This is a photo slideshow of some new organisms found living underground in the Australian outback. The animals include tiny snails, eels, crustaceans, scorpions, spiders, beetles, cave eels and cave fish. Many of the creatures are eyeless or blind.
Women and children in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, are teaming with geologists to identify contaminated ground water. Some water in this area contains dangerous levels of arsenic.
ExxonMobil was fined $104.7 million for contaminating New York City ground water with M.T.B.E. (methyl tertiary butyl ether) leaked from underground gasoline storage tanks. There are many similar cases pending across the United States.
A video describes how NASA scientists can use the thermal wavelengths from Landsat data to estimate how much water is being used on a field-by-field basis.
USGS will be using “the latest satellite tracking data to gain a better understanding of how land subsidence is affecting the state-owned California Aqueduct in California’s San Joaquin Valley.”
Here’s where you can get a variety of free printable graph papers in easy to use .pdf files. Grid paper, axis paper, isometric paper, ternary paper, polar paper and more.
Much of northern India is dependent upon a reliable supply of groundwater for public use and irrigation. Rapid population growth, economic development and groundwater-based irrigation produce a level of groundwater use that can not be sustained.
“The Arizona Geological Survey is releasing six, new geologic map sheets showing the extent and age relationships of Quaternary alluvium along more than 175 miles of the San Pedro River and its major tributaries, Aravaipa Creek and Babocomari River. A 76-page report accompanies the maps. The Arizona Department of Water Resources used the geologic maps, in conjunction with other data, to delineate subflow zones in the watershed.” Quoted from the AZGS website.
Congratulations to AZGS for publishing these in both .pdf and .jpg formats that allow anyone anywhere to view these maps immediately online and print as their equipment allows. More geological surveys should share their publications with such easy-to-view graphics.
The largest water consumer in Arizona’s Sahuarita-Green Valley complains that a proposed mining operation will have a negative impact on water supplies in the valley. The mining company claims that they will recharge 105% of the total mine water production as close to the mine as possible.
USGS has released Professional Paper 1766, titled: “Groundwater Availability of the Central Valley Aquifer, California”. “USGS made a detailed assessment of groundwater availability of the Central Valley aquifer system, that includes: (1) the present status of groundwater resources; (2) how these resources have changed over time; and (3) tools to assess system responses to stresses from future human uses and climate variability and change.” Quoted from the USGS announcement.
Sinkholes formed by solution in the floor of the United States’ Great Lakes host unusual ecosystems different from other parts of the lake just a short distance away. The sinkholes are often locations where water that has been underground for millions of years discharges with extreme amounts of dissolved metals.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. Changes in growing seasons, declining water resources, higher summer temperatures, human health issues, altered ecosystems and higher temperatures are a few of the featured problems.
USGS published: Water Quality and Evaluation of Pesticides in Lakes in the Ridge Citrus Region of Central Florida. This report presents the results of a water sampling program of lakes in the citrus growing part of the state.
“Consistent detections of parents and degradates in quarterly samples indicated the presence of pesticide compounds in the lakes many months or years after their application, signaling the persistence of some pesticide compounds in the lakes and/or ground-water systems.”
The New Hampshire Geological Survey is drilling a series of wells to monitor the state’s ground water. This AP article has quotes from State Geologist David Wunsch who explains the monitoring plan.
USGS has a drought monitoring viewer that you can use to explore drought conditions in the 48 states. “This computer modeling and monitoring method provides continuous drought information over large regions and supplies finer spatial detail than other commonly used drought indicators. The index is now available at two-week intervals across the conterminous 48 States.”
Because some artificial sweeteners don’t break down much in the human body or in water treatment processes, they eventually end up in ground water. This can be useful for tracing domestic contamination.
The United States Geological Survey has a new fact sheet titled: “Water Resources and Natural Gas Production from the Marcellus Shale”. It addresses what many consider to be the number one environmental challenge facing the development of the Marcellus Shale – water supply protection.
Shell Oil sold products to a company that improperly handled and stored them on land leased from Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The result was an abandoned storage facility that required federal government cleanup. The government held Shell and Burlington financially responsible and they protested. The case went to the Supreme Court.
The NAWQA Pesticide National Synthesis Project, which began in 1992, is a national-scale assessment of the occurrence and behavior of pesticides in streams and ground water of the United States and the potential for pesticides to adversely affect drinking-water supplies or aquatic ecosystems.
Popular Mechanics has a story on their website titled “The Worlds Biggest Water Supply Projects”. It features: Ashkelon Desalination Plant, Israel; North-South Water Transfer Project, China; G-Cans Tunnel System, Tokyo, Japan; Marina Reservoir, Singapore; Groundwater Replenishment System, Orange County, California.
Pumping water to liberate methane from coal seams has been associated with drawdown in active water supply wells. An article at Forbes.com explains a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court related to this practice.
This video gives you a look into Chand Baori Reservoir, a step well in India that is thirteen flights deep. It is said to be the deepest step well in the world.
“This study from the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey assesses water-quality conditions for about 2,100 domestic wells across the United States. As many as 219 properties and contaminants, including pH, major ions, nutrients, trace elements, radon, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds, were measured.” Quoted from the USGS website.
The National Ground Water Association is sponsoring Ground Water Awareness Week between March 8th and March 14th. One of their recommendations is for all households who depend upon a water supply well to have that well inspected annually. Ground Water Awareness Week is a great time to schedule your annual inspection.
Jordan has severe water challenges. The country is depleting its water supply and tapping its fossil water resource yields water with high radiation levels.
The hydraulic fracturing method of well development has drawn a lot of attention in oil and gas fields across the United States. The Billings Gazette has a guest opinion article written by Tom Richmond, division administrator of the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation. In this article he provides opinion on the safety of hydraulic fracturing in the development of oil and natural gas fields.
Monitoring ground water is especially important in the southwestern part of the U.S., where the climate is dry and the population is increasing rapidly. USGS has a report titled “Methods and Indicators for Assessment of Regional Ground-Water Conditions in the Southwestern United States”.
In an article on the Philly.com website you can learn about what Laura Toran, a geology professor at Temple University calls “groundwater outcrops”. Where I live they occur at the contact of a sandstone overlying a shale and can be seen most of the time between early December and late February. Some of the best occur where joints are exposed. They can help you understand that water does not move uniformly through rocks.
Global climate change is expected to modify regional precipitation patterns. These will impact ground water supplies in a variety of ways. This article looks at how change can be studied and predicted.
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Hobart M. King, Ph.D. Geology.com
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