Trace elements in groundwater as indicators of anthropogenic impact     

Igors Levins  Edmund Gosk 《Environmental Geology》2008,55(2):285-290

The distribution of several minor and trace elements mainly in fresh (dominating TDS 160–400 mg/l) groundwater of Latvia have been investigated by the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique. An evaluation of results of about 700 analyses leads to the conclusion that concentrations of these elements is influenced by: pH–Eh conditions, groundwater residence time and diffuse contamination, whereas the role of water-bearing sediments is of secondary importance. Most trace elements are characterised by low mobility under alkaline and reducing conditions; concentrations in confined aquifers are much smaller than the Maximum Permissible Values for drinking water. The strongest anomalies of REE, Al and P were found in shallow groundwater around the former agrochemical storehouses.  相似文献   

Numerical modeling assessment of three-gate structures for capturing contaminated groundwater     

Paul F. Hudak 《Environmental Geology》2008,55(6):1311-1317

This modeling study evaluated the capability of alternative funnel-and-gate structures with three gates for capturing contaminated groundwater in a hypothetical unconfined aquifer. Simulated interceptor structures were linear and 45 m wide, consisting of three gates and two funnels (walls). One gate occupied the center and two gates occupied the ends of the interceptor structures. The structures, positioned perpendicular to regional groundwater flow, traversed the entire thickness of the aquifer. A total of four structures were evaluated (numbers designate widths of end, center, and end gates, respectively, in meters): 3-3-3, 2-5-2, 1-7-1, and 4-1-4. Particle tracking and zonal water budgets identified shapes of capture zones and discharge patterns for each interceptor structure. A mass transport model, accounting for advection and hydrodynamic dispersion, tested the capability of each structure for capturing a contaminant plume. Results suggest that: time-dependent capture zones underestimate the amount of time to capture a contaminant plume, wide center gates facilitate plume capture, and wide end gates facilitate lateral containment of contaminants. Of the structures simulated, the 2-5-2 configuration was relatively efficient at processing and containing the simulated contaminant plume.  相似文献   

Regional distribution pattern of groundwater heavy metals resulting from agricultural activities   总被引：18，自引：0，他引：18  

J. Nouri  A. H. Mahvi  G. R. Jahed  A. A. Babaei 《Environmental Geology》2008,55(6):1337-1343

Contaminations of groundwater by heavy metals due to agricultural activities are growing recently. The objective of this study was to evaluate and map regional patterns of heavy metals (Cd, Zn and Cu) in groundwater on a plain with high agricultural activities. The study was conducted to investigate the concentration of heavy metals and distribution in groundwater in regions of Shush Danial and Andimeshk aquifers in the southern part of Iran. Presently, groundwater is the only appropriate and widely used source of drinking water for rural and urban communities in this region. The region covers an area of 1,100 km² between the Dez and Karkhe rivers, which lead to the Persian Gulf. For this study, the region was divided into four sub-regions A, B, C and D. Additionally, 168 groundwater samples were collected from 42 water wells during the earlier months of 2004. The flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS-Flame) was used to measure the concentration of heavy metals in water samples and the Surfer software was used for determination of the contour map of metal distribution. The results demonstrated that in all of the samples, Cd and Zn concentrations were below the EPA MCLG and EPA secondary standard, respectively. However, the Cu contents of 4.8 % of all samples were higher than EPA MCL. It is also indicated that the concentrations of metals were more pronounced at the southern part of the studied region than at the others. The analysis of fertilizers applied for agricultural activities at this region also indicated that a great majority of the above-mentioned heavy metals were discharged into the environment. Absence of confining layers, proximity to land surface, excess agricultural activities in the southern part and groundwater flow direction that is generally from the north to the southern parts in this area make the southern region of the Shush plain especially vulnerable to pollution by heavy metals than by other contaminants.  相似文献   

Modeling of water–rock interactions in an aquitard of sandy clay in the coastal area near Beihai,China     

Zhou?XunEmail author  Yao?Jinmei  Zhang?Hua  Li?Rui  Xu?Fang 《Environmental Geology》2008,56(1):183-188

Unconsolidated sand, gravel and clay deposits near Beihai and in the Leizhou Peninsula in southern China form an unconfined aquifer, aquitard and a confined aquifer. Water and soil samples were collected from the two aquifers in the coastal Beihai area for the determination of chemical compositions, minerals and soluble ions. Hydrogeochemical modeling of three flow paths through the aquitard are carried out using PHREEQC to determine water–rock interactions along the flow paths. The results indicate that the dissolution of anorthite, fluorite, halite, rhodochrosite and CO₂, and precipitation of potash feldspar and kaolinite may be occurring when groundwater leaks through the aquitard from the unconfined aquifer to the confined aquifer. Cation exchanges between Na and Ca can also happen along the flow paths.  相似文献   

Groundwater recharge of carbonate aquifers of the Silesian-Cracow Triassic (southern Poland) under human impact     

Andrzej Kowalczyk  Andrzej J. Witkowski 《Environmental Geology》2008,55(2):235-246

A Triassic carbonate unit has been intensively drained by zinc and lead ore mines and numerous borehole fields since the nineteenth century. Its groundwater recharge has increased due to: pumping of water from boreholes, mining activity, and urbanization. An approach to determine the amounts of the recharge at a variety of spatial scales is presented in the paper. Different methods were used to identify and quantify recharge components on a regional and local scale: mathematical modelling was performed for four aquifers included in an aquifer system, an analytical estimation based on the assumption that an average recharge is equal to the average discharge of the hydrogeological system—for six man-made drainage centres, and the method of water level fluctuation (WLF) was applied in one observation borehole. Results of modelling have been supplemented by observation of environmental tracers (δ¹⁸O, δ²H, ³H), noble gases temperatures, and ⁴He_exc in groundwater. The regional aquifer’s current recharge according to estimations performed by means of modelling varies from 39 to 101 mm/year on average. Depending on the aquifer site the average precipitation ranges from 779 to 864 mm/year. In the confined part of the aquifer average recharge ranges from 26 to 61 mm/year. Within outcrops average recharge varies from 96 to 370 mm/year. Current recharge estimated by the analytical method for man-made drainage centres varies from 158 up to 440 mm/year. High values are caused by different recharge sources like precipitation, induced leakage from shallow aquifers, and water losses from streams, water mains and sewer systems. Pumping of water, mining and municipal activities constitute additional factors accounting for the intensified recharge.  相似文献   

Groundwater flow and contaminant transport modelling at an air weapons range     

Geneviève Bordeleau  Richard Martel  Dirk Schäfer  Guy Ampleman  Sonia Thiboutot 《Environmental Geology》2008,55(2):385-396

Numerical modelling was done at the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, Canada, to test whether the dissolved RDX and nitrate detected in groundwater come from the same sources, and to predict whether contamination poses a threat to the surface water receptors near the site. Military live fire training activities may indeed pose a risk of contamination to groundwater resources, however field investigations on military bases are quite recent, and little information is available on the long-term behaviour of munition residues related contaminants. Very limited information was available about the contaminant source zones, which were assigned based on our knowledge of current training activities. The RDX plume was well represented with the model, but the heterogeneous distribution of nitrate concentrations was more difficult to reproduce. It was nonetheless determined that both contaminants originate from the same areas. According to the model, both contaminants should reach the nearby river, but concentrations in the river should remain very low if the source zone concentration does not change. Finally, the model allowed the recommendation of a new location for the main bombing target, which would offer added protection to the river and the lake into which it flows.  相似文献   

Effects of natural attenuation processes on groundwater contamination caused by abandoned waste sites in Berlin     

Helmut Kerndorff  Stephan Kühn  Thomas Minden  Dagmar Orlikowski  Thomas Struppe 《Environmental Geology》2008,55(2):291-301

The aim of this research project is to identify, characterize and quantify natural attenuation (NA) processes in groundwater affected by emissions of abandoned waste disposal sites in Berlin-Kladow/Gatow, Germany. It is part of the funding priority called KORA established by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) to explore the extent to which NA can be used for remedial purposes for varied forms of soil and groundwater contamination. Information on the emission behaviour of individual parameters is generated on the basis of hydrogeochemical comparison of 20 years old and new data. Using groundwater-modelling and CFC-analysis, information on the transport and retention of pollutants in groundwater is compiled. The microbial colonization of contaminated aquifers is characterized by molecular biological methods [polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)] to differentiate between contaminated and not contaminated zones.  相似文献   

Variation of infiltration rate through karstic surfaces due to land use changes: A case study in Murgia (SE-Italy)   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Filomena Canora  M. Dolores Fidelibus  Antonella Sciortino  Giuseppe Spilotro   《Engineering Geology》2008,99(3-4):210

Groundwaters of the Murgia carbonate aquifer represent the main groundwater resource of the Apulia region (SE Italy). In the highlands (Alta Murgia) karst crops out in different forms and textures which have been preserved up to the 1970s: little evolved agriculture and sheep rearing produced only a marginal modification of the epikarst while a high degree of division into parcels by drystone walls helped in preserving soils from erosion. In the last years the original scenery of the Alta Murgia changed due to widespread transformations of surface karstic textures for agricultural purposes, with undeniable negative consequences on the hydrogeological balance, concerning both the infiltration and the runoff terms. Stone shattering led to flattening and deep alteration of a large part of the original karstic landscape and to demolition of drystone walls.In a study area of about 139 km² located in the Alta Murgia, the comparison of aerial photos related to the period 1950–2001 indicated that stone shattering had occurred for about 42% of the area.The hydrological behaviour of the first soil layer of experimental parcels representing both shattered stone and natural karstic surface textures was analysed by using the numerical model Hydrus-2D with the aim of estimating the variation on infiltration rate due to stone shattering. Intensive field and laboratory measurements concerned soil texture, soil water content, pressure head, saturated hydraulic conductivity, pan evaporation and meteorological parameters.  相似文献   

Fate of the verde: Water, environmental conflict, and the politics of scale in Arizona’s central highlands     

Bob Bolin  Timothy Collins  Kate Darby   《Geoforum》2008,39(3):1494-1511

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The state of land subsidence and prediction approaches due to groundwater withdrawal in China   总被引：13，自引：6，他引：7  

Ye-Shuang Xu  Shui-Long Shen  Zheng-Yin Cai  Guo-Yun Zhou 《Natural Hazards》2008,45(1):123-135

This article gives a general introduction to land subsidence with the prediction approaches due to withdrawal of groundwater in three subsided/subsiding regions in China: the deltaic plain of Yangtse River (YRDP), North China Plain (NCP), and Fenwei Plain (FP). On YRDP, Shanghai is the typical subsided/subsiding city; on NCP Tianjin is the typical subsided/subsiding city, and on FP Taiyuan is the typical subsided/subsiding city. The subsided area with subsidence over 200 mm on YRDP is about 10,000 km² and the maximum subsided value reached 2.9 m at Shanghai; on NCP the subsided area reached 60,000 km² with the maximum subsidence of 3.9 m at Tianjing; on FP the subsided area is relatively smaller than that on the other two plains and is about 1,135 km² with maximum subsidence of 3.7 m at Taiyuan city. In order to protect the civil and industrial facilities, it is necessary to predict the future development of land subsidence based on present state. Many researchers proposed several approaches to predict the land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal according to different geological conditions and groundwater withdrawal practice. This article classifies these approaches into five categories: (i) statistical methods; (ii) 1D numerical method; (iii) quasi-3D seepage model; (iv) 3D seepage model; (v) fully coupled 3D model. In China, the former four categories are presently employed in the prediction practice and their merits and demerits are discussed. According to the prediction practice, 3D seepage model is the best method presently.  相似文献