Warm air leads to hazardous ground temperatures when walking dogs in built and natural environments

Two case studies in Texas, one in a built environment and another in a natural se8ing, illustrate potential ground heat hazards when walking dogs on warm days. In the first case, temperatures of four different ground surfaces—concrete, grass, chip seal, and tar—were measured along a street in a suburban neighborhood. The study involved two morning and two a6ernoon surveys of 30 sampling locations where all four materials were present. Air temperatures, typical of the study area in summer, ranged from 78.0 oF (25.6 oC) in the morning to 96.1 oF (35.6 oC) in the a6ernoon. Ground surfaces reached much higher temperatures, exceeding 150 oF (65.6 oC), in the a6ernoon surveys. Median temperatures were highest in tar, followed by chip seal, concrete, and grass. The second case involved shallow lake water and various types of mud, sand, cobbles, rock fragments, and grass along a nature trail. Air temperatures ranged from 74.7 oF (23.7 oC) at 8:00 a.m. to 92.5 oF (33.6 oC) at 6:00 p.m. Ground temperatures varied considerably with material and time of day, ranging from 76.4 oF (24.7 oC) at gray cobbles and beige rock at 8:00 a.m. to 125.7 oF (52.1 oC) at brown sand at 4:00 p.m. Over the day, temperatures were highest at brown sand and lowest in water and moist sand

Nitrate and Chloride Concentrations in Groundwater beneath a Portion of the Trinity Group Outcrop Zone, Texas

This article discusses a study in which the authors evaluated spatial distributions of nitrate and chloride concentrations in groundwater in an area of north-central Texas with agricultural activity, in addition to oil and natural gas exploration and activity

Visualizing Ground-Water-Flow Fields and Contaminant Plumes in an Undergraduate Hydrogeology Course

This article discusses the use of three-dimensional visualization methods to augment traditional contouring methods in an undergraduate ground-water course

Creased-Plastic Rock Permeameter for Hydrogeology Students

This article discusses the use of creased-plastic permeameters as an inexpensive way for students to estimate the hydraulic conductivity of local rock aquifers

Nitrate, Arsenic and Selenium Concentrations in The Pecos Valley Aquifer, West Texas, USA

This article discusses nitrate, arsenic, and selenium concentrations in the Pecos Valley Aquifer in west Texas in the context of local geology and land use

Spatial Distribution of Solutes in Aquifer Outcrop Zones along the Brazos River, East-Central Texas

Article discussing the spatial distribution of solutes in aquifer outcrop zones along the Brazos River, East-Central Texas

Controlling Gully Erosion with Earth Dams in North-Central Texas

This article describes the use of earth dams for controlling gully erosion in part of the Eastern Cross Timbers of North-Central Texas

Potential Hazards of Wind Energy For Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Birds and Batsin Texas

This article discusses the potential hazards of wind energy for rare, threatened, and endangered birds and bats in Texas

Evaluation Of WEPP For Runoff And Sediment Yield Prediction On Natural Gas Well Sites

This article discusses the evaluation of Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) for runoff and sediment yield prediction on natural gas well sites, instead of focusing only on the effects on fields, rangelands, and forests