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T. F. Kraemer

Publications and source records attributed to T. F. Kraemer.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2012

Occurrence and geochemistry of radium in water from principal drinking-water aquifer systems of the United States

A total of 1270 raw-water samples (before treatment) were collected from 15 principal and other major aquifer systems (PAs) used for drinking water in 45 states in all major physiographic provinces of the USA and analyzed for concentrations of the Ra isotopes 224Ra, 226Ra and 228Ra establishing the framework for evaluating Ra occurrence. The US Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 0.185Bq/L (5pCi/L) for combined Ra ( 226Ra plus 228Ra) for drinking water was exceeded in 4.02% (39 of 971) of samples for which both 226Ra and 228Ra were determined, or in 3.15% (40 of 1266) of the samples in which at least one isotope concentration ( 226Ra or 228Ra) was determined. The maximum concentration of combined Ra was 0.755Bq/L (20.4pCi/L) in water from the North Atlantic Coastal Plain quartzose sand aquifer system. All the exceedences of the MCL for combined Ra occurred in water samples from the following 7PAs (in order of decreasing relative frequency of occurrence): the Midcontinent and Ozark Plateau Cambro-Ordovician dolomites and sandstones, the North Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Floridan, the crystalline rocks (granitic, metamorphic) of New England, the Mesozoic basins of the Appalachian Piedmont, the Gulf Coastal Plain, and the glacial sands and gravels (highest concentrations in New England).The concentration of Ra was consistently controlled by geochemical properties of the aquifer systems, with the highest concentrations most likely to be present where, as a consequence of the geochemical environment, adsorption of the Ra was slightly decreased. The result is a slight relative increase in Ra mobility, especially notable in aquifers with poor sorptive capacity (Fe-oxide-poor quartzose sands and carbonates), even if Ra is not abundant in the aquifer solids. The most common occurrence of elevated Ra throughout the USA occurred in anoxic water (low dissolved-O 2) with high concentrations of Fe or Mn, and in places, high concentrations of the competing ions Ca, Mg, Ba and Sr, and occasionally of dissolved solids, K, SO 4 and HCO 3. The other water type to frequently contain elevated concentrations of the Ra radioisotopes was acidic (low pH), and had in places, high concentrations of NO 3 and other acid anions, and on occasion, of the competing divalent cations, Mn and Al. One or the other of these broad water types was commonly present in each of the PAs in which elevated concentrations of combined Ra occurred. Concentrations of 226Ra or 228Ra or combined Ra correlated significantly with those of the above listed water-quality constituents (on the basis of the non-parametric Spearman correlation technique) and loaded on principal components describing the above water types from the entire data set and for samples from the PAs with the highest combined Ra concentrations.Concentrations of 224Ra and 226Ra were significantly correlated to those of 228Ra (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, +0.236 and +0.326, respectively). Activity ratios of 224Ra/ 228Ra in the water samples were mostly near 1 when concentrations of both isotopes were greater than or equal to 0.037Bq/L (1pCi/L), the level above which analytical results were most reliable. Co-occurrence among these highest concentrations of the Ra radionuclides was most likely in those PAs where chemical conditions are most conducive to Ra mobility (e.g. acidic North Atlantic Coastal Plain). The concentrations of 224Ra were occasionally greater than 0.037Bq/L and the ratios of 224Ra/ 228Ra were generally highest in the PAs composed of alluvial sands and Cretaceous/Tertiary sandstones from the western USA, likely because concentrations of 224Ra are enhanced in solution relative to those of 228Ra by alpha recoil from the aquifer matrix. Rapid adsorption of the two Ra isotopes (controlled by the alkaline and oxic aquifer geochemistry) combined with preferential faster recoil of 224Ra generates a 224Ra/ 228Ra ratio much greater than

Applied Geochemistry↗
USGS2012

Radon-222 content of natural gas samples from Upper and Middle Devonian sandstone and shale reservoirs in Pennsylvania—preliminary data

Samples of natural gas were collected as part of a study of formation water chemistry in oil and gas reservoirs in the Appalachian Basin. Nineteen samples (plus two duplicates) were collected from 11 wells producing gas from Upper Devonian sandstones and the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. The samples were collected from valves located between the wellhead and the gas-water separator. Analyses of the radon content of the gas indicated 222Rn (radon-222) activities ranging from 1 to 79 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) with an overall median of 37 pCi/L. The radon activities of the Upper Devonian sandstone samples overlap to a large degree with the activities of the Marcellus Shale samples.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2011

Radium content of oil- and gas-field produced waters in the northern Appalachian Basin (USA): Summary and discussion of data

Radium activity data for waters co-produced with oil and gas in New York and Pennsylvania have been compiled from publicly available sources and are presented together with new data for six wells, including one time series. When available, total dissolved solids (TDS), and gross alpha and gross beta particle activities also were compiled. Data from the 1990s and earlier are from sandstone and limestone oil/gas reservoirs of Cambrian-Mississippian age; however, the recent data are almost exclusively from the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale. The Marcellus Shale represents a vast resource of natural gas the size and significance of which have only recently been recognized. Exploitation of the Marcellus involves hydraulic fracturing of the shale to release tightly held gas. Analyses of the water produced with the gas commonly show elevated levels of salinity and radium. Similarities and differences in radium data from reservoirs of different ages and lithologies are discussed. The range of radium activities for samples from the Marcellus Shale (less than detection to 18,000 picocuries per liter (pCi/L)) overlaps the range for non-Marcellus reservoirs (less than detection to 6,700 pCi/L), and the median values are 2,460 pCi/L and 734 pCi/L, respectively. A positive correlation between the logs of TDS and radium activity can be demonstrated for the entire dataset, and controlling for this TDS dependence, Marcellus shale produced water samples contain statistically more radium than non-Marcellus samples. The radium isotopic ratio, Ra-228/Ra-226, in samples from the Marcellus Shale is generally less than 0.3, distinctly lower than the median values from other reservoirs. This ratio may serve as an indicator of the provenance or reservoir source of radium in samples of uncertain origin.

Pennsylvania;New York↗
USGS2008

Concentrations and environmental fate of Ra in cation-exchange regeneration brine waste disposed to septic tanks and accumulation in sludge, New Jersey Coastal Plain, USA

Concentrations of Ra in liquid and solid wastes generated from 15 softeners treating domestic well waters from New Jersey Coastal Plain aquifers (where combined Ra ( 226 Ra plus 228 Ra) concentrations commonly exceed 0.185 Bq L −1 ) were determined. Softeners, when maintained, reduced combined Ra about 10-fold (<0.024 Bq L −1 ). Combined Ra exceeded 0.185 Bq L −1 at 1 non-maintained system. Combined Ra was enriched in regeneration brine waste (maximum, 81.2 Bq L −1 ), but concentrations in septic-tank effluents receiving brine waste were less than in the untreated ground waters. The maximum combined Ra concentration in aquifer sands (40.7 Bq kg −1 dry weight) was less than that in sludge from the septic tanks (range, 84–363 Bq kg −1 ), indicating Ra accumulation in sludge from effluent. The combined Ra concentration in sludge from the homeowners' septic systems falls within the range reported for sludge samples from publicly owned treatment works within the region.

New Jersey↗
USGS2005

Radon (222Rn) in ground water of fractured rocks: A diffusion/ion exchange model

Ground waters from fractured igneous and high‐grade sialic metamorphic rocks frequently have elevated activity of dissolved radon ( 222 Rn). A chemically based model is proposed whereby radium ( 226 Ra) from the decay of uranium ( 238 U) diffuses through the primary porosity of the rock to the water‐transmitting fracture where it is sorbed on weathering products. Sorption of 226 Ra on the fracture surface maintains an activity gradient in the rock matrix, ensuring a continuous supply of 226 Ra to fracture surfaces. As a result of the relatively long half‐life of 226 Ra (1601 years), significant activity can accumulate on fracture surfaces. The proximity of this sorbed 226 Ra to the active ground water flow system allows its decay progeny 222 Rn to enter directly into the water. Laboratory analyses of primary porosity and diffusion coefficients of the rock matrix, radon emanation, and ion exchange at fracture surfaces are consistent with the requirements of a diffusion/ion‐exchange model. A dipole‐brine injection/withdrawal experiment conducted between bedrock boreholes in the high‐grade metamorphic and granite rocks at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States (42°56′N, 71°43′W) shows a large activity of 226 Ra exchanged from fracture surfaces by a magnesium brine. The 226 Ra activity removed by the exchange process is 34 times greater than that of 238 U activity. These observations are consistent with the diffusion/ion‐exchange model. Elutriate isotopic ratios of 223 Ra/ 226 Ra and 238 U/ 226 Ra are also consistent with the proposed chemically based diffusion/ion‐exchange model.

Ground Water↗
USGS2005

Radium isotopes in Cayuga Lake, New York: Indicators of inflow and mixing processes

Naturally occurring radium isotopes ( 223 Ra, 224 Ra, 226 Ra, and 228 Ra) were measured in lake and tributary water of Cayuga Lake, New York, during the course of a vernal inflow event in the spring of 2001. A large influx of groundwater, probably from a carbonate aquifer, entered the lake at its extreme southern end early in the vernal inflow event and spread northward, covering an extensive part of the southern end of the lake. The low 228 Ra/ 226 Ra activity ratio of this water mass, compared with bulk lake water, allowed its identification through time. Estimates of mixing with bulk lake water were calculated from changes in the 226Ra content. Groundwater inflow to the lake around the delta of a major tributary was detected on the basis of 223 Ra and 224 Ra activity of lake and tributary water. Inflow of a water mass to the surface of the lake was also detected using 223 Ra and 224 Ra activity. The integrity of this water mass was monitored using short‐lived radium isotopes. Suspended sediment in the lake water is a source of the short‐lived radium isotopes 223 Ra (~2 x 10 −4 dpm L −1 ) and 224 Ra (~3 x x 10 −3 dpm L −1 ), but bottom sediments are a more significant source of 228 Ra. Radium isotopes can be valuable new tools in limnological investigations, allowing detection and monitoring of events and processes such as water inflow and mixing, determining sources of inflowing water, and monitoring introduced water masses as they move within the lake.

New York↗
USGS2002

Use of ICP/MS with ultrasonic nebulizer for routine determination of uranium activity ratios in natural water

A method is described that allows precise determination of 234 U/ 238 U activity ratios (UAR) in most natural waters using commonly available inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS) instrumentation and accessories. The precision achieved by this technique (±0.5% RSD, 1 sigma) is intermediate between thermal ionization mass spectrometry (±0.25% RSD, 1 sigma) and alpha particle spectrometry (±5% RSD, 1 sigma). It is precise and rapid enough to allow analysis of a large number of samples in a short period of time at low cost using standard, commercially available quadrupole instrumentation with ultrasonic nebulizer and desolvator accessories. UARs have been analyzed successfully in fresh to moderately saline waters with U concentrations of from less than 1 μg/L to nearly 100 μg/L. An example of the uses of these data is shown for a study of surface-water mixing in the North Platte River in western Nebraska. This rapid and easy technique should encourage the wider use of uranium isotopes in surface-water and groundwater investigations, both for qualitative (e.g. identifying sources of water) and quantitative (e.g. determining end-member mixing ratios purposes.

Environmental Science & Technology↗
USGS2000

Groundwater/surface-water interactions and sources of nitrogen and uranium in an irrigated area of Nebraska, USA

The effects of irrigation canals and the North Platte River on groundwater in western Nebraska, USA, were evaluated using chemical and isotopic data. The data indicated that groundwater in the associated alluvium generally is <20 years old with estimated recharge rates from about 10 to >100 cm year -1 . Most groundwater is derived from surface water, as shown by H 2 O and U isotope analyses. Seasonal losses of canal water to the aquifer cause changes in groundwater quality. In the deepest parts of the alluvium, some water quality may reflect precipitation recharge, older river water, or cross-formational flow. The distribution and isotopic composition of NO 3 - are consistent with increased fertilizer use over time. Relatively high U concentrations in groundwater may be attributed to dissolution of volcanic ash or other minerals in underlying bedrocks. The relatively high concentration of U in surface water at times is attributed to seepage from U-rich groundwater and flow of U-rich surface water from a tributary. The effects of irrigation canals and the North Platte River on groundwater in western Nebraska, USA, were evaluated using chemical and isotopic data. The data indicated that groundwater in the associated alluvium generally is <20 years old with estimated recharge rates from about 10 to >100 cm year -1 . Most groundwater is derived from surface water, as shown by H 2 O and U isotope analyses. Seasonal losses of canal water to the aquifer cause changes in groundwater quality. In the deepest parts of the alluvium, some water quality may reflect precipitation recharge, older river water, or cross-formational flow. The distribution and isotopic composition of NO 3 - are consistent with increased fertilizer use over time. Relatively high U concentrations in groundwater may be attributed to dissolution of volcanic ash or other minerals in underlying bedrock. The relatively high concentration of U in surface water at times is attributed to seepage from U-rich groundwater and flow of U-rich surface water from a tributary.

IAHS-AISH Publication↗
USGS1990

Radium and radon in Charlotte Harbor Estuary, Florida

Radium-226 and 222 Rn activities are greater in the estuarine waters of northern Charlotte Harbor and the lower tidal Peace and Myakka Rivers, Florida, than in either the freshwater reaches of the rivers or waters of the lower estuary and the Gulf of Mexico. The activity of 226 Ra in the tidal rivers increases with decreasing river inflow, with a maximum value of 548 dpm 1001 −1 measured in the tidal Myakka River. The source of the high activity of 226 Ra and 222 Rn is predominantly ground water inflow. Because of the large ground water input, the contribution of 226 Ra from suspended and bottom sediments is a smaller fraction of the total 226 Ra input than in many other estuaries. Although ground water 226 Ra activity in the area varies widely, we estimate that artesian ground water inflow to the tidal rivers is similar in magnitude to the flow of the rivers above the tidal reach during the dry season.

Florida↗
USGS1990

Intragranular diffusion: An important mechanism influencing solute transport in clastic aquifers?

Quantification of intragranular porosity in sand-size material from an aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, by scanning electron microscopy, mercury injection, and epifluorescence techniques shows that there are more reaction sites and that porosity is greater that indicated by standard short-term laboratory tests and measurement techniques. Results from laboratory and field tracer tests show solute nonequilibrium for a reacting ion consistent with a model of diffusion into, and exchange within, grain interiors. These data indicate that a diffusion expression needs to be included in transport codes, particularly for simulation of the transport of radioactive and toxic wastes.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1986

Uranium geochemistry in geopressured-geothermal aquifers of the U.S. Gulf Coast

Formation water from U.S. Gulf Coast geopressured-geothermal sandstone aquifers has been analyzed to determine the geochemistry of uranium in these systems. Results of chemical analyses and chemical equilibrium modeling indicate the formation waters are in equilibrium with uraninite (UO 2 ) and coffinite (USiO 4 ). The 234 U 238 U "> 234 U 238 U activity ratios in the formation waters range from 1.06 to 1.69. These isotopic data suggest that at formation temperatures uranium is continually reequilibrating chemically and isotopically between water, a solid phase of either UO 2 or USiO 4 and a component of 234 U supplied to solution from the aquifer matrix material by alpha recoil processes.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗
USGS1985

Ground-water quality data from the northern Mississippi embayment: Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi

Forty-five analyses of ground-water quality from 42 selected wells in the McNairy-Nacatoch-Ripley and lower Wilcox aquifers of the northern Mississippi embayment have been compiled as part of the Gulf Coast Regional Aquifer System Analysis (RASA) project of the U.S. Geological Survey. Thirty-seven wells were sampled during the period October 1983 to September 1984 specifically for this RASA study; three of these wells were sampled twice. Five wells were sampled during the period January 1981 to March 1985 for other projects. All 45 analyses are included herein as a single data base that will be used for geochemical modeling of mineral saturation and mass transfer in the McNairy-Nacatoch-Ripley aquifer. The report contains two figures, six tables of data, and a brief documentation of the methods used for sample collection and analysis. The figures are maps showing locations of sampling sites for each of the two aquifers. The tables of data include (1) well descriptions and (2) concentrations of major constituents, trace constituents, dissolved gases, stable and unstable isotopes of low mass (C, H, 0, and S>, and unstable isotopes of high mass (Rn, Ra, and U).

Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tenness↗
USGS1984

The occurrence and behavior of radium in saline formation water of the U.S. Gulf Coast region

Radium has been measured in deep saline formation waters produced from a variety of U.S. Gulf Coast subsurface environments, including oil reservoirs, gas reservoirs and water-producing geopressured aquifers. A strong positive correlation has been found between formation-water salinity and Ra activity, resulting from the interaction of formation water with aquifer matrix. Ra isotopes enter the fluid phase after being produced by the decay of parent elements U and Th, which are located at sites on and within the solid matrix. Processes that are belived to be primarily responsible for transferring Ra from matrix to formation water are chemical leaching and alpha-particle recoil. Factors controlling the observed salinity-Ra relationship may be one or a combination of the following factors: (a) ion exchange; (b) increased solubility of matrix silica surrounding Ra atoms, coupled with a salinity-controlled rate of reequilibration of silica between solution and quartz grains; and (c) the equilibration of Ra in solution with detrial barite within the aquifer. No difference was found in the brine-Ra relation in water produced from oil or gas wells and water produced from wells penetrating only water-bearing aquifers, although the relation was more highly correlated for water-bearing aquifers than hydrocarbon-containing reservoirs. ?? 1984.

Chemical Geology↗
USGS1984

A reconnaissance study of saltwater contamination in the El Dorado aquifer, Union County, Arkansas

Since 1960 chloride concentrations in the El Dorado aquifer have increased near El Dorado, Arkansas. The aquifer is a major source for municipal and industrial water supply in Union County. Greatest withdrawal occurs near El Dorado. Because of this withdrawal, the potentiometric surface at El Dorado has been lowered more than 300 feet. Geologic, hydrologic, and chemical data indicate that water from a graben south and east of El Dorado is the source of contamination from salt within the El Dorado aquifer. The data indicates that surface brines and deeper aquifers are not the sources of chloride contamination. Lowering the potentiometric surface near El Dorado has caused water to move out of the graben toward El Dorado. Estimates based on interpretation of electric logs for two wells in the graben indicate chloride equivalents may be as high as 2,500 milligrams per liter in the aquifer. Concentrations outside the graben range from 130 to 650 milligrams per liter at the west end of the graben and from 25 to 150 milligrams per liter farther west and north. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1981

234U and 238U concentration in brine from geopressured aquifers of the northern Gulf of Mexico basin

The 234 U and 238 U concentration in brine from six Gulf Coast geopressured aquifers has been determined. The results reveal very low uranium concentrations (from 0.003 to 0.03 μg/l) and uranium activity ratios slightly greater than unity (from 1.06 to 1.62). Reducing conditions within the aquifers are responsible for the low uranium concentrations. The uranium activity ratios observed are well below those calculated using theoretical considerations of alpha-particle recoil effects. This can be explained by interference with alpha-recoil nuclides entering the liquid phase as a result of quartz overgrowths on sand grains and high-temperature re-equilibration that tends to minimize the effects of the alpha-recoil process. The fact that the uranium activity ratios of the brines are slightly greater than unity instead of the equilibrium value of 1.000 indicates that either the alpha particle recoil blocking and re-equlibration effects are not complete or that another process is operative that enriches the fluid in excess 234 U by selectively removing uranium from radiation induced damage sites in the mineral (sand grain) matrix.

Louisiana, Texas↗