Conference Papers

Net transport of atmospheric gases into and out of soil systems is primarily controlled by diffusion along gas partial pressure gradients. Gas fluxes between soil and the atmosphere can therefore be estimated by a generalization of the equation for ordinary gaseous diffusion in porous unsaturated media. Consumption of CH4 by methylotrophic bacteria in the top several centimeters of soil...

Distribution of dissolved selenium in ground water of the irrigated Grand and Uncompahgre Valleys is affected by the aqueous geochemical environment of the shallow ground-water system composed of alluvium and shale residuum. Selenium concentrations are as high as 1,300 micrograms per liter in water from shallow wells. The highest concentrations of dissolved selenium were in water from...

Since 1982, imported water originating in the Sierra Nevada has been used to recharge the Rialto-Colton ground-water basin, about 100 km east of Los Angeles. Stable isotopes of oxygen (oxygen-18) and hydrogen (deuterium) were used to determine the disposition of artificially recharged, imported water within the basin. Delta oxygen-18 ratios in water from wells sampled in spring and...

Exploitation of hydrothermal systems on active basaltic volcanoes poses some unique questions about the role of volcanism and hydrothermal system evolution. Volcanic activity creates and maintains hydrothermal systems while earthquakes create permeable fractures that, at least temporarily, enhance circulation. Magma and water, possibly hydrothermal water, can interact violently to...

Dense populations of black abalones (Haliotis cracherodii Leach) were monitored in permanent intertidal plots at nine sites on San Nicolas Island from 1981 through 1990. Densities were essentially constant at all four sites along the north shore of the island throughout the study period. Densities at five sites along the south shore were more variable, possibly reflecting asynchronous...

In the North Pacific, the breeding distribution of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) includes about equal numbers of very large colonies (50,000-500,000 individuals) and relatively small ones (5-5,000 individuals). The almost complete segregation of light and dark colour phases between adjacent colonies in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk suggests there is little gene flow among the...

Possible effects of climate change on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River basin is simulated with a computer model. Model inputs are monthly temperature and precipitation that simulate several possible climate change scenarios. Preliminary results for climate scenarios based on output for three popular general circulation models indicate that lower flows will occur more...

Five general core sealing methods (using Protecore, Lexan, wax, Protecore with wax, and Protecore with Lexan) were studied over a two year period to determine their moisture retention capabilities. Results indicate that the multibarrier methods (Protecore with wax and Protecore with Lexan) and the single barrier methods (Protecore and wax) provide successful means of retaining moisture...

Efficient methods for data collection and processing are required to complete channel-instability assessments at 5,600 bridge sites in Indiana at an affordable cost and within a reasonable time frame while maintaining the quality of the assessments. To provide this needed efficiency and quality control, a data-collection form was developed that specifies the data to be collected and the...

The potential travel down hillsides; movement stops where the volume-change behavior of flows as they travel down hillsides ; movement stops where the volume of actively flowing debris becomes negligible. The average change in volume over distance for 26 recent debris flows in the Honolulu area was assumed to be a function of the slope over which the debris flow traveled, the degree of...

In 1982, we published equations for the prediction of various measures of ground motion as a function of earthquake magnitude, distance from the earthquake rupture, and site geology. Many more strong-motion recordings have been obtained since we published our equations. The predictions of the ground motions from our published equations are in reasonable agreement with the peak...

Historical streamflow measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey an bridge-inspection reports by the New York State Department of Transportation are being used to estimate scour at 31 bridges in New York State. Streamflow measurements that were made before, during, or after high flows are used to estimate scour and to define hydraulic properties associated with floods. Clear-water scour...