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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Influence of Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (AgMAR) and Stratigraphic Heterogeneities on Nitrate Reduction in the Deep Subsurface

This data package contains input files for TOUGHREACT for a modeling study examining the effects of managed aquifer recharge on agricultural lands on nitrate cycling and transport in the Central Valley of CA near Modesto. The files contain all the geochemical species, reactions, and hydrological parameters for the model. The files are text files used for the TOUGH family of code created by LBNL. To use the files a license is required. https://tough.lbl.gov/licensing-download/toughreact-licensing-download/Accompanying Paper Abstract: Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (AgMAR) is a proposed management strategy whereby surface water flows are used to intentionally flood croplands with the purpose of recharging underlying aquifers. However, legacy nitrate (NO3-) contamination in agriculturally-intensive regions poses a threat to groundwater resources under AgMAR. To address these concerns, we use a reactive transport modeling framework to better understand the effects of AgMAR management strategies (i.e., by varying the frequency, duration between flooding events, and amount of water) on N leaching to groundwater under different stratigraphic configurations and antecedent moisture conditions. In particular, we examine the potential of denitrification and nitrogen retention in deep vadose zone sediments (~15 m) using variable AgMAR application rates on two-dimensional representations of differently textured soils, soils with discontinuous bands/channels, and soils with preferential flow paths characteristic of typical agricultural field sites. Our results indicate that finer textured sediments, such as silt loams, alone or embedded within high flow regions, are important reducing zones providing conditions needed for denitrification. Simulation results further suggest that applying water all-at-once rather than in increments for a fixed volume of recharge transports higher concentrations of NO3- deeper into the profile, which has the potential to exacerbate groundwater quality. This transport into deeper depths can be aggravated by wetter antecedent soil moisture conditions. However, applying water all-at-once also increases denitrification within the vadose zone by promoting anoxic conditions. We conclude that AgMAR management strategies can be designed to enhance denitrification in the subsurface and reduce N leaching to groundwater, while specifically accounting for lithologic heterogeneity, antecedent soil moisture conditions, and depth to the water table. Our findings are potentially relevant to other systems that experience flooding inundation such as riparian corridors, floodplains, wetlands, and other managed landscapes like dedicated recharge basins.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

AmeriFlux AR-Bal Balcarce BA

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site AR-Bal Balcarce BA. Site Description - The study was carried out in a 19-ha rainfed soybean plot at the Unidad Integrada Balcarce, located southeast of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The site is located in an environment of gentle hills at 130 m.a.s.l. Its soil was classified as a typical Argiudoll, with a loamy clayey texture up to 0.30 m and between 0.80 to 1.10 m depth, and a clayey texture between 0.30 and 0.80 m depth. The slope was 1:50 and oriented NE to SW. A caliche layer was found at 1 to 1.2 m depth thus the water table was considered beneath that level. The soybean variety used was DM 3810, Maturity Group III with an indeterminate growing habit. It was sown on November 21, 2012, and emerged on December 1. The crop archive had a maximum height of 0.75 m.

Gassmann, Maria Isabel↗
DOE OSTI2025

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F AR-Bal Balcarce BA

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site AR-Bal Balcarce BA. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site AR-Bal Balcarce BA produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The study was carried out in a 19-ha rainfed soybean plot at the Unidad Integrada Balcarce, located southeast of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The site is located in an environment of gentle hills at 130 m.a.s.l. Its soil was classified as a typical Argiudoll, with a loamy clayey texture up to 0.30 m and between 0.80 to 1.10 m depth, and a clayey texture between 0.30 and 0.80 m depth. The slope was 1:50 and oriented NE to SW. A caliche layer was found at 1 to 1.2 m depth thus the water table was considered beneath that level. The soybean variety used was DM 3810, Maturity Group III with an indeterminate growing habit. It was sown on November 21, 2012, and emerged on December 1. The crop archive had a maximum height of 0.75 m.

Gassmann, Maria Isabel [Universidad de Buenos Aire↗
DOE OSTI2020

Using Strain in the Vadose Zone During Sinusoidal-Rate Well Tests to Characterize an Aquifer

Well tests with sinusoidal variation in pumping rate are appealing because of the ability to filter competing signals and they also can be set up with no net removal of water, which is an advantage at contaminated sites. Current methods of interpreting sinusoidal-rate well tests analyze the phase lag and amplitude of pressure signals in the aquifer. This approach is restricted by the availability of monitoring wells. An alternative approach could be to measure the stain in the vadose zone instead of pressure in the aquifer. The goal of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of using signals from in-situ sensors in the vadose zone to characterize sinusoidal-rate well tests. Well tests with a variety of periods and amplitudes were performed using a well completed in an unconfined saprolite aquifer with a water table at 9m depth at our test site near Clemson, South Carolina. Vertical strain was measured every meter between 1 to 7 m using a distributed optical fiber sensing technique called coherence length gated microwave photonics interferometry (CMPI). A novel packaging system was designed to couple the optical fiber to the saprolite. The results show that strain measured in the vadose zone during sinusoidal-rate pumping varies periodically with amplitudes from 0.1 to 3 microstrain, depending on the amplitude of the sinusoidal pumping rate. Hydraulic heads at similar radial distances were also periodic with changing amplitudes ranging up to ±0.2 meters. The strain in the vadose zone responds to pressure in the underlying aquifer—the strain is tensile when the pressure is falling, and compressive when the pressure is rising. The phase lag between the pumping rate and the strain was 3 min with a pumping period of 15 minutes, and this gives a hydraulic diffusivity of 0.06 m2/s. This is the same diffusivity obtained by analyzing a constant rate pumping test, and it is slightly larger than the diffusivity (0.044 m2/s) obtained by analyzing the phase lag of the pressure in a nearby monitoring well. Strain measurements in the vadose zone could be made with much less cost and effort than installing a deep monitoring well. These results suggest that strain measurements in the vadose zone could be used to supplement monitoring wells, thereby increasing the resolution, and reducing costs of analyzing well tests.

well test, sinusoidal, periodic pumping, strain↗
DOE OSTI2021

Peatland microbial community responses to plant functional group and drought are depth-dependent

Peatlands store one-third of Earth's soil carbon, the stability of which is uncertain due to climate change-driven shifts in hydrology and vegetation, and consequent impacts on microbial communities that mediate decomposition. Peatland carbon cycling varies over steep physicochemical gradients characterizing vertical peat profiles. However, it is unclear how drought-mediated changes in plant functional groups (PFGs) and water table (WT) levels affect microbial communities at different depths. We combined a multiyear mesocosm experiment with community sequencing across a 70-cm depth gradient, to test the hypotheses that vascular PFGs (Ericaceae vs. sedges) and WT (high vs. low) structure peatland microbial communities in depth-dependent ways. Several key results emerged. (i) Both fungal and prokaryote (bacteria and archaea) community structure shifted with WT and PFG manipulation, but fungi were much more sensitive to PFG whereas prokaryotes were much more sensitive to WT. (ii) PFG effects were largely driven by Ericaceae, although sedge effects were evident in specific cases (e.g., methanotrophs). (iii) Treatment effects varied with depth: the influence of PFG was strongest in shallow peat (0-10, 10-20 cm), whereas WT effects were strongest at the surface and middle depths (0-10, 30-40 cm), and all treatment effects waned in the deepest peat (60-70 cm). Furthermore, our results underline the depth-dependent and taxon-specific ways that plant communities and hydrologic variability shape peatland microbial communities, pointing to the importance of understanding how these factors integrate across soil profiles when examining peatland responses to climate change.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Groundwater level elevation and temperature data, Oct 2018-Dec 2021, Slate River Floodplain, Crested Butte, CO

This data package includes a time series of water level and temperature measurements from October 2018 to December 2021 in groundwater and surface water from the Slate River floodplain outside Crested Butte, CO, a focus field site for the SLAC Floodplain Hydro-Biogeochemistry SFA. The data was generated as part of the work targeting the overarching research question for the SLAC SFA: How do ubiquitous subsurface interfaces mediate molecular-scale biogeochemical processes and groundwater quality in floodplains and watersheds? The data were recorded by pressure transducers were installed in four types of piezometers: 1) a network of gravel bed ("GB") drive-point piezometers with a 6-inch screen interval installed all at ~330 cm below ground surface. 2) a network of piezometers screened across the water table, used to measure evapotranspiration ("ET") using the White method. Each of these piezometers is screened along almost its entire length.3) a suite nested piezometers used the measure the vertical hydraulic gradient ("VHG") across the fines-cobble interface. Each of these piezometers uses a 6-inch screen length.4) a group of piezometers scattered across the boundaries of the floodplain, used to monitor boundary conditions ("BC") flowing into and out of the floodplain. With the exception of "SR-BD-WT", each of these piezometers is screened along its entire length. Within the data package, "FLMD.csv" describes file-level metadata and "dd.csv" defines column headers and universal terms across the dataset. The data package includes 11 "*data.csv" files, one for each piezometer type for each calendar year. Because piezometers have been added over time, not every sensor has data dating back to Oct 2018. Each "*data.csv" file has a corresponding "*_InstallationMethods.csv" file that describes the location, elevation, screen depth, sediment type and sensor metadata for each piezometer and pressure transducer.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Frost Tables, NGEE Areas B, C and D, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2012-2014

This dataset represents spatially intensive thaw depth surveys with individual point measurements spaced ~0.5 m apart. The three ~10x10m grids cover an ice wedge and a portion of its two neighboring polygons. The data contain thaw depth, frost table elevation, ground surface elevation, active layer depth and surface water inundation across three seasons (2012, 2013 and 2014) at Utqiagvik (Barrow) NGEE Areas B, C and D. There are a total of 69 extracted files separated by month, year, and area. The data were originally provided in excel workbooks, these files have been preserved within the zip "Original_Files." The files were transformed for archiving with images pulled out into JPEGs, data preserved as CSV files and some methodological information preserved as TXT files. Some functions, features, and formatting were lost during the transformation. Missing data were defined with blank cells. Additional documentation can be found in files labelled with "information.txt" file endings.The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research.The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska.Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).[2024-07-15] Renamed BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_*_*.csv, BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_*_*_Plot_1.JPEG, and BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_*_*_Plot_2.JPEG names that had E or L to be Early or Late. Renamed BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_*_*_Plot_1.JPEG, BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_*_*_Plot_2.JPEG, and BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_information_Plot_1.JPEG to BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_*_*_Gridpoints.JPEG, BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_*_*_3Dgraphic.JPEG, and BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_Area_*_information_LiDAR_DEM.JPEG, respectively. Updated BEO_Thaw_Depth_Frost_Table_flmd.csv file to reflect above updates.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interpretation of Mineralogical Diagenesis for Assessment of Radionuclide Transport at Pahute Mesa, Nevada National Security Site

Pahute Mesa (PM) in southern Nevada was one of the four principal underground nuclear testing areas at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), known as the “Nevada Test Site” until 2010 (Figure 1). Eighty-two underground nuclear tests were conducted at PM in northwestern corner of NNSS (USDOE, 2015). The PM area of underground nuclear testing is located near the center of the Pahute Mesa and Oasis Valley (PM-OV) groundwater basin, which discharges to the southwest near Oasis Valley (OV) north of Beatty, Nevada (Fenelon et al. 2016; Jackson et al., 2020). Most of the PM tests were located at depths near or below the regional water table and, therefore, present potential sources of groundwater contamination from release of test-related radionuclides.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Depth and microtopography influence microbial biogeochemical processes in a forested peatland

Background and aims: Peat-accumulating wetlands have undulating surfaces of raised areas (hummocks) and depressions (hollows). Hummock-hollow microtopography in relation to the water table influences the distribution of plant species, root density, and microbial community composition, which could in turn alter carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling within peatlands. We used paired hummock and hollow cores from a boreal, forested peatland to assess how microtopography influences peatland microbial function and, in turn, ecosystem C and N cycling. Methods: The peat was analyzed for microbial biomass and potential enzyme activity in 10 cm depth increments relative to the water table, resulting in two increments for hollows and three for hummocks, which has a raised increment above the water table. Results: Across hummocks and hollows, microbial C and N and fungal biomass generally decreased with depth from the peat surface. In contrast, potential enzyme activity often increased with depth, but this varied within enzyme functional groups according to topography, depth, or both. The potential enzyme activity of C-N degrading peptidases, for example, differed across the five topography × depth increments with the lowest rate in the aerated hummocks. Hummocks compose approximately 66% of the land area at our study site and would therefore underestimate C turnover by an average of 25% if solely used to extrapolate patterns across a forested bog. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results suggest that asynchrony in C and N cycling across the undulating surface of forested peatlands impacts our ability to accurately predict biogeochemical cycling across this important ecosystem.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advanced monitoring of soil-vegetation co-dynamics reveals the successive controls of snowmelt on soil moisture and on plant seasonal dynamics in a mountainous watershed

Evaluating the interactions between above- and below-ground processes is important to understand and quantify how ecosystems respond differently to atmospheric forcings and/or perturbations and how this depends on their intrinsic characteristics and heterogeneity. Improving such understanding is particularly needed in snow-impacted mountainous systems where the complexity in water and carbon storage and release arises from strong heterogeneity in meteorological forcing and terrain, vegetation and soil characteristics. This study investigates spatial and temporal interactions between terrain, soil moisture, and plant seasonal dynamics at the intra- and inter-annual scale along a 160 m long mountainous, non-forested hillslope-to-floodplain system in the upper East River Watershed in the upper Colorado River Basin. To this end, repeated UAV-based multi-spectral aerial imaging, ground-based soil electrical resistivity imaging, and soil moisture sensors were used to quantify the interactions between above and below-ground compartments. Results reveal significant soil-plant co-dynamics. The spatial variation and dynamics of soil water content and electrical conductivity, driven by topographic and soil intrinsic characteristics, correspond to distinct plant types, with highest plant productivity in convergent areas. Plant productivity in heavy snow years benefited from more water infiltration as well as a shallow groundwater table depth. In comparison, low snowpack years with an early first bare-ground date, which are linked to an early increase in plant greenness, imply a short period of saturated conditions that leads to lower average and maximum greenness values during the growing season. Overall, these results emphasize the strong impact of snowpack dynamics, and terrain and subsurface characteristics on the heterogeneity in plant type and seasonal dynamics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Examining the peatland shrubification-evapotranspiration feedback following multi-decadal water table manipulation

Northern peatlands are globally important long-term sinks of carbon due to their predominantly saturated conditions. However, these ecosystems are expected to become drier with climate change, potentially leading to shrubification. As such, the response of the shrubification–evapotranspiration (ET) feedback may be of critical importance to future peatland energy, water and carbon dynamics. Here we examined the effect of multi-decadal peatland water table (WT) alteration at three adjacent sites with increasing depth to WT (WET, INTermediate, and DRY). In order to better understand the WT–shrubification–ET feedback, we measured peatland vegetation composition, microtopography and ET partitioning, where ET was measured at the ecosystem, microform, and leaf level using eddy covariance (EC), chambers and porometry, respectively. Averaged across microforms and WT treatments, there was a difference in the median measured leaf resistance (r leaf ) between plant functional types ranging from 213 s m -1 for erect dwarf shrubs, 325 s m -1 for graminoids/sedges, and 520 s m -1 for prostrate dwarf shrubs. Scaled based on LAI, the low r leaf of erect dwarf shrubs dominated hummocks, where sites with a higher proportion of hummocks had lower median canopy resistance (r v ) of 141, 133 and 130 s m -1 at the WET, INT and DRY sites respectively. Nevertheless, ET was highest at the WET site and similar between the INT and DRY sites, with greater evaporation from the moss surface at the WET site. Porometry and EC data along with a three-source model were used to independently assess the evaporative contribution from the moss surface, which ranged from 17% to 40%. For moderate and persistent changes in WT from land-use or climate change, our results suggest vegetation succession is minimal, but the microtopographic development and the concomitant differences in LAI for the various plant functional types is key to understanding changes in total ET and partitioning.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Relating land surface, water table, and weathering fronts with a conceptual valve model for headwater catchments

Knowing little about how porosity and permeability are distributed at depth, we commonly develop models of groundwater by treating the subsurface as a homogeneous black box even though porosity and permeability vary with depth. One reason for this depth variation is that infiltrating meteoric water reacts with minerals to affect porosity in localized zones called reaction fronts. We are beginning to learn to map and model these fronts beneath headwater catchments and show how they are distributed. The subsurface landscapes defined by these fronts lie subparallel to the earth-air interface but with lower relief. They can be situated above, below, or at the water table. These subsurface landscapes of reaction are important because porosity developed from weathering can control subsurface water storage. In addition, porosity often changes at the weathering fronts, and when this affects permeability significantly, the front can act like a valve that re-orients water flowing through the subsurface. We explore controls on the positions of reaction fronts under headwater landscapes by accounting for the timescales of erosion, chemical equilibration, and solute transport. One strong control on the landscape of subsurface reaction is the land surface geometry, which is in turn a function of the erosion rate. In addition, the reaction fronts, like the water table, are strongly affected by the lithology and water infiltration rate. We hypothesize that relationships among the land surface, reaction fronts, and the water table are controlled by feedbacks that can push landscapes toward an “ideal hill”. In this steady state, reaction-front valves partition water volumes into shallow and deep flowpaths. Furthermore, these flows dissolve low- and high-solubility minerals, respectively, allowing their reaction fronts to advance at the erosion rate. This conceptualization could inform better models of subsurface porosity and permeability, replacing the black box.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Incorporating Heterogeneity into 3D Geologic Models for the Alluvial Basin Reference Case

The unsaturated zone alluvium reference case is one of several geologic systems under consideration by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy for hosting repositories for spent nuclear fuel and associated waste (Sevougian et al., 2019). As noted by Mariner et al. (2018), the generic alluvial basin offers positive attributes that merit its consideration as a reference case by the Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) campaign. Hundreds of alluvial basins and sub-basins are scattered across the arid western United States (Figure 1-1). Precipitation and infiltration rates are relatively low with high evapotranspiration, resulting in deep regional water tables. Deep regional water tables allow for significant vertical separation between proposed repository depths and groundwater and thus longer transport paths from a hypothetical repository to an aquifer. Accumulations of alluvial sediments within these basins are typically on the order of hundreds of meters, and locally may exceed 1,000 m in thickness, as is the case for the Deming sub-basin in southern New Mexico. In alluvial basins, alluvium creates a thick geologic host medium that serves as the natural barrier system (NBS) in the conceptual model framework of a geologic disposal system and isolates the waste packages from receptors in the biosphere. Further, alluvial basin fill is typically comprised of stacked playa and lacustrine deposits along the basin axis (Perry et al., 2018). Characterized by low permeability, these layers protect the biosphere above the repository and the groundwater resources below the repository by limiting flow and transport of radionuclides.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluating the Feasibility of Using Strain Measured During Sinusoidal Rate Pumping Tests to Characterize an Aquifer

Pumping tests with sinusoidal variation in pumping rate have been proposed as a method for improving aquifer characterization. These tests can interrogate a larger aquifer volume than slug tests and they can be more sensitive to small variations in drawdown. Current methods of using sinusoidal variations of rate are based on measuring pressure signals from the reservoir or aquifer, which requires access to monitoring wells. An alternative approach has been developed that measures the strain in the vadose zone instead of pressure in the reservoir. An instrument has been developed at Clemson University that can measure small strains using optical fiber sensors, and we propose that it can be used to measure strain during sinusoidal pumping tests. The objective of this project is to evaluate the feasibility of measuring and interpreting the vertical strain in the vadose zone generated during a sinusoidal rate pumping tests to estimate aquifer and/or overburden properties. Pumping tests were performed at a site with a water table at 9 m and saturated saprolite from 9 to 30m depth. Sinusoidal pumping tests in the saprolite used different pumping amplitudes and periods while pressure was measured at three piezometers and vertical strain was measured in the vadose zone from 1 to 7 m depth. The delay time of the pressure increased linearly with distance, and it increased with the square root of the period, while the amplitude of the pressure decreased with distance and increased with amplitude. Vertical strain in the vadose zone varied with the same period as the pumping rate and the delay times were similar to those for pressures measured at similar radial distances. Delay times for the strain increased with an increasing propagation of the strain field. The hydraulic diffusivity was estimated using delay times for pressure and strain, and the results were compared with the values estimated from a constant-rate pumping test. The hydraulic diffusivity from the constant rate test was 0.039 m2/sec, whereas it was 0.053 (±0.05) m2/sec and 0.035 (±0.03) m2/sec from the pressure data and 0.08 (±0.022) m2/sec and 0.035 (±0.001) m2/sec from the strain data from sinusoidal tests of various periods and amplitudes. There is no statistical difference among these values. This study indicates that strain measurements in the vadose zone can be used to estimate aquifer properties during sinusoidal pumping tests.

Blais, Riley↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling the topographic influence on aboveground biomass using a coupled model of hillslope hydrology and ecosystem dynamics

Abstract. Topographic heterogeneity and lateral subsurface flow at the hillslope scale of ≤1 km may have outsized impacts on tropical forest through their impacts on water available to plants under water-stressed conditions. However, vegetation dynamics and finer-scale hydrologic processes are not concurrently represented in Earth system models. In this study, we integrate the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) land model (ELM) that includes the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES), with a three-dimensional hydrology model (ParFlow) to explicitly resolve hillslope topography and subsurface flow and perform numerical experiments to understand how hillslope-scale hydrologic processes modulate vegetation along water availability gradients at Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. Our simulations show that groundwater table depth (WTD) can play a large role in governing aboveground biomass (AGB) when drought-induced tree mortality is triggered by hydraulic failure. Analyzing the simulations using random forest (RF) models, we find that the domain-wide simulated AGB and WTD can be well predicted by static topographic attributes, including surface elevation, slope, and convexity, and adding soil moisture or groundwater table depth as predictors further improves the RF models. Different model representations of mortality due to hydraulic failure can change the dominant topographic driver for the simulated AGB. Contrary to the simulations, the observed AGB in the well-drained 50 ha forest census plot within BCI cannot be well predicted by the RF models using topographic attributes and observed soil moisture as predictors, suggesting other factors such as nutrient status may have a larger influence on the observed AGB. The new coupled model may be useful for understanding the diverse impact of local heterogeneity by isolating the water availability and nutrient availability from the other external and internal factors in ecosystem modeling.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Analysis of Hydrology and Interim Measure Performance in the Chromium Plume at Los Alamos National Laboratory - 20498

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), is present in the regional aquifer beneath Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at concentrations greater than the New Mexico groundwater standard (50 ppb). The source of the Cr is blowdown from a power plant where potassium dichromate was used as a corrosion inhibitor from 1956 to 1972. Blowdown comingled with effluent from another source and migrated approximately 3 miles down a canyon, primarily as surface flow, until reaching an alluvial infiltration zone. The infiltrating water moved vertically through a thick (approximately 900 ft), complex stratigraphic sequence of unsaturated tuffs, basalt, and unconsolidated alluvial deposits. Horizontal transport also took place within spatially limited perched groundwater horizons in the vadose zone (VZ). Breakthrough at the regional aquifer water table is thought to have occurred in multiple hydraulic windows or 'drip points' located approximately 3 miles from the initial release site at the power plant. The regional aquifer is highly heterogeneous and anisotropic, and displays unconfined behavior in an upper zone and confined behavior at depth. The Cr(VI) contamination has so far remained confined to the upper approximately 25 m of the aquifer. The ambient hydraulic gradient in the regional aquifer is toward the east/southeast, but the water table is extremely flat in the Cr plume area compared to surrounding areas. There is some local variability in flow direction, potentially related to effects of seasonal pumping from nearby Los Alamos county water-supply wells, which draw from the regional aquifer several hundred feet below the water table. An interim measure (IM) is currently operating at the site to achieve hydraulic control of plume migration using a series of extraction wells, ion-exchange treatment, and injection along the downgradient portion of the plume. The migration of Cr contamination in the aquifer has been previously evaluated using a calibrated probabilistic numerical model, which has also been used to design the spatial configuration of extraction and injection wells for the IM, and to identify locations for monitoring wells. The model is built using the Finite Element Heat and Mass (FEHM) transfer code, and the Model Analysis and Decision Support (MADS) software is used for analyses. To date, the portion of the IM system that has operated in a continuous manner has been very effective at hydraulic control. Modifications to the flow field associated with the influence of IM pumping and injection are evaluated here, with modeling constraints to be provided by recent observations of tracers injected into both monitoring wells and IM injection wells, as well as opportunistic observations of geochemical signatures of treated ion-exchange effluent injected into IM injection wells. The tracer and geochemical data provide insights into modified flow directions within the Cr plume area that cannot be otherwise obtained. Results of the modeling work are being used to inform adaptive management of IM operations and will be a valuable tool for development and refinement of long-term remediation strategies. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Degradation Reduces Microbial Richness and Alters Microbial Functions in an Australian Peatland

Abstract Peatland ecosystems cover only 3% of the world’s land area; however, they store one-third of the global soil carbon (C). Microbial communities are the main drivers of C decomposition in peatlands, yet we have limited knowledge of their structure and function. While the microbial communities in the Northern Hemisphere peatlands are well documented, we have limited understanding of microbial community composition and function in the Southern Hemisphere peatlands, especially in Australia. We investigated the vertical stratification of prokaryote and fungal communities from Wellington Plains peatland in the Australian Alps. Within the peatland complex, bog peat was sampled from the intact peatland and dried peat from the degraded peatland along a vertical soil depth gradient (i.e., acrotelm, mesotelm, and catotelm). We analyzed the prokaryote and fungal community structure, predicted functional profiles of prokaryotes using PICRUSt, and assigned soil fungal guilds using FUNGuild. We found that the structure and function of prokaryotes were vertically stratified in the intact bog. Soil carbon, manganese, nitrogen, lead, and sodium content best explained the prokaryote composition. Prokaryote richness was significantly higher in the intact bog acrotelm compared to degraded bog acrotelm. Fungal composition remained similar across the soil depth gradient; however, there was a considerable increase in saprotroph abundance and decrease in endophyte abundance along the vertical soil depth gradient. The abundance of saprotrophs and plant pathogens was two-fold higher in the degraded bog acrotelm. Soil manganese and nitrogen content, electrical conductivity, and water table level (cm) best explained the fungal composition. Our results demonstrate that both fungal and prokaryote communities are shaped by soil abiotic factors and that peatland degradation reduces microbial richness and alters microbial functions. Thus, current and future changes to the environmental conditions in these peatlands may lead to altered microbial community structures and associated functions which may have implications for broader ecosystem function changes in peatlands.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeled sub-hourly nitrate concentrations in subsurface water across a salt marsh system in Elkhorn Slough, California

Salt marshes are dynamic hydrologic systems where terrestrial groundwater, terrestrial surface water, and seawater mix due to bi-directional flows and pressure gradients. Salt marshes are known to remove excess nitrate from water thereby improving water quality in coastal systems. However, our knowledge of the short-term processes (e.g., intra-tidal) in salt marshes is limited. Further, we lack knowledge about how these short-term dynamics may change as a function of seasonality. To address this knowledge gap, we develope a sampling methodology that allowed us to continuously measure nitrate in subsurface water at three different depths across three marsh elevations at sub-hourly time steps. Here we present a data table with the results of nitrate in porewater across the three salt marsh elevations (information in the data set). We analyzed nitrate with a s::can spectrophotometer. We used the UV-Vis absorbance of the samples to calculate nitrate concentrations using a local calibration library. More information about the methodology can be found in Grande et al (2023). Seasonal and Tidal Variations in Hydrologic Inputs Drive Salt Marsh Porewater Nitrate Dynamics, Hydrological Processes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗