Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog
Abstract Resource extraction and transportation activities in subarctic Canada can result in the unintentional release of contaminants into the surrounding peatlands. In the event of a release, a thorough understanding of solute transport within the saturated zone is necessary to predict plume fate...
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crwiley:10.1002/hyp.13236 2024-09-09T20:10:48+00:00 Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog Balliston, Nicole Elizabeth McCarter, Colin Patrick Ross Price, Jonathan Stephen Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13236 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.13236 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.13236 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Hydrological Processes volume 32, issue 19, page 2963-2975 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 journal-article 2018 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13236 2024-08-01T04:20:31Z Abstract Resource extraction and transportation activities in subarctic Canada can result in the unintentional release of contaminants into the surrounding peatlands. In the event of a release, a thorough understanding of solute transport within the saturated zone is necessary to predict plume fate and the potential impacts on peatland ecosystems. To better characterize contaminant transport in these systems, approximately 13,000 L/day of sodium chloride tracer (200 mg/L) was released into a bog in the James Bay Lowland. The tracer was pumped into a fully penetrating well (1.5 m) between July 5 and August 18, 2015. Horizontal and vertical plume development was measured via in situ specific conductance and water table depth from an adaptive monitoring network. Over the spill period, the bulk of the plume travelled a lateral distance of 100 m in the direction of the slight regional groundwater and topographical slope. The plume shape was irregular and followed the hollows, indicating preferential flow paths due to the site microtopography. Saturated transport of the tracer occurred primarily at ~25 cm below ground surface (bgs), and at a discontinuous high hydraulic conductivity layer ~125 cm bgs due to a complex and heterogeneous vertical hydraulic conductivity profile. Plume measurement was confounded by a large amount of precipitation (233 mm over the study period) that temporarily diluted the tracer in the highly conductive upper peat layer. Longitudinal solute advection can be approximated using local water table information (i.e., depth and gradient); microtopography; and meteorological conditions. Vertical distribution of solute within the peat profile is far more complex due to the heterogeneous subsurface; characterization would be aided by a detailed understanding of the site‐specific peat profile; the degree of decomposition; and the type of contaminant (e.g., reactive/nonreactive). The results of this research highlight the difficulty of tracking a contaminant spill in bogs and provide a benchmark for ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Subarctic James Bay Wiley Online Library Canada Hydrological Processes 32 19 2963 2975 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Resource extraction and transportation activities in subarctic Canada can result in the unintentional release of contaminants into the surrounding peatlands. In the event of a release, a thorough understanding of solute transport within the saturated zone is necessary to predict plume fate and the potential impacts on peatland ecosystems. To better characterize contaminant transport in these systems, approximately 13,000 L/day of sodium chloride tracer (200 mg/L) was released into a bog in the James Bay Lowland. The tracer was pumped into a fully penetrating well (1.5 m) between July 5 and August 18, 2015. Horizontal and vertical plume development was measured via in situ specific conductance and water table depth from an adaptive monitoring network. Over the spill period, the bulk of the plume travelled a lateral distance of 100 m in the direction of the slight regional groundwater and topographical slope. The plume shape was irregular and followed the hollows, indicating preferential flow paths due to the site microtopography. Saturated transport of the tracer occurred primarily at ~25 cm below ground surface (bgs), and at a discontinuous high hydraulic conductivity layer ~125 cm bgs due to a complex and heterogeneous vertical hydraulic conductivity profile. Plume measurement was confounded by a large amount of precipitation (233 mm over the study period) that temporarily diluted the tracer in the highly conductive upper peat layer. Longitudinal solute advection can be approximated using local water table information (i.e., depth and gradient); microtopography; and meteorological conditions. Vertical distribution of solute within the peat profile is far more complex due to the heterogeneous subsurface; characterization would be aided by a detailed understanding of the site‐specific peat profile; the degree of decomposition; and the type of contaminant (e.g., reactive/nonreactive). The results of this research highlight the difficulty of tracking a contaminant spill in bogs and provide a benchmark for ... |
author2 |
Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Balliston, Nicole Elizabeth McCarter, Colin Patrick Ross Price, Jonathan Stephen |
spellingShingle |
Balliston, Nicole Elizabeth McCarter, Colin Patrick Ross Price, Jonathan Stephen Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog |
author_facet |
Balliston, Nicole Elizabeth McCarter, Colin Patrick Ross Price, Jonathan Stephen |
author_sort |
Balliston, Nicole Elizabeth |
title |
Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog |
title_short |
Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog |
title_full |
Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog |
title_fullStr |
Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: A continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog |
title_sort |
microtopographical and hydrophysical controls on subsurface flow and solute transport: a continuous solute release experiment in a subarctic bog |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13236 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.13236 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.13236 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Subarctic James Bay |
genre_facet |
Subarctic James Bay |
op_source |
Hydrological Processes volume 32, issue 19, page 2963-2975 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13236 |
container_title |
Hydrological Processes |
container_volume |
32 |
container_issue |
19 |
container_start_page |
2963 |
op_container_end_page |
2975 |
_version_ |
1809945232721051648 |