Formation of the Sino-U.S. Centers for Soil and Water Conservation and Environmental Protection
No abstract available.
International Journal of Sediment Research↗
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Channel-fill coal beds along the western margin of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field
Four channel-filling coal beds from the lower part of the Breathitt Formation (lower Middle Pennsylvanian, late Westphalian A) were examined palynologically, petrographically and geochemically to determine the paleoenvironmental conditions under which these peats accumulated. These results were then compared with detailed sedimentological analyses of the strata overlying the coal in the channels to see if any genetic relationship between coal composition and the origin of the overburden could be drawn. All four of the coal beds used in this study are located in the western-most part of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field and occur at, or near, the Early Pennsylvanian unconformity (0–30 m). Lycospora and Densosporites (and related crassicingulate taxa, e.g. Cristatisporites , Cingulizonates and Radiizonates ) dominate the studied assemblages, with Granulatisporites (and related trilete, sphaerotriangular genera, e.g. Leiotriletes and Lophotriletes ), Laevigatosporites and Schulzospora being common accessory genera. Petrographically, all four coals contain high percentages of vitrinite macerals (avg. 78.6% mineral matter free), moderate amounts of liptinite (or exinite) macerals (avg. 14.9%, mmf) and low percentages of inertinite macerals (avg. 6.5%, mmf). Strata above the coals consist of dark, carbonaceous shales, and heterolithic strata that exhibit varying degrees of bioturbation. Commonly occurring trace fossils include Arenicolites , Monocraterion , Planolites and Skolithos . Although marine-influenced strata, as determined from detailed sedimentology and ichnology (the study of trace fossils), covers all four coal beds, they are not uniformly high in total total sulfur content as might be expected. Rather they are extremely variable, ranging from 1–9% (dry basis) total sulfur. Ash yields are also variable ranging from 6.2–54.3% (dry basis). It is probable that the origin of the very first sediments covering the peat, as well as the amount of brackish water influence during peat accumulation, were important factors in determining the total sulfur content of the resultant coal. Initial sedimentation of fresh water clays and silts may have acted as a barrier to downward percolation/diffusion of sulfate bearing waters, or may have served as a site for sulfide formation, thereby keeping the total sulfur content of the underlying coal low. If initial sedimentation was of brackish or marine origin, as indicated by bioturbated laminae directly above the coal, or if the peat was subject to frequent brackish or marine water influence during accumulation, then sulfide generation might proceed unchecked, resulting in high sulfur coal.
International Journal of Coal Geology↗
Monitoring algal blooms in drinking water reservoirs using the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager
In this study, we demonstrated that the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor is a powerful tool that can provide periodic and system-wide information on the condition of drinking water reservoirs. The OLI is a multispectral radiometer (30 m spatial resolution) that allows ecosystem observations at spatial and temporal scales that allow the environmental community and water managers another means to monitor changes in water quality not feasible with field-based monitoring. Using the provisional Land Surface Reflectance product and field-collected chlorophyll- a (chl- a ) concentrations from drinking water monitoring programs in North Carolina and Rhode Island, we compared five established approaches for estimating chl- a concentrations using spectral data. We found that using the three band reflectance approach with a combination of OLI spectral bands 1, 3, and 5 produced the most promising results for accurately estimating chl- a concentrations in lakes ( R 2 value of 0.66; root mean square error value of 8.9 µg l −1 ). Using this model, we forecast the spatial and temporal variability of chl- a for Jordan Lake, a recreational and drinking water source in piedmont North Carolina and several small ponds that supply drinking water in southeastern Rhode Island.
North Carolina↗
A self-trained classification technique for producing 30 m percent-water maps from Landsat data
Small bodies of water can be mapped with moderate-resolution satellite data using methods where water is mapped as subpixel fractions using field measurements or high-resolution images as training datasets. A new method, developed from a regression-tree technique, uses a 30 m Landsat image for training the regression tree that, in turn, is applied to the same image to map subpixel water. The self-trained method was evaluated by comparing the percent-water map with three other maps generated from established percent-water mapping methods: (1) a regression-tree model trained with a 5 m SPOT 5 image, (2) a regression-tree model based on endmembers and (3) a linear unmixing classification technique. The results suggest that subpixel water fractions can be accurately estimated when high-resolution satellite data or intensively interpreted training datasets are not available, which increases our ability to map small water bodies or small changes in lake size at a regional scale.
International Journal of Remote Sensing↗
Development and evaluation of a gas chromatographic method for the determination of triazine herbicides in natural water samples
A multi-residue method is described for the determination o triazine herbicides in natural water samples. The technique uses solvent extraction followed by gas chromatographic separation and detection employing nitrogen-selective devices. Seven compounds can be determined simultaneously at a nominal detection limit of 0.1 μg/L in a 1-litre sample. Three different natural water samples were used for error analysis via evaluation of recovery efficiencies and estimation of overall method precision. As an alternative to liquid-liquid partition (solvent extraction) for removal of compounds of interest from water, solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques employing chromatographic grade silicas with chemically modified surfaces have been examined. SPE is found to provide rapid and efficient concentration with quantitative recovery of some triazine herbicides from natural water samples. Concentration factors of 500 to 1000 times are obtained readily by the SPE technique.
International Journal of Environmental Analytical ↗
An integrated moral obligation model for landowner conservation norms
This study applies an integrated moral obligation model to examine the role of environmental and cultural values, and beliefs in the activation of landowner conservation norms. Data for this study were collected through a self-administered survey of riparian landowners in two Minnesota watersheds: Sand Creek and Vermillion River watersheds. Study findings suggest that collectivistic and biospheric–altruistic values form the bases for the activation of personal norms. Further, beliefs about local responsibility and ability to act influence personal norms to protect water resources. Findings suggest that landowners’ personal norms of water conservation are more likely to be activated by conservation strategies that appeal to biospheric–altruistic and collectivistic values, emphasize adverse consequences of water pollution, highlight water resource protection as a local responsibility, and provide the resources needed to protect water resources.
Society & Natural Resources: An International Jour↗
Internal-wave currents as a mechanism to account for large sand waves in Navarinsky Canyon head, Bering Sea
Sand waves are found in the heads of four of five large submarine canyons that incise the northern continental margin of the Bering Sea. The sand waves occur in a restricted depth zone of about 175-490 m. Those in Navarinsky Canyon, the area surveyed in most detail, are best developed in water depths of 300-375 m; they average 5 m in height and about 650 m in wavelength, with crests oriented subparallel to isobaths and almost perpendicular to the axes of the two main branches of the canyon. We speculate that internal-wave currents are responsible for the sand waves. Currents generated by internal waves are a particularly attractive mechanism for at least three reasons: 1) the energy of the internal waves could be amplified in the head of Navarinsky Canyon, especially in the area of the sand wave field; 2) upslope boundary-layer intensification of internal-wave currents might be sufficient to move the sediment composing the sand waves; and 3) the wavelengths of higher-frequency internal waves closely match the spacing of the sand waves. Although we based our assumptions on present-day conditions, we do not know if the sand waves are active. Consequently, we do not discount the possibility that the sand waves could have originated in the Pleistocene when Navarinsky Canyon headed in a shallow embayment that was receiving large quantities of sediment discharged by glacial meltwater streams. These conditions probably caused strong vertical density gradients in the coastal waters, which would have been more favorable than those today for the propagation of high-frequency internal waves.
Journal of Sedimentary Research↗
Plague and trace metals in natural systems
All pathogenic organisms are exposed to abiotic influences such as the microclimates and chemical constituents of their environments. Even those pathogens that exist primarily within their hosts or vectors can be influenced directly or indirectly. Yersinia pestis , the flea-borne bacterium causing plague, is influenced by climate and its survival in soil suggests a potentially strong influence of soil chemistry. We summarize a series of controlled studies conducted over four decades in Russia by Dr. Evgeny Rotshild and his colleagues that investigated correlations between trace metals in soils, plants, and insects, and the detection of plague in free-ranging small mammals. Trace metal concentrations in plots where plague was detected were up to 20-fold higher or lower compared to associated control plots, and these differences were >2-fold in 22 of 38 comparisons. The results were statistically supported in eight studies involving seven host species in three families and two orders of small mammals. Plague tended to be positively associated with manganese and cobalt, and the plague association was negative for copper, zinc, and molybdenum. In additional studies, these investigators detected similar connections between pasturellosis and concentrations of some chemical elements. A One Health narrative should recognize that the chemistry of soil and water may facilitate or impede epidemics in humans and epizootics in non-human animals.
International Journal of Environmental Research an↗
Description, Properties, and Degradation of Selected Volatile Organic Compounds Detected in Ground Water--A Review of Selected Literature
This report provides abridged information describing the most salient properties and biodegradation of 27 chlorinated volatile organic compounds detected during ground-water studies in the United States. This information is condensed from an extensive list of reports, papers, and literature published by the U.S. Government, various State governments, and peer-reviewed journals. The list includes literature reviews, compilations, and summaries describing volatile organic compounds in ground water. This report cross-references common names and synonyms associated with volatile organic compounds with the naming conventions supported by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. In addition, the report describes basic physical characteristics of those compounds such as Henry's Law constant, water solubility, density, octanol-water partition (log Kow), and organic carbon partition (log Koc) coefficients. Descriptions and illustrations are provided for natural and laboratory biodegradation rates, chemical by-products, and degradation pathways.
Open-File Report↗
Structural control of coalbed methane production in Alabama
Thin-skinned structures are distributed throughout the Alabama coalbed methane fields, and these structures affect the production of gas and water from coal-bearing strata. Extensional structures in Deerlick Creek and Cedar Cove fields include normal faults and hanging-wall rollovers, and area balancing indicates that these structures are detached in the Pottsville Formation. Compressional folds in Gurnee and Oak Grove fields, by comparison, are interpreted to be detachment folds formed above decollements at different stratigraphic levels. Patterns of gas and water production reflect the structural style of each field and further indicate that folding and faulting have affected the distribution of permeability and the overall success of coalbed methane operations. Area balancing can be an effective way to characterize coalbed methane reservoirs in structurally complex regions because it constrains structural geometry and can be used to determine the distribution of layer-parallel strain. Comparison of calculated requisite strain and borehole expansion data from calliper logs suggests that strain in coalbed methane reservoirs is predictable and can be expressed as fracturing and small-scale faulting. However, refined methodology is needed to analyze heterogeneous strain distributions in discrete bed segments. Understanding temporal variation of production patterns in areas where gas and water production are influenced by map-scale structure will further facilitate effective management of coalbed methane fields.Thin-skinned structures are distributed throughout the Alabama coalbed methane fields, and these structures affect the production of gas and water from coal-bearing strata. Extensional structures in Deerlick Creek and Cedar Cove fields include normal faults and hanging-wall rollovers, and area balancing indicates that these structures are detached in the Pottsville Formation. Compressional folds in Gurnee and Oak Grove fields, by comparison, are interpreted to be detachment folds formed above decollements at different stratigraphic levels. Patterns of gas and water production reflect the structural style of each field and further indicate that folding and faulting have affected the distribution of permeability and the overall success of coalbed methane operations. Area balancing can be an effective way to characterize coalbed methane reservoirs in structurally complex regions because it constrains structural geometry and can be used to determine the distribution of layer-parallel strain. Comparison of calculated requisite strain and borehole expansion data from calliper logs suggests that strain in coalbed methane reservoirs is predictable and can be expressed as fracturing and small-scale faulting. However, refined methodology is needed to analyze heterogeneous strain distributions in discrete bed segments. Understanding temporal variation of production patterns in areas where gas and water production are influenced by map-scale structure will further facilitate effective management of coalbed methane fields.
International Journal of Coal Geology↗
Determination of submicrogram-per-liter concentrations of caffeine in surface water and groundwater samples by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography
A method for determining submicrogram-per-liter concentrations of caffeine in surface water and groundwater samples has been developed. Caffeine is extracted from a 1 L water sample with a 0.5 g graphitized carbon-based solid-phase cartridge, eluted with methylene chloride-methanol (80 + 20, v/v), and analyzed by liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection. The single-operator method detection limit for organic-free water samples was 0.02 μg/L. Mean recoveries and relative standard deviations were 93 ± 13% for organic- free water samples fortified at 0.04 μg/L and 84 ± 4% for laboratory reagent spikes fortified at 0.5 μg/L. Environmental concentrations of caffeine ranged from 0.003 to 1.44 μg/L in surface water samples and from 0.01 to 0.08 μg/L in groundwater samples.
Journal of AOAC International↗
Surface disposal of produced waters in western and southwestern Pennsylvania: potential for accumulation of alkali-earth elements in sediments
Waters co-produced with hydrocarbons in the Appalachian Basin are of notably poor quality (concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and total radium up to and exceeding 300,000 mg/L and 10,000 pCi/L, respectively). Since 2008, a rapid increase in Marcellus Shale gas production has led to a commensurate rise in associated wastewater while generation of produced water from conventional oil and gas activities has continued. In this study, we assess whether disposal practices from treatment of produced waters from both shale gas and conventional operations in Pennsylvania could result in the accumulation of associated alkali earth elements. The results from our 5 study sites indicate that there was no increase in concentrations of total Ra (Ra-226) and extractable Ba, Ca, Na, or Sr in fluvial sediments downstream of the discharge outfalls (p > 0.05) of publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and centralized waste treatment facilities (CWTs). However, the use of road spreading of brines from conventional oil and gas wells for deicing resulted in accumulation of Ra-226 (1.2 ×), and extractable Sr (3.0 ×), Ca (5.3 ×), and Na (6.2 ×) in soil and sediment proximal to roads (p < 0.05). Although this study is an important initial assessment of the impacts of these disposal practices, more work is needed to consider the environmental consequences of produced waters management.
Pennsylvania↗
Lanthanide, yttrium, and zirconium anomalies in the Fire Clay coal bed, Eastern Kentucky
The Fire Clay coal bed in the Central Appalachian basin region contains a laterally-persistent tonstein that is found in the coal throughout most of its areal extent. The tonstein contains an array of minerals, including sanidine, ??-quartz, anatase and euhedral zircon, thhat constitutes strong evidence for a volcanic origin of the parting. For this study, five samples of the tonstein and four sets of coal samples underlying the tonstein were collected from five sites in eastern Kentucky. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) analysis of the tonstein and underlying coal collected from four sites in eastern Kentucky show that although Zr concentrations are high in the tonstein (570-1820 ppm on a coal-ash basis (cab)), they are highest in the coal directly underlying the tonstein (2870-4540 ppm (cab)). A similar enrichment pattern is observed in the concentration of Y plus the sum of the rare earth elements (Y + ??REE): total Y + ??REE concentrations in the five tonstein samples range from 511 to 565 ppm (cab). However, Y + ??REE contents are highest in the coals directly underlying the tonsteins: values range from 1965 to 4198 ppm (cab). Scanning electron microscopy of samples from coal which directly underlies two of the tonstein samples show that REE-rich phosphate, tentatively identified as monazite, commonly infills cracks in clays and cells in clarain and vitrain. Zircon is rare and commonly subhedral. On the basis of coal chemistry and grain morphology, we suggest that volcanic components in the tonstein were leached by ground water. The leachate, rich in Y and REE precipitated as authigenic mineral phases in the underlying coal.The Fire Clay coal bed in the Central Appalachian basin region contains a laterally-persistent tonstein that is found in the coal throughout most of its areal extent. The tonstein contains an array of minerals, including sanidine, ??-quartz, anatase and euhedral zircon, that constitutes strong evidence for a volcanic origin of the parting. For this study, five samples of the tonstein and four sets of coal samples underlying the tonstein were collected from five sites in eastern Kentucky. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) analysis of the tonstein and underlying coal collected from four sites in eastern Kentucky show that although Zr concentrations are high in the tonstein (570-1820 ppm on a coal-ash basis (cab)), they are highest in the coal directly underlying the tonstein (2870-4540 ppm (cab)). A similar enrichment pattern is observed in the concentration of Y plus the sum of the rare earth elements (Y+???REE): total Y+???REE concentrations in the five tonstein samples range from 511 to 565 ppm (cab). However, Y+???REE contents are highest in the coals directly underlying the tonsteins: values range from 1965 to 4198 ppm (cab). Scanning electron microscopy of samples from coal which directly underlies two of the tonstein samples show that REE-rich phosphate, tentatively identified as monazite, commonly infills cracks in clays and cells in clarain and vitrain. Zircon is rare and commonly subhedral. On the basis of coal chemistry and grain morphology, we suggest that volcanic components in the tonstein were leached by ground water. The leachate, rich in Y and REE precipitated as authigenic mineral phases in the underlying coal.
International Journal of Coal Geology↗
Bridging remote sensing advances and management needs for small Prairie Pothole waterbodies using a multiscale accuracy assessment
Remote sensing of surface water provides a powerful tool to inform the management of waterfowl habitat, but there is little information available to directly assess the relative accuracy of different remote sensing datasets. Our objective was to understand how the characteristics of remotely sensed inundation datasets inform dataset accuracy, the reliable detection of small waterbodies, the distribution of surface water, observation frequency and completeness of data: all attributes relevant to the management of waterfowl habitat. We compared surface water composites from 10 remotely sensed surface water datasets from 2016 to 2021 to in-situ surface water data for three complexes of small waterbodies in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region and evaluated their accuracy at the pixel, waterbody and local landscape scales. While all products had high per-pixel balanced accuracies (>0.75), we found distinct differences in waterbody area and landscape distribution estimates among datasets. Sentinel-1-based datasets provided a more complete set of observations over time and were more sensitive in detecting water presence in smaller waterbodies but were less accurate at identifying waterbody area than other datasets evaluated. Landsat datasets, alternatively, produced simpler landscape distributions that largely omitted the smallest waterbodies. While the datasets that either fused Sentinel-1 and −2 data collections or utilized local training data had the highest performances (e.g. balanced accuracy = 0.92), all datasets had use-case scenarios for which they may be informative. Our comparisons revealed differences that were not evident in traditional pixel-scale accuracy assessment, such as an 18-fold difference in the number of inundated waterbodies identified across remote sensing datasets. These findings provide novel insights for waterfowl conservation management on howremote sensing datasets may differ in their ability to monitor annual spring surface water presence within landscapes dominated by small waterbodies, such as the Prairie Pothole Region.
Minnesota, North Dakota↗
Social, political, and institutional setting: Water management problems of the Rio Grande
This paper discusses various water management issues facing federal, state, and local agencies charged with managing the water resources of the Rio Grande River Basin and its major tributaries. The Rio Grande - 3,058 km (=1,900 mi) long - is the fourth longest river in the United States. The river's basin is 870,236 km 2 (=336,000 mi 2 ) and for roughly two-thirds of its length it forms the United States-Mexican border. It is a major recreational resource providing world class trout fishing near its headwaters in Colorado's San Juan Mountains and shoreline, angling, and boating opportunities near the Colorado-New Mexico border. The Rio Grande is the principal tourist attraction of Big Bend National Park and flows through downtown Albuquerque and El Paso. Many reaches are wide and broad, but almost all are relatively shallow and not navigable by commercial ships. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important renewable water resources of the southwestern United States and North America. The issue of the "manageability" of the river in the face of social forces and disparate administrative jurisdictions that adversely impact Rio Grande flows is a thread linking various sections of the paper together. The length of the river; the fact that major reaches lie in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas; and its unique role as an international boundary pose complex management problems. The allocation status quo formed by the complex nexus of existing river laws make it difficult to reshape Rio Grande management. ?? 2009 ASCE.
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management↗
Effects of water management on sediment transport in China's Yellow River, with comparisons from the United States
No abstract available.
International Journal of Sediment Research↗
Early Agriculture in the eastern Grand Canyon of Arizona, USA
Abandoned fields in Colorado River alluvium in the eastern Grand Canyon show signs of primitive agriculture. Presence of maize pollen in association with buried soils near Comanche Creek suggests that farming began prior to 3130 yr B.P. Cotton pollen, identified in buried soils near Nankoweap Creek, dates to 1310 yr B.P., approximately 500 years earlier than previously reported anywhere on the Colorado Plateau. Farming spanned three millennia in this reach of the canyon. Entrenchment, starting approximately 700 yr B.P., making water diversion to fields infeasible, was likely responsible for field abandonment.
Arizona↗
Organic geochemical study of sequences overlying coal seams; example from the Mansfield Formation (Lower Pennsylvanian), Indiana
Roof successions above two coal seams from the Mansfield Formation (Lower Pennsylvanian) in the Indiana portion of the Illinois Basin have been studied with regard to sedimentary structures, organic petrology and organic geochemistry. The succession above the Blue Creek Member of the Mansfield Formation is typical of the lithologies covering low-sulphur coals (< 1%) in the area studied, whereas the succession above the unnamed Mansfield coal is typical of high-sulphur coals (>2.%). The transgressive-regressive packages above both seams reflect the periodic inundation of coastal mires by tidal flats and creeks as inferred from bioturbation and sedimentary structures such as tidal rhythmites and clay-draped ripple bedforms. Geochemistry and petrology of organic facies above the Blue Creek coal suggest that tidal flats formed inland in fresh-water environments. These overlying fresh water sediments prevented saline waters from invading the peat, contributing to low-sulphur content in the coal. Above the unnamed coal, trace fossils and geochemical and petrological characteristics of organic facies suggest more unrestricted seaward depositional environment. The absence of saline or typically marine biomarkers above this coal is interpreted as evidence of very short periods of marine transgression, as there was not enough time for establishment of the precursor organisms for marine biomarkers. However, sufficient time passed to raise SO 4 2− concentration in pore waters, resulting in the formation of authigenic pyrite and sulphur incorparation into organic matter.
International Journal of Coal Geology↗