Christian Dunkerly Hourly Staff Research Scientist (Justin Huntington – NNSC)

Christopher Garner Assistant Research Scientist (Dave Decker – NNSC)

Emily Kaminski Hourly Technical (Markus Berli – SNSC)

Dr. Dani Or Affiliate Research Professor (Markus Berli – SNSC)

 

DHS BULLETIN FY17 – No. 2         October through December 2016 

 

Inside this Issue    

New Hires………….…Pg. 1 

New Projects...………..Pg. 1 

Pubs, Chapters, Reports 

& Presentations……….Pg. 3 

Proposal Submitted…..Pg. 7 

CIWAS Activities…….Pg. 8 

NEW PROJECTS 

NEW HIRES 

WV WATER QUALITY ANALYSES - FY17

PI: Alex Lutz

AGENCY: World Vision Inc

AMOUNT: $50,000

SUMMARY: Water Quality Analyses and Reporting: Contractor will analyze well water samples from World Vision’s Projects for trace elements, fluoride and rare earth elements, as stipulated by the World Health Organization and as directed by World Vision staff.

 

 

 

 

NEW PROJECTS 

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FATE AND TRANSPORT MODELING OF THE SOUTH Y PCE GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

PLUME - TASK ORDER 4

PI: Greg Pohll Agency: South Tahoe Public Utility District Amount: $60,000 Summary: Kennedy Jenks Consultants (KJC) is assisting the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) in a feasibility study of remedial alternatives to remove PCE groundwater contamination in the South Y Area. STPUD would like to use the groundwater flow model developed by DRI in the assessment remedial alternatives. This proposal outlines the tasks required to add a fate and transport model to the existing groundwater model framework. In addition, DRI would simulate a variety of remediation activities to aid the engineering alternative analysis. In other words, the model would be used to help optimize the design of the remediation system.

EL NINO PLAYA INUNDATION STUDY

PI: Julie Miller Agency: AERO Institute Amount: $31,388 Summary: The playa inundation modeling effort is intended to confirm and calibrate a method for estimating the depth of playa (dry lake bed) inundation resulting from precipitation within the contributing watershed (French et al., 2005). Lakebed inundation depth sensors were installed on Rogers Lake during 2012, and data from these sensors collected during the El Nino winter period of 2015-2016 will be used in this study. In addition, precipitation records at Armstrong FRC/Edwards AFB will be reviewed to identify precipitation events that exceeded the depth of precipitation required to produce runoff during the winter period of 2015-2016 (El Nino winter). From these storms, Landsat images will be searched to identify visible images of Rogers Lake (playa). Those events that were both associated with significant precipitation recorded at the Edwards AFB precipitation gage, and for which the time interval between visible images of the dry lake bed and inundated lake bed was minimal, will be selected for possible evaluation. Landsat imagery will be selected as the fundamental data set for determining the extent of playa inundation resulting from these El Nino storm events. Analyzing the inundation depicted in the Landsat image in conjunction with high-quality ground elevation data within the context of a geographic information system (GIS) provides the means to quantify both the area of inundation and the associated volume of water.

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PUBLISHED JOURNAL PAPERS

Carroll, R., Huntington, J., Snyder, K., Niswonger, R., Morton, C., and T. Stringham, 2016. Evaluating Mountain Meadow Groundwater Response to Pinyon-Juniper and Temperature in a Great Basin Watershed. Ecohydrology, 10(1), doi:10.1002/eco.1792.

Crago, R., Szilagyi, J., Qualls, R., and J. Huntington, 2016. A Rescaling of the Complementary Relationship for Land Surface Evaporation. Water Resources Research, 52(11), 8461-8471.

Dhungel, R., Allen, R.G., Trezza, R. and Robison, C.W., 2016. Evapotranspiration between satellite overpasses: methodology and case study in agricultural dominant semi‐arid areas. Meteorological Applications, 23(4), 714-730.

Furbish, D.J., Fathel, S.L., Schmeeckle, M.W., Jerolmack, D.J., and Schumer, R., 2016. The Elements and Richness of Particle Diffusion During Sediment Transport at Small Timescales. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, doi: 10.1002/esp.4084.

Gao, X., Li, Y., Tang, C., Acharya, K., Du, W., Wang, J., Luo, L., Li, H., Dai., S., Yu.,Z., Abdul, J., Yu., W., Zhang., S., Bofah-Buoh, R., Jepkirui, M., Lu, X., and Pan, B., 2016. Using ADV for suspended sediment concentration and settling velocity measurements in large shallow lakes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. doi:10.1007/s11356-016-8006-1.

Harpold, A., Kaplan, M.L., Klos, P., Link, T., McNamara, J., Rajagopal, S., Schumer, R., and Steele, C., 2016. Rain or Snow: Hydrologic Processes, Observations, Prediction, and Research Needs. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 1-48, Copernicus Publications, doi: 10.5194/hess-2016-436.

Hilgersom, K., Suárez, F., Zijlema, M., Hausner, M.B., Tyler, S.W., and van de Giesen, N.C., 2016. A free surface solar pond model with a sloping edge: model code and data. TU Delft dataset, doi: 10.4121/uuid:87829ef5-be45-40e7-a0a7-b4c514633e26.

Li, B., Liang, Z., He, Y., Hu, L, Zhao, W., and Acharya, K., 2016. Comparison of parameter uncertainty analysis techniques for a TOPMODEL application. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, doi:10.1007/s00477-016-1319-2.

Li, Y., Tang, C., Wang, J., Acharya, K., Du, W., Gao, X., Luo, L., Li, H., Dai, S., Mercy, J., Yu, Z., and Pan, B., 2016. Effect of wave-current interactions on sediment resuspension in large shallow lakes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. doi:10.1007/s11356-016-8165-0.

Snyder, K., Wehan, B., Filippa, G., Huntington, J., Stringham, T., and D. Snyder, 2016. Extracting Plant Phenology Metrics in a Great Basin Watershed: Methods and Considerations for Quantifying Phenophases in a Cold Desert. Sensors, 16(11), 1948.

BOOK CHAPTERS 

Hobbins, M., and Huntington, J., 2016. Chapter 42: Evapotranspiration and Evaporative Demand. Handbook of Applied Hydrology Second Edition, Ed: Vijay P. Singh, New York: McGraw-Hill Education, pp.42.1 - 42.18.

Pham, H.V., and Tsai, F.T.-C., 2016. Chapter 48: Groundwater Modeling. Handbook of Applied Hydrology Second Edition, Ed: V.P. Singh, New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

PUBLICATIONS, BOOK CHAPTERS, PRESENTATIONS, AND REPORTS 

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CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Anderson, B., Schumer, R., McCoy, S., Hammond, W., and 2016. Analysis of fault rupture potential resulting from large-scale groundwater withdrawal: application to Spring Valley, Nevada. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: H23F-1645.

Arienzo, M.M., McConnell, J.R., Murphy-Goes, L., Criscitiello, A.S., Das, A.S., and Kipfstuhl, S., 2016. Antarctic black carbon parallels insolation and millennial scale climate variation, from two Antarctic ice cores parallels Southern Hemisphere climate during the Holocene. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: C13B-0829.

Arienzo, M.M., McConnell, J.R., Murphy, L., Chriscitiello, A., Das, S., and Chellman, N.J., 2016. Antarctic black carbon parallels insolation and millennial scale climate variation. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Burke, A., Sigl, M., Moore, K., Nita, D.C., Adkins, J.F., Paris, G., and McConnell, J.R., 2016. High-resolution sulfur isotopes in ice cores identify large stratospheric eruptions (Invited). American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: PP51E-03.

Chellman, N.J., McConnell, J.R., Heyvaert, A.C., Brigham-Grette, J., Melles, M., Wennrich, V., and Svensson, A., 2016. 150 kyr History of Arctic Black Carbon Deposition Recorded by Paired Ice Core and Sediment Core Records from Lake El’gygytgyn and NEEM. AGU Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: C12A-06.

Chen, Y., Dhungel, R., Maltos, R., Sivakumaran, K., Aguilar, A., and Harmon, T., 2016. Assessment of Ecosystem Services in a Semi-Arid Agriculture-dominant Area: Framework and Case Study. 2016 INFORMS Annual Meeting: Nashville, TN, November 13-16.

Crews, J.B., Harpold, A., Rajagopal, S., Schumer, R., Petersky, R., and Winchell, T., 2016. Humidity affects shifts from snow to rain in the Western US. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: H23F-1645.

Curran, M., and McConnell, J.R., 2016. Climate variability and forcings over 2000 years from the Aurora Basin North (ABN) ice core, East Antarctica and comparisons to PAGES Antarctica2k. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: PP41C-2257.

Dhungel, R., 2016. Contradictions in the Dynamics of Remote Sensing based Evapotranspiration Calculation. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, (https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm16/ meetingapp.cgi/Paper/170298).

Glose, T.J., Hausner, M.B., and Lowry, C.S. 2016. Numerical modeling of artificial recharge: determining spatial/temporal sampling resolution to quantify infiltration rates and effective hydraulic conductivity. AGU Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Oral presentation: H24A-07.

Grieman, M.M., Saltzman, E.S., McConnell, J.R., Fritzsche, D., Opel, T., Isaksson, E.D., Schwikowski, M., Kreutz, K.J., Sigl, M., and Aydin, M., 2016. Arctic ice core records of vanillic acid. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, Dec 12-16, Abstract: C13B-0828. 

PUBLICATIONS, BOOK CHAPTERS, PRESENTATIONS, AND REPORTS 

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Hausner, M.B., McEvoy, D., Morton, C., Smith, G., Fesenmyer, K., and Huntington, J.L. 2016. Evaluating the effect of restoration practices on riparian vegetation using remote sensing data. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Poster: B43A-0562.

Hausner, M.B. and Sada, D.W., 2016. Impacts of reduced discharge on the thermal habitat of a desert spring brook. 2016 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America: Denver, CO, September 25-28, Oral presentation: doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-284355.

Hegewisch, K., Daudert, B., Morton, C., McEvoy, D., Huntington, J., and Abatzoglou, J., 2016. Climate Engine – Monitoring Drought with Google Earth Engine. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Hobbins, M., Shukla, S., McNally, A., McEvoy, D., Huntington, J., Husak, F., Funk, C., Senay, G., Verdin, J., and Jansma, T., 2016. What role does evaporative demand play in driving drought in Africa? American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Koonce, J., Hausner, M.B., Berli, M. and Young, M.H., 2016. Evaporation from bare arid soils: Parameter estimation using Monte Carlo simulation. 2016 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America: Denver, CO, September 25-28, Poster: doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-287717.

Landsfeld, M., Hegewisch, K., Daudert, B., Morton, C., Husak, G., Friedrichs, M., Funk, C., Huntington, J., Abatzoglou, J., and Verdin. J., 2016. Generating Southern Africa Precipitation Forecast Using the FEWS Engine, a New Application for the Google Earth Engine. AGU Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Markle, B.R., Steig, E.J., Roe, G., Winckler, G., and McConnell, J.R., 2016. A coherent understanding of water-isotope and ice-impurity variability in Antarctica at millennial to orbital time scales. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: PP34A-03.

Massam, A., Mulvaney, R., McConnell, J.R., Abram, N., Arienzo, M.M., and Whitehouse, P.L., 2016. Insights into accumulation variability over the last 2000 years at James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: PP41C-2276.

Pham, H.V., Parashar, R., Sund, N., and Pohlmann, K., 2016. Transport Behavior in Fractured Rock under Conceptual and Parametric Uncertainty, H11A: Advances in Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of Earth and Environmental Systems Models II Posters. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Pham, H.V., and Tsai F.T.-C., 2016. Data-Driven Groundwater Model Development: A Case Study in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, H31C: Characterization and Sustainable Management of Groundwater Systems through the Integration of Data and Tools Across Spatial and Temporal Scales III Posters. AGU Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

PUBLICATIONS, BOOK CHAPTERS, PRESENTATIONS, AND REPORTS 

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Pohll, G.M., Garner, C.B., Minor, T.B., Triana, E., and Carroll, R.W., 2016. Walker River Decision Support Tool and Spatial Database. Desert Terminus Lakes Symposium: University of Nevada, Reno, November 9-10.

Schumer, R., Taloni, A., and Furbish, D.J., 2016. Geomorphic Transport Laws and the Statistics of Topography and Stratigraphy. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: EP13B-1025.

Sheffield, A., Marrs, A., Wall, T., Cayan, D., Kalansky, J., Redmond, K., Huntington, J., and McEvoy, D., 2016. Creating a Regional Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) for California and Nevada: Building Off of Information Gathered and Lessons Learned after 5 Years of Drought. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Shukla, S., Hobbins, M., McEvoy, D., Husak, G, Dewes, C., McNally, A., Huntington, J., Funk, C., and Verdin, J., 2016. Monitoring and Forecasting Reference Evapotranspiration for Food Security Assessments. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Sund, N.L., Parashar, R., and Pham, H.V., 2016. Particle Decision Making Processes in Fractured Media: The Battle Between Models. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

Thompson, E., Ramsey, C.B., and McConnell, J.R., 2016. A latitudinal study of oxygen isotopes within horsehair. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: PP31D-2309.

Trusel, L.D., Das, S.B., Osman, M.B., Evans, M.J., Smith, B., McConnell, J.R., Noel, B., and van den Broeke, M.R., 2016. Rise in central west Greenland surface melt unprecedented over the last three centuries (Invited). American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16, Abstract: C54A-02.

Volk, J., Turner, M., Huntington, J., Gardner, M., Tyler, S., and Sheneman, L., 2016. Parameter optimization of a hydrologic model in a snow-dominated basin using a modular Python framework. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting: San Francisco, CA, December 12-16.

REPORTS

Collopy, M.W., and Thomas, J.M., 2016. Restoration of a Desert Lake in an Agriculturally Dominated Watershed: The Walker Lake Basin. Phase 3 Final Report to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, University of Nevada, Reno and Desert Research Institute. December 2016, 971 pp.

Pohll, G.M., Bergsohn, I., Bacon, S.N., 2016: Analysis of Basin Conditions Tahoe Valley South (6-5-01) Groundwater Basin, California. Final Report prepared for the South Tahoe Public Utility District, December 2016, 131 pp.

TALK

Schumer, R., 2016. Anomalous transport, rough landscapes and preservation of stratigraphy, Workshop on Future Directions in Fractional Calculus Research and Applications. Department of Statistics and Probability, Michigan State University.

 

PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, REPORTS, AND BOOK CHAPTERPUBLICATIONS, BOOK CHAPTERS, PRESENTATIONS, AND REPORTS 

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Date Submitted

PI, Co-PI

Title Sponsor Funding

19-Oct-2016 Erick Bandala Gonzalez

Inactivation of Prymnesium parvum algae and degradation of related toxins

in water from inland lakes

National Science Foundation

$318,014

25-Oct-2016 Joe McConnell Collaborative Research: ICECAP (Ice Age Chemistry and Proxies) Phase 3:

Investigating Fire Activity and its Implications for Climate Across

Multiple Timescales

National Science Foundation

$331,231

25-Oct-2016 Joe McConnell CoPI: Monica Arienzo

Developing and interpreting detailed records of black carbon and burning in

the eastern Arctic including a 1.4m year record from Lake El'gygytgyn

National Science Foundation

$576,966

25-Oct-2016 Xuelian Bai CoPI(s): Erick

Bandala Gonzalez, Kumud Acharya

Source, Fate, and Transport of Contaminants of Emerging Concern

(CECs) in a Semi-arid Urban Watershed

National Science Foundation

$312,021

25-Oct-2016 Erick Bandala Gonzalez

Collaborative Research: Occurrence, fate and transport, and removal of

perfluorinated compounds in stormwater runoffs using novel

nanomaterials

National Science Foundation

$136,966

06-Dec-2016 Jenny Chapman NNSA/DOE Technical Research Engineering and Development

Services (TREDS)

DOE/NNSA TBD

12-Dec-2016 Braimah Apambire CoPI: Alan Heyvaert

Harmful Algal Bloom and Cyanotoxin Testing for Ghana

Water Directorate Ministry of Water Resources, Works

and Housing

$125,426

 

 

 

PROPOSALS SUBMITTED 

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The second cohort of 25 students has commenced study as part of the WASH Capacity Building Program. Face-to-face instruction is being held in Tamale, Northern Ghana in early February. Instructors include Braimah Apambire, Erick Bandala and two DRI WASH consultants.

CIWAS hosted a weeklong capacity building workshop in Liberia on water quality monitoring capacity building in October. The objective of the workshop was to support the government in developing the country’s water quality standards and establish baseline water quality parameters. Over 35 people participated, including key staff from government ministries as well as private and public stakeholders from locations across the country.

Braimah and DRI/UNR master’s student Zachary Arno conducted field research in five counties in Liberia in October. Working with staff from the Ministry of Health, Zach sampled and completed field tests on water from approximately 50 wells. Chemical, physical and bacteriological testing of samples is now underway. Results will be critical to help the Liberian government establish an initial understanding of chemical and bacteriological constituents in the nation’s groundwater.

CIWAS has successfully secured funding for a post-construction evaluation project of Rotary-funded WASH systems in Honduras. In partnership with WASRAG, the Rotary Club of Reno, and the Honduran Association of Water System Administrators (AHJASA), and with funding from Rotary Districts in Honduras, this project, which will assess the of functionality of Rotary-sponsored water systems across Honduras. To date Rotary has built over 90 water systems in Honduras, representing a total investment of approximately $5 million USD but the functionality of these systems post-construction remains largely unknown. CIWAS has developed an assessment tool and pilot project for 40 systems to help determine the current functionality rates. Project implementation will commence this spring. Following the evaluation DRI will provide recommendations to local water and Rotary Clubs that will help increase water system sustainability. CIWAS Program Manager Victoria Cuellar visited Honduras in October to meet with Honduran Rotarians and AHJASA representatives and discuss logistics for the study.

CIWAS is collaborating with TOHL and the municipality of Río Hurtado in Chile to establish a post-construction support program for existing small water systems in the municipality. CIWAS is providing the municipality of Rio Hurtado and TOHL with guidance and technical assistance in designing a Circuit Rider program specifically tailored to Río Hurtado’s needs and as well a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework to assess impact. CIWAS' Program Manager Victoria Cuéllar traveled to Chile in November to support the newly hired Circuit Rider in meetings with water committees throughout the municipality and to further develop the project. Meetings were also held at La Serena University with Cazalac - the Regional Water Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Zones in Latin America and the Caribbean- to discuss the potential of participating in CIWAS’ WASH Capacity Building Program.

CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL WATER AND SUSTAINABILITY ACTIVITIES

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