during forced- and natural-gradient tests conducted in July and October 2004. The tests involved poorly-sorted, near-surface sediments where groundwater is pumped from an alluvial aquifer underlying the Russian River, Sonoma County, CA. In an off channel infiltration basin and within the river, a mixture (2-, 3-, and 5- μm diameters) of fluorescently-labeled carboxylated microspheres and bromide tracers were used in two injection and recovery tests to assess sediment removal efficiency for the microspheres. Bottom sediments varied considerably in their filtration efficiency for Cryptosporidium .

California↗

Heat transport in the Red Lake Bog, Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands

We report the results of an investigation on the processes controlling heat transport in peat under a large bog in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands. For 2 years, starting in July 1998, we recorded temperature at 12 depth intervals from 0 to 400 cm within a vertical peat profile at the crest of the bog at sub‐daily intervals. We also recorded air temperature 1 m above the peat surface. We calculate a peat thermal conductivity of 0·5 W m −1 °C −1 and model vertical heat transport through the peat using the SUTRA model. The model was calibrated to the first year of data, and then evaluated against the second year of collected heat data. The model results suggest that advective pore‐water flow is not necessary to transport heat within the peat profile and most of the heat is transferred by thermal conduction alone in these waterlogged soils. In the spring season, a zero‐curtain effect controls the transport of heat through shallow depths of the peat. Changes in local climate and the resulting changes in thermal transport still may cause non‐linear feedbacks in methane emissions related to the generation of methane deeper within the peat profile as regional temperatures increase.

Minnesota↗

The significance of ground water to the accumulation of iron and manganese in the sediments of two hydrologically distinct lakes in north‐central Minnesota: A geological perspective

Williams and Shingobee lakes are at opposite ends of the local ground water flow system in the Shingobee River Headwaters Area (SRHA) in north‐central Minnesota. Williams Lake, situated near the highest point in the flow system, has no surface inlet or outlet, and ground water and precipitation are the only sources of water. Shingobee Lake, situated at the lowest point in the flow system, has the Shingobee River as an inlet and outlet. Ground water directly contributes an estimated one‐fourth of the water input to Shingobee Lake. The Shingobee River also receives large amounts of ground water discharge along its reach to Shingobee Lake providing a large, indirect source of ground water to the lake. Differences in nutrient concentrations reflect the residence times and nutrient supplies of these two lakes. The average phosphorus content of Shingobee Lake is about twice that of Williams Lake. Consequently, phy‐toplankton productivity in Shingobee Lake is much higher than in Williams Lake, leading to an oxygen‐deficient (<1 ppm dissolved oxygen) hypolimnion within a month after overturn in both the spring and fall. Because of the extreme reducing conditions in the hypolimnion of Shingobee Lake, high concentrations of dissolved iron and manganese are present there during summer stratification. In some years, the manganese concentration in the hypolimnion of Shingobee Lake remains high throughout the year. Precipitation of iron and manganese minerals, presumed to be X‐ray amorphous oxyhydroxides, at periods of fall and spring overturn result in concentrations of iron and manganese in surface sediments of Shingobee Lake that are seven times and 27 times higher, respectively, than can be explained by contributions of iron and manganese from detrital aluminosilicates. These findings indicate that the source and amounts of this excess iron and manganese found in the sediments are correlated to the amount of iron‐ and manganese‐rich ground water discharging to Shingobee Lake. Because iron and manganese oxyhydroxides are efficient adsorbers of phosphorus, concentrations of phosphorus are also high in the sediments of Shingobee Lake. Without this sequestration of phosphorus, the productivity of Shingobee Lake would probably be much higher.

North-central Minnestoa↗

A system for calibrating seepage meters used to measure flow between ground water and surface water

A system has been developed for generating controlled rates of seepage across the sediment-water interface representing flow between ground water and surface water. The seepage- control system facilitates calibration and testing of seepage measurement devices commonly called seepage meters. Two slightly different seepage-control systems were evaluated. Both designs make use of a 1.5-m-diameter by 1.5-m-tall polyethylene flux tank partially filled with sand that overlies a pipe manifold and diffuser plate to provide a uniform flux of water through the sand. The flux tank is filled with water to maintain a water depth above the sand bed of about 0.6 m. Flow is generated by routing water through tubing that connects an adjustable-height reservoir to the base of the flux tank, through the diffuser plate and sand, and across the sediment-water interface. Seepage rate is controlled by maintaining a constant water depth in the reservoir while routing flow between the reservoir and the flux tank. The rate of flow is controlled by adjusting the height of the reservoir with a manually operated fork lift. Flow from ground water to surface water (inflow) occurs when the water surface of the reservoir is higher than the water surface of the flux tank. Flow from surface water to ground water (outflow) occurs when the water surface of the reservoir is lower than the water surface of the flux tank. Flow rates as large as &plusmn;55 centimeters per day were generated by adjusting the reservoir to the extremes of the operable range of the fork lift. The minimum seepage velocity that the flowmeter can reliably measure is about 7 centimeters per day. Water in the reservoir is maintained at a nearly constant depth by pumping return flow between the reservoir and flux tanks based on output from a submersible pressure transducer placed in the reservoir. A datalogger switches the pump on and off at appropriate intervals to maintain a nearly constant water depth inside the reservoir, which maintains a virtually constant hydraulic gradient between the reservoir and flux tanks. The datalogger also records flow, in units of volume per time, as measured by an in-line flowmeter positioned between the base of the flux tank and the reservoir. Seepage flux in units of distance per time is determined by dividing the flowmeter output by the surface area at the sediment-water interface in the flux tank. Spatial heterogeneity in seepage was evident in both flux tanks in spite of attempts to minimize heterogeneity during tank construction. Medium sand was used in both flux tanks and care was taken to homogenize the sand during and after filling of the tanks. Time was provided for release or dissolution of trapped air, and water was circulated to remove fine-grained sediments prior to system use. In spite of these precautions, seepage measured with five to six small 20.25-cm-diameter seepage meters varied by about a factor of two. Use of larger diameter seepage meters, which cover a larger percentage of the sediment surface of the flux tanks, greatly minimized measured seepage heterogeneity. The seepage-control system was used to demonstrate that seepage-meter efficiency is sensitive to the type of seepage-meter bag and that bag-measured seepage rate is sensitive to the duration of the seepage-meter measurement only during very short measurement times. The in-line flowmeter used with this system is incapable of measuring seepage rates below about 7 centimeters per day. Smaller seepage rates can be measured manually. The seepage- control system also can be modified for measuring slower seepage rates with the use of two flowmeters and a slightly different water-routing system, or a fluid-metering pump can be used to control flow through the flux tank instead of an adjustable-height reservoir.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

Coastal groundwater/surface-water interactions: a Great Lakes case study

Key similarities exist between marine and Great Lakes coastal environments. Water and nutrient fluxes across lakebeds in the Great Lakes are influenced by seiche and wind set-up and set-down, analogous to tidal influence in marine settings. Groundwater/surface-water interactions also commonly involve a saline-fresh water interface, although in the Great-Lakes cases, it is groundwater that is commonly saline and surface water that is fresh. Evapotranspiration also affects nearshore hydrology in both settings. Interactions between groundwater and surface water have recently been identified as an important component of ecological processes in the Great Lakes. Water withdrawals and the reversal of the groundwater/surface water seepage gradient are also common to many coastal areas around the Great Lakes. As compared to surface water, regional groundwater that discharges to western Lake Erie from Michigan is highly mineralized. Studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey at Erie State Game Area in southeastern Michigan, describe groundwater flow dynamics and chemistry, shallow lake-water chemistry, and fish and invertebrate communities. Results presented here provide an overview of recent progress of ongoing interdisciplinary studies of Great Lakes nearshore systems and describe a conceptual model that identifies relations among geologic, hydrologic, chemical, and biological processes in the coastal habitats of Lake Erie. This conceptual model is based on analysis of hydraulic head in piezometers at the study site and chemical analysis of deep and shallow coastal groundwater.

Book chapter↗