Kilometer-Scale Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Gravel Bed River Corridor and Their Implications to Solute Migration
Abstract
In this work, a well-characterized field site along a major river corridor was used to investigate the dynamic pathways and impacts of subsurface hydrogeologic structures on kilometer-scale hydrologic exchange flows between river water and groundwater. A aqueous uranium (Uaq) plume exists at the site that discharges to the Columbia River. We performed temporally intensive monitoring of specific conductance (SpC) and Uaq concentrations within the plume at increasing distances from the river shoreline and at locations both within and outside a presumed subsurface pathway of lateral hydrologic exchange. Specific conductance and Uaq were utilized as in-situ tracers of hydrologic exchange and associated groundwater-surface water mixing. Monitoring data was collected for an approximate two year period during which seasonal river elevations varied by more than 2 m causing distinct events of river water intrusion and retreat from the near-shore aquifer, and large temporal variations in well-water analyte concentrations. Statistical clustering analysis was applied to identify well groupings exhibiting common time series behaviors. PFLOTRAN was implemented within a modeling domain of 3.3 x 1.9 km with dynamic flow boundary conditions and accurate subsurface topography for the basal aquitard underlying the aquifer. In-silico calculations of river water tracer behavior were performed to assess predominantmore »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[1];
[1];
[1];
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1605551
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1598723
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-137616
Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Water Resources Research
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 56; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; surface water‐groundwater interaction; gravel bed river corridor; hydrologic exchange; subsurface hydrogeologic structures; riverine and groundwater modeling; contaminant plume dynamics
Citation Formats
Zachara, John M., Chen, Xingyuan, Song, Xuehang, Shuai, Pin, Murray, Christopher J., and Resch, Charles Tom. Kilometer-Scale Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Gravel Bed River Corridor and Their Implications to Solute Migration. United States: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1029/2019WR025258.
Zachara, John M., Chen, Xingyuan, Song, Xuehang, Shuai, Pin, Murray, Christopher J., & Resch, Charles Tom. Kilometer-Scale Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Gravel Bed River Corridor and Their Implications to Solute Migration. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025258
Zachara, John M., Chen, Xingyuan, Song, Xuehang, Shuai, Pin, Murray, Christopher J., and Resch, Charles Tom. Tue .
"Kilometer-Scale Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Gravel Bed River Corridor and Their Implications to Solute Migration". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025258. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1605551.
@article{osti_1605551,
title = {Kilometer-Scale Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Gravel Bed River Corridor and Their Implications to Solute Migration},
author = {Zachara, John M. and Chen, Xingyuan and Song, Xuehang and Shuai, Pin and Murray, Christopher J. and Resch, Charles Tom},
abstractNote = {In this work, a well-characterized field site along a major river corridor was used to investigate the dynamic pathways and impacts of subsurface hydrogeologic structures on kilometer-scale hydrologic exchange flows between river water and groundwater. A aqueous uranium (Uaq) plume exists at the site that discharges to the Columbia River. We performed temporally intensive monitoring of specific conductance (SpC) and Uaq concentrations within the plume at increasing distances from the river shoreline and at locations both within and outside a presumed subsurface pathway of lateral hydrologic exchange. Specific conductance and Uaq were utilized as in-situ tracers of hydrologic exchange and associated groundwater-surface water mixing. Monitoring data was collected for an approximate two year period during which seasonal river elevations varied by more than 2 m causing distinct events of river water intrusion and retreat from the near-shore aquifer, and large temporal variations in well-water analyte concentrations. Statistical clustering analysis was applied to identify well groupings exhibiting common time series behaviors. PFLOTRAN was implemented within a modeling domain of 3.3 x 1.9 km with dynamic flow boundary conditions and accurate subsurface topography for the basal aquitard underlying the aquifer. In-silico calculations of river water tracer behavior were performed to assess predominant flow directions and velocities influenced by river stage variations and variable aquitard topography, and their collective influences on SpC and Uaq concentrations. We demonstrate complicated multidirectional flow behaviors at the kilometer scale resulting from hydrologic exchange and subsurface structure that influence plume dynamics and determine the overall system behavior.},
doi = {10.1029/2019WR025258},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
number = 2,
volume = 56,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 21 00:00:00 EST 2020},
month = {Tue Jan 21 00:00:00 EST 2020}
}
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