Water balance complexities in ephemeral catchments with different land uses: Insights from monitoring and distributed hydrologic modeling

Although ephemeral catchments are widespread in arid and semiarid climates, the relationship of their water balance with climate, geology, topography, and land cover is poorly known. Here we use 4 years (2011–2014) of rainfall, streamflow, and groundwater level measurements to estimate the water balance components in two adjacent ephemeral catchments in south-eastern Australia, with one catchment planted with young eucalypts and the other dedicated to grazing pasture. To corroborate the interpretation of the observations, the physically based hydrological model CATHY was calibrated and validated against the data in the two catchments. The estimated water balances showed that despite a significant decline in groundwater level and greater evapotranspiration in the eucalypt catchment (104–119% of rainfall) compared with the pasture catchment (95–104% of rainfall), streamflow consistently accounted for 1–4% of rainfall in both catchments for the entire study period. Streamflow in the two catchments was mostly driven by the rainfall regime, particularly rainfall frequency (i.e., the number of rain days per year), while the downslope orientation of the plantation furrows also promoted runoff. With minimum calibration, the model was able to adequately reproduce the periods of flow in both catchments in all years. Although streamflow and groundwater levels were better reproduced in the pasture than in the plantation, model-computed water balance terms confirmed the estimates from the observations in both catchments. Overall, the interplay of climate, topography, and geology seems to overshadow the effect of land use in the study catchments, indicating that the management of ephemeral catchments remains highly challenging

The striatal dopamine transporter in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenic patients: evaluation by the new SPECT-ligand[99mTc]TRODAT-1

Following the current hypothesis that acute schizophrenic psychotic illness is associated with a triatal ‘hyperdopaminergic state’, presynaptic integrity and dopamine transporter (DAT) density in first-episode, neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients was measured by single-photonemission- tomography (SPECT) and compared with that in healthy control subjects. A new SPECT-ligand for assessment of the striatal DAT, the Technetium-99m-labelled tropane TRODAT-1 ([99mTc]TRODAT-1), was used. Ten inpatients suffering from a first acute schizophrenic episode and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects underwent SPECT with [99mTc]TRODAT-1. On the day of SPECT, psychopathological ratings were performed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Schedule for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Patients had not previously received any neuroleptic or antidepressant medication. Mean specific TRODAT-1 binding in the striatum did not differ significantly between the patient and the age- and sex-matched control group (1.25 vs. 1.28). Variance was significantly higher in the patient group. The data obtained with the new ligand in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenic patients are in line with the PET results from the group of Laakso et al. in a comparable patient sample. [99mTc]TRODAT-1 seems to be a valuable new SPECTligand in the evaluation of the presynaptic site of the striatal dopaminergic synapse in schizophrenia

Use of laser-scan technology to analyse topography and flow in a weir pool

The development of laser-scan techniques provides opportunity for detailed terrain analysis in hydrologic studies. Ground based scans were used to model the ground surface elevation in the area of a stream gauge weir over an area of 240 m<sup>2</sup> at a resolution of 0.05 m. The terrain model was used to assess the possibility of flow bypassing the weir and to calculate stream flow during filling of the weir pool, prior to flow through the weir notch. The mapped surface shows a subtle low-lying area at the south end of the structure where flow could bypass the weir. The flow calculations quantify low-flows that do not reach the weir notch during small rain events and flow at the beginning of larger events in the ephemeral stream

Isotopic Tracking of Hanford 300 Area Derived Uranium in the Columbia River

Our objectives in this study are to quantify the discharge rate of uranium (U) to the Columbia River from the Hanford Site's 300 Area, and to follow that U down river to constrain its fate. Uranium from the Hanford Site has variable isotopic composition due to nuclear industrial processes carried out at the site. This characteristic makes it possible to use high-precision isotopic measurements of U in environmental samples to identify even trace levels of contaminant U, determine its sources, and estimate discharge rates. Our data on river water samples indicate that as much as 3.2 kg/day can enter the Columbia River from the 300 Area, which is only a small fraction of the total load of dissolved natural background U carried by the Columbia River. This very low-level of Hanford derived U can be discerned, despite dilution to < 1 percent of natural background U, 350 km downstream from the Hanford Site. These results indicate that isotopic methods can allow the amounts of U from the 300 Area of the Hanford Site entering the Columbia River to be measured accurately to ascertain whether they are an environmental concern, or are insignificant relative to natural uranium background in the Columbia River

Hanford Site groundwater monitoring for fiscal year 1996

This report presents the results of groundwater and vadose-zone monitoring for fiscal year (FY) 1996 on the Hanford Site, Washington. Hanford Site operations from 1943 onward produced large quantities of radiological and chemical waste that affected groundwater quality on the site. Characterization and monitoring of the vadose zone during FY 1996 comprised primarily spectral gamma logging, soil-gas monitoring, and electrical resistivity tomography. Water-level monitoring was performed to evaluate groundwater-flow directions, to track changes in water levels, and to relate such changes to evolving disposal practices. Water levels over most of the Hanford Site continued to decline between June 1995 and June 1996. Groundwater chemistry was monitored to track the extent of contamination, to note trends, and to identify emerging groundwater-quality problems. The most widespread radiological contaminant plumes were tritium and iodine-129. Smaller plumes of strontium-90, technetium-99, and plutonium also were present at levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or State of Washington interim drinking water standards. Uranium concentrations greater than the proposed drinking water standard were also observed. Nitrate, fluoride, chromium, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, trichloroethylene, and cis-1,2-dichlomethylene were present in groundwater samples at levels above their U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or State of Washington maximum contaminant levels. The nitrate plume is the most extensive. Three-dimensional, numerical, groundwater models were applied to the Hanford Site to predict contaminant-flow paths and the impact of operational changes on site groundwater conditions. Other models were applied to assess the performance of three separate pump-and-treat systems

Hanford Site environmental data for calendar year 1990 -- Ground water

This report tabulates ground-water radiological and chemical data for calendar year 1990 by the Ground-Water Surveillance Project, reported Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Monitoring, and Operational Monitoring. The Ground-Water Surveillance Project is conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory and the RCRA and Operational Monitoring Projects are conducted by the Westinghouse Hanford Company. This document supplements the reports Hanford Site Ground-Water Monitoring for 1990 (Evans et al. 1992) and mental Report for Calendar Year 1990 (Woodruff and Hanf 1991). The data listings provided here were generated from the Hanford Environmental Information System database

Hanford Site environmental data for calendar year 1990 -- Ground water

This report tabulates ground-water radiological and chemical data for calendar year 1990 by the Ground-Water Surveillance Project, reported Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Monitoring, and Operational Monitoring. The Ground-Water Surveillance Project is conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory and the RCRA and Operational Monitoring Projects are conducted by the Westinghouse Hanford Company. This document supplements the reports Hanford Site Ground-Water Monitoring for 1990 (Evans et al. 1992) and mental Report for Calendar Year 1990 (Woodruff and Hanf 1991). The data listings provided here were generated from the Hanford Environmental Information System database

Isotopic Tracers for Biogeochemical Processes and Contaminant Transport: Hanford, Washington

Our goal is to use isotopic measurements to understand how contaminants are introduced to and stored in the vadose zone, and what processes control migration from the vadose zone to groundwater and then to surface water. We have been using the Hanford Site in south-central Washington as our field laboratory, and our investigations are often stimulated by observations made as part of the groundwater monitoring program and vadose zone characterization activities. Understanding the transport of contaminants at Hanford is difficult due to the presence of multiple potential sources within small areas, the long history of activities, the range of disposal methods, and the continuing evolution of the hydrological system. Observations often do not conform to simple models, and cannot be adequately understood with standard characterization approaches, even though the characterization activities are quite extensive. One of our objectives is to test the value of adding isotopic techniques to the characterization program, which has the immediate potential benefit of addressing specific remediation issues, but more importantly, it allows us to study fundamental processes at the scale and in the medium where they need to be understood. Here we focus on two recent studies at the waste management area (WMA) T-TX-TY, which relate to the sources and transport histories of vadose zone and groundwater contamination and contaminant fluid-sediment interaction. The WMA-T and WMA-TX-TY tank farms are located within the 200 West Area in the central portion of the Hanford Site (Fig. 2). They present a complicated picture of mixed groundwater plumes of nitrate, {sup 99}Tc, Cr{sup 6+}, carbon tetrachloride, etc. and multiple potential vadose zone sources such as tank leaks and disposal cribs (Fig. 3). To access potential vadose zone sources, we analyzed samples from cores C3832 near tank TX-104 and from C4104 near tank T-106. Tank T-106 was involved in a major event in 1973 in which 435,000 L of high activity waste leaked to the vadose zone over a seven-week period. Other nearby tanks (T-103 and T-101) are also suspected of having leaked or overfilled. Pore water from these cores was analyzed for U and Sr isotopic compositions. Increasing {sup 99}Tc concentration in monitoring well 299-W11-39 (to 27,000 pCi/L in 2005) near the northeast corner of the WMA-T area prompted the emplacement of a series of new wells, 299-W11-25B, W11-45 (down gradient), and W11-47 (Fig. 3), during which depth discrete samples were collected below the groundwater surface. The depth profile from W11-25B revealed high {sup 99}Tc concentrations peaking at 182,000 pCi/L at {approx}10 m below the water table (Dresel et al. 2006). We obtained aliquots for isotopic analysis of groundwater samples produced by purge-and-pump sampling during the drilling of W11-25B, -45 and -47. In addition we have analyzed groundwater samples from monitoring wells in the vicinity of WMA T-TX-TY