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Geology topics

Hans C. Claassen

Publications and source records attributed to Hans C. Claassen.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1996

Estimates of evapotranspiration or effective moisture in Rocky Mountain watersheds from chloride ion concentrations in stream baseflow

The principle that atmospherically derived chloride is a conservative tracer in many watersheds can be used to calculate average annual evapotranspiration or effective moisture if estimates are available for (1) the average annual chloride input to the watershed, (2) the average annual precipitation, and (3) the baseflow chloride concentration are known. The method assumes that no long-term storage of chloride occurs and there is no lithologic source of chloride, or that such source releases only insignificant amounts to groundwater compared to the atmospheric source. National Atmospheric Deposition Program estimates of chloride wet deposition, watershed precipitation records or hyetal map estimates of precipitation input to watersheds, and a single sample of chloride concentration in base flow were used to calculate evapotranspiration for diverse Rocky Mountain watersheds. This estimate was compared to evapotranspiration determined by subtracting mean discharge from precipitation. Of the 19 watersheds used to test the method, 13 agreed within 10%, 2 appear to have not met the lithology criterion, 1 appears to have not met the flow criterion, and 1 neither criterion. The method's greatest strength is the minimal data requirements and its greatest weakness is that for some watersheds it may be difficult to obtain reliable estimates of precipitation and chloride deposition. If reliable discharge data are available, the method may be used to estimate watershed-average precipitation; this is especially useful in high-altitude mountain watersheds where little or no precipitation data are available.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS1982

Guidelines and techniques for obtaining water samples that accurately represent the water chemistry of an aquifer

Obtaining ground-water samples that accurately represent the water chemistry of an aquifer is a complex task. Before a ground-water sampling program can be started, an understanding of the kind of chemical data needed and the potential changes in water chemistry resulting from various drilling, well-completion, and sampling techniques is needed. This report provides a basis for such an evaluation and permits a choice of techniques that will result in obtaining the best possible data for the time and money allocated.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1981

Conceptual models governing leaching behavior and their long-term predictive capability

Six models that may be used to describe the interaction of radioactive waste solids with aqueous solutions are as follows: Simple linear mass transfer; Simple parabolic mass transfer; Parabolic mass transfer with the formation of a diffusion-limiting surface layer at an arbitrary time; Initial parabolic mass transfer followed by linear mass transfer at an arbitrary time; Parabolic (or linear) mass transfer and concomitant surface sorption; and Parabolic (or linear) mass transfer and concomitant chemical precipitation. Some of these models lead to either illogical or unrealistic predictions when published data are extrapolated to long times. These predictions result because most data result from short-term experimentation. Probably for longer times, processes will occur that have not been observed in the shorter experiments. This hypothesis has been verified by mass-transfer data from laboratory experiments using natural volcanic glass to predict the composition of groundwater. That such rate-limiting mechanisms do occur is reassuring, although now it is not possible to deduce a single mass-transfer limiting mechanism that could control the solution concentration of all components of all waste forms being investigated. Probably the most reasonable mechanisms are surface sorption and chemical precipitation of the species of interest. Another is limiting of mass transfer by chemical precipitation on the waste form surface of a substance not containing the species of interest, that is, presence of a diffusion-limiting layer. The presence of sorption and chemical precipitation as factors limiting mass transfer has been verified in natural groundwater systems, whereas the diffusion-limiting mechanism has not been verified yet.

Nuclear and Chemical Waste Management↗