scholarly journals A density-dependent multi-species model to assess groundwater flow and nutrient transport in the coastal Keauhou aquifer, Hawai‘i, USA

Author(s):  
Brytne K. Okuhata ◽  
Aly I. El-Kadi ◽  
Henrietta Dulai ◽  
Jonghyun Lee ◽  
Christopher A. Wada ◽  
...  

AbstractFresh groundwater is a critical resource supporting coastal ecosystems that rely on low-salinity, nutrient-rich groundwater discharge. This resource, however, is subject to contamination from point- and nonpoint-sources such as on-site sewage disposal systems (OSDS) and urban developments. Thus, the significance of flow and transport processes near the coastline due to density effects and water circulation in a complex hydrogeologic system was investigated. A three-dimensional, density-dependent groundwater model was developed for the Keauhou basal aquifer (Hawai‘i Island, USA), where hydraulic head, salinity, nutrient concentrations, and submarine spring flux rates were used as calibration variables to best constrain parameters and produce a comprehensive aquifer management tool. In contrast, a freshwater-only model failed to properly simulate nutrient transport, despite the reasonable success in calibrating hydraulic head measurements. An unrealistic value for hydraulic conductivity was necessary for freshwater-only calibration, proving that hydraulic conductivity is a process-based variable (i.e., depends on model conceptualization and the simulated processes). The density-dependent model was applied to assess relative contaminant source contributions, and to evaluate aquifer response concerning water levels and quality due to changing environmental conditions. Nutrients detected in the aquifer are primarily sourced from OSDS, which was supported by a nitrogen isotope mixing model. Additionally, effects of sea-level rise emphasized the complexity of the study site and the importance of model boundaries. While the model is developed and applied for West Hawai‘i, the adapted approaches and procedures and research findings are applicable to other coastal aquifers.

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 1184-1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Zhang ◽  
Ping Xie ◽  
Xiaoping Huang

The aim of this review is to identify problems, find general patterns, and extract recommendations for successful management using nontraditional biomanipulation to improve water quality. There are many obstacles that prevent traditional biomanipulation from achieving expectations: expending largely to remove planktivorous fish, reduction of external and internal phosphorus, and macrophyte re-establishment. Grazing pressure from large zooplankton is decoupled in hypereutrophic waters where cyanobacterial blooms flourish. The original idea of biomanipulation (increased zooplankton grazing rate as a tool for controlling nuisance algae) is not the only means of controlling nuisance algae via biotic manipulations. Stocking phytoplanktivorous fish may be considered to be a nontraditional method; however, it can be an effective management tool to control nuisance algal blooms in tropical lakes that are highly productive and unmanageable to reduce nutrient concentrations to low levels.Although small enclosures increase spatial overlap between predators and prey, leading to overestimates of the impact of predation, microcosm and whole-lake experiments have revealed similar community responses to major factors that regulate lake communities, such as nutrients and planktivorous fish. Both enclosure experiments and large-scale observations revealed that the initial phytoplankton community composition greatly impacted the success of biomanipulation. Long-term observations in Lake Donghu and Lake Qiandaohu have documented that silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) (two filter-feeding planktivorous species commonly used in management) can suppress Microcystis blooms efficiently. The introduction of silver and bighead carp could be an effective management technique in eutrophic systems that lack macrozooplankton. We confirmed that nontraditional biomanipulation is only appropriate if the primary aim is to reduce nuisance blooms of large algal species, which cannot be controlled effectively by large herbivorous zooplankton. Alternatively, this type of biomanipulation did not work efficiently in less eutrophic systems where nanophytoplankton dominated.


2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1461-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
B D Smerdon ◽  
C A Mendoza ◽  
A M McCann

Quantitative investigations, including two aquifer tests and development of a three-dimensional (3D) groundwater flow model, were required to determine the hydraulic connection between an irrigation reservoir and a buried valley aquifer in southern Alberta. Evidence of seepage was detected in the buried valley aquifer 10 km east of the Pine Coulee reservoir at the onset of filling in 1999, when the reservoir level exceeded an elevation of 1035 m above sea level (a.s.l.). Concern for an increase in the local water table and the creation of artesian conditions in the aquifer prompted this study to determine the approximate location of a seepage window that appeared to be connecting the reservoir and aquifer. Observations of hydraulic head in the aquifer during the pumping tests revealed a barrier boundary when the reservoir level was at an elevation of 1035 m a.s.l. and a recharge boundary condition when the elevation exceeded 1039 m a.s.l. These data were used to calibrate a 3D groundwater flow model, which was needed to determine the hydraulic properties and approximate location of the leakage zone. The quantitative investigation showed that seepage likely occurred through the sideslopes of the flooded coulee, rather than through the low-permeability coulee floor sediments or the embankment dam. Further simulations illustrated the expected seepage rates at various reservoir supply levels and the pumping rates required for relief wells installed in the buried valley aquifer to maintain historic aquifer hydraulic head. A brief postanalysis indicated that the forecasted pumping rates were only 15% lower than have been required to maintain preconstruction water levels in the buried valley aquifer.Key words: dams, seepage analysis, groundwater modelling, buried valley aquifer, pumping test.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarina Koehler ◽  
Andrea Springer ◽  
Nicole Issel ◽  
Stefanie Klinger ◽  
Christina Strube ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The roundworm Ascaris suum is one of the parasites with the greatest economic impact on pig farming. In this context, lower weight gain is hypothesized to be due to decreased nutrient absorption. This study aims at characterizing the effects of A. suum infection on intestinal nutrient transport processes and potential molecular mechanisms. Methods Three groups of six piglets each were infected orally (10,000 embryonated A. suum eggs) in a single dose (“single infection”). Another three groups were infected orally (1000 embryonated eggs) for 10 consecutive days (“trickle infection”). Animals were necropsied 21, 35 and 49 days post-infection (dpi). Three groups served as respective controls. The Ussing chamber technique was applied for the functional characterization of small intestinal tissues [short-circuit currents (Isc) as induced by glucose, alanine and peptides; 3H-glucose net flux rates; tissue conductance (Gt)]. Transcription and expression levels of relevant cytokines and nutrient transporters were evaluated (qPCR/western blot). Results Peptide- and alanine-induced changes in Isc were significantly decreased in the jejunum and ileum of the trickle-infected group at 49 dpi and in the ileum of the single-infected group at 49 dpi. No significant differences regarding glucose transport were observed between the Ascaris-infected groups and the control group in Ussing chamber experiments. Transcription levels of the glucose and peptide transporters as well as of selected transcription factors (transcription of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 [STAT6] and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha [Hif-1α]) were significantly increased in response to both infection types after some periods. The transcription of interleukins 4 and 13 varied between decrease and increase regarding the respective time points, as did the protein expression of glucose transporters. The expression of the peptide transporter PepT1 was significantly decreased in the ileal single-infected group at 35 dpi. Hif-1α was significantly increased in the ileal tissue from the single-infected group at 21 dpi and in the trickle-infected group at 35 dpi. The expression levels of Na+/K+-ATPase and ASCT1 remained unaffected. Conclusions In contrast to the current hypothesis, these results indicate that the nutrient deprivation induced by A. suum cannot be explained by transcriptional or expression changes alone and requires further studies. Graphical abstract


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Woodman ◽  
William G. Burgess ◽  
Kazi Matin Ahmed ◽  
Anwar Zahid

Abstract. The coupled poro-mechanical behaviour of geologic-fluid systems is fundamental to numerous processes in structural geology, seismology and geotechnics but is frequently overlooked in hydrogeology. Substantial poro-mechanical influences on groundwater head have recently been highlighted in the Bengal Aquifer System, however, driven by terrestrial water loading across the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna floodplains. Groundwater management in this strategically important fluvio-deltaic aquifer, the largest in south Asia, requires a coupled hydro-mechanical approach which acknowledges poro-elasticity. We present a simple partially-coupled, one-dimensional poro-elastic model of the Bengal Aquifer System, and explore the poro-mechanical responses of the aquifer to surface boundary conditions representing hydraulic head and mechanical load under three modes of terrestrial water variation. The characteristic responses, shown as amplitude and phase of hydraulic head in depth profile and of ground surface deflection, demonstrate (i) the limits to using water levels in piezometers to indicate groundwater recharge, as conventionally applied in groundwater resources management; (ii) the conditions under which piezometer water levels respond primarily to changes in the mass of terrestrial water storage, as applied in geological weighing lysimetry; (iii) the relationship of ground surface vertical deflection to changes in groundwater storage; and (iv) errors of attribution that could result from ignoring the poroelastic behaviour of the aquifer. These concepts are illustrated through application of the partially-coupled model to interpret multi-level piezometer data at two sites in southern Bangladesh. There is a need for further research into the coupled responses of the aquifer due to more complex forms of surface loading, particularly from rivers.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.E. Rolston

The science of soil-water physics and contaminant transport in porous media began a little more than a century ago. The first equation to quantify the flow of water is attributed to Darcy. The next major development for unsaturated media was made by Buckingham in 1907. Buckingham quantified the energy state of soil water based on the thermodynamic potential energy. Buckingham then introduced the concept of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, a function of water content. The water flux as the product of the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and the total potential gradient has become the accepted Buckingham-Darcy law. Two decades later, Richards applied the continuity equation to Buckingham's equation and obtained a general partial differential equation describing water flow in unsaturated soils. For combined water and solute transport, it had been recognized since the latter half of the 19th century that salts and water do not move uniformly. It wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that scientists began to understand the complex processes of diffusion, dispersion, and convection and to develop mathematical formulations for solute transport. Knowledge on water flow and solute transport processes has expanded greatly since the early part of the 20th century to the present.


Ground Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian D. Langevin ◽  
Sorab Panday ◽  
Alden M. Provost

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilian Mouris ◽  
Leon Saam ◽  
Felix Beckers ◽  
Silke Wieprecht ◽  
Stefan Haun

<p>Reservoir sedimentation reduces not only the available storage volume of reservoirs, but may also create other serious problems, such as an increase of bed levels or accumulations of nutrients and contaminants, which affect the environment. An increase in bed levels at the head of the reservoir can reduce flood safety and increase the risk for the surrounding areas. Deposited sediments close to the dam may block hydraulic structures, such as the bottom outlets, or, in case they enter the intake, lead to possible abrasion of plant components (e.g. wear of turbines and pipes).</p><p>Prior to reservoir construction, a pre-evaluation of the sediment yield from the catchment is usually performed by using soil erosion and sediment delivery models. However, the trapping efficiency is often only obtained by empirical approaches, such as Brune’s or Churchill’s curve, which are based on the capacity of the reservoir and the mean annual inflow. This is still common practice, although 3D hydro-morphodynamic models became powerful tools to numerically study sediment transport and reservoir sedimentation prior to the construction of reservoirs as well as during its operation.</p><p>Within this study, a fully 3D hydro-morphodynamic numerical model, based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, is applied to a case study to simulate, on the one hand suspended sediment transport within a hydropower reservoir and on the other hand a reservoir flushing operation as potential management scenario, with the goal to remobilize already deposited sediments and to release these sediments from the reservoir. The modeled reservoir has a total storage capacity of around 14 million m³, whereby the water level can fluctuate due to pumped-storage operation by 40.5 m (difference between the maximum operation level and the operational outlet). At the head is the natural inflow of two creeks into the reservoir and a lateral transition tunnel is located on the orographic right side, which collects several headwater streams from adjacent catchments.</p><p>Simulations are performed for different operation modes of the reservoir. The results clearly show that through active reservoir management (variation of water levels as well as using the momentum of the discharge from the transition tunnel) the sediment motion in the reservoir can be affected to a certain extent. It is for instance possible to almost completely avoid reservoir sedimentation in front of the dam and the hydraulic structures (water intake and bottom outlets) during sediment-laden flows when simultaneously high discharges are provided from the laterally located transition tunnel. The conducted simulation results of reservoir flushing also show that the success of the flushing operation is strongly dependent on the water level. As expected, flushing with full drawdown of the water level is the most efficient method to release sediments.</p><p>Through the detailed results of the 3D hydro-morphodynamic model, it is feasible to receive a deeper knowledge of the ongoing sediment transport processes within the studied reservoir. The gained knowledge can further be used to derive sustainable and efficient management strategies for the sediment management of the reservoir.</p>


2003 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.F. Bense ◽  
R.T. Van Balen ◽  
J.J. De Vries

AbstractThe hydrogeology of the Roer Valley Rift System is strongly influenced by the hydraulic properties of faults. The hydrogeological impact of faults is illustrated by examples from the SE Netherlands and the adjacent lignite mining areas within the Roer Valley Rift System, near Bonn in Germany. Hydraulic head discontinuities over the main faults in the latter area can be up to tens of meters as a result of extremely large groundwater extractions in combination with the relatively low conductivity of the main faults. Within the Netherlands, outside the mining areas, such large groundwater extractions do not take place, and groundwater fluxes are smaller. In this situation natural hydraulic head differences over the main faults are limited to several meters. Hydraulic head profiles over faults provide a first estimate of fault hydraulic properties that can be quantified using simple analytical solutions. The impact of faults on near surface processes is reflected in vegetation patterns and the structure of drainage networks, aquifer structure and hydraulic head patterns. Faults can thus be of great influence on transport processes in the subsurface as well as on water-related phenomena at the surface, and should accordingly be taken into consideration in studies related to water-management, contamination and environmental impact. Faults that have an enhanced vertical permeability are difficult to detect when horizontal groundwater flow is studied, which is probably the main reason why they are rarely described. Though, these faults may form important preferential paths to vertical groundwater flow.


2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenjiao Jiang ◽  
Matthias Raiber ◽  
Jianmin Bian ◽  
Malcolm Cox

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