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Runoff-based indicators of terrestrial water availability are appropriate for humid regions, but have tended to limit our basic hydrologic understanding of drylands – the dry-subhumid, semiarid, and arid regions which presently cover nearly half of the global land surface. In response, we introduce an indicator framework that gives equal weight to humid and dryland regions, accounting fully for both vertical (precipitation + evapotranspiration) and horizontal (groundwater + surface-water) components of the hydrologic cycle in any given location – as well as fluxes into and out of landscape storage. We apply the framework to a diverse hydroclimatic region (the conterminous USA) using a distributed water-balance model consisting of 53 400 networked landscape hydrologic units. Our model simulations indicate that about 21% of the conterminous USA either generated no runoff or consumed runoff from upgradient sources on a mean-annual basis during the 20th century. Vertical fluxes exceeded horizontal fluxes across 76% of the conterminous area. Long-term-average total water availability (TWA) during the 20th century, defined here as the total influx to a landscape hydrologic unit from precipitation, groundwater, and surface water, varied spatially by about 400 000-fold, a range of variation ~100 times larger than that for mean-annual runoff across the same area. The framework includes but is not limited to classical, runoff-based approaches to water-resource assessment. It also incorporates and reinterprets the green- and blue-water perspective now gaining international acceptance. Implications of the new framework for several areas of contemporary hydrology are explored, and the data requirements of the approach are discussed in relation to the increasing availability of gridded global climate, land-surface, and hydrologic data sets.

Diatom-salinity records from sediment cores have been used to construct climate records of saline-lake basins. In many cases, this has been done without thorough understanding of the preservation potential of the diatoms in the sediments through time. The purpose of this study was to determine the biogeochemistry of silica in Devils Lake and evaluate the potential effects of silica cycling on diatom preservation. During the period of record, 1867–1999, lake levels have fluctuated from 427 m above sea level in 1940 to 441.1 m above sea level in 1999. The biogeochemistry of silica in Devils Lake is dominated by internal cycling. During the early 1990s when lake levels were relatively high, about 94% of the biogenic silica (BSi) produced in Devils Lake was recycled in the water column before burial. About 42% of the BSi that was incorporated in bottom sediments was dissolved and diffused back into the lake, and the remaining 58% was buried. Therefore, the BSi accumulation rate was about 3% of the BSi assimilation rate. Generally, the results obtained from this study are similar to those obtained from studies of the biogeochemistry of silica in large oligotrophic lakes and the open ocean where most of the BSi produced is recycled in surface water. During the mid 1960s when lake levels were relatively low, BSi assimilation and water-column dissolution rates were much higher than when lake levels were high. The BSi assimilation rate was as much as three times higher during low lake levels. Even with the much higher BSi assimilation rate, the BSi accumulation rate was about three times lower because the BSi water-column dissolution rate was more than 99% of the BSi assimilation rate compared to 94% during high lake levels. Variations in the biogeochemistry of silica with lake level have important implications for paleolimnologic studies. Increased BSi water-column dissolution during decreasing lake levels may alter the diatom-salinity record by selectively removing the less resistant diatoms. Also, BSi accumulation may be proportional to the amount of silica input from tributary sources. Therefore, BSi accumulation chronologies from sediment cores may be effective records of tributary inflow.

A multivariate approach was used to analyze hydrologic, geologic, geographic, and water-chemistry data from small order watersheds in the Quabbin Reservoir Basin in central Massachusetts. Eighty three small order watersheds were delineated and landscape attributes defining hydrologic, geologic, and geographic features of the watersheds were compiled from geographic information system data layers. Principal components analysis was used to evaluate 11 chemical constituents collected bi-weekly for 1 year at 15 surface-water stations in order to subdivide the basin into subbasins comprised of watersheds with similar water quality characteristics. Three principal components accounted for about 90 percent of the variance in water chemistry data. The principal components were defined as a biogeochemical variable related to wet. land density, an acid-neutralization variable, and a road-salt variable related to density of primary roads. Three subbasins were identified. Analysis of variance and multiple comparisons of means were used to identify significant differences in stream water chemistry and landscape attributes among subbasins. All stream water constituents were significantly different among subbasins. Multiple regression techniques were used to relate stream water chemistry to landscape attributes. Important differences in landscape attributes were related to wetlands, slope, and soil type.

Sediment cores were collected from lakes in the Devils Lake Basin in North Dakota to determine if mercury (Hg) accumulation chronologies from sediment-core data are good indicators of variations in Hg accumulation rates in saline lakes. Sediment cores from Creel Bay and Main Bay, Devils Lake were selected for detailed analysis and interpretation. The maximum Hg concentration in the Creel Bay core was 0.15 micrograms per gram at 8 to 9 centimeters. The maximum Hg concentration in the Main Bay core was 0.07 micrograms per gram at 5 to 7 centimeters. The general decreases in Hg concentrations with depth are attributed to historic variations in atmospheric Hg deposition rate. Hg stratigraphies combined with210Pb and137Cs dating analyses yield Hg chronologies that indicate a general increase in Hg accumulation rates in Devils Lake since the middle of the 19th century. Mean modern Hg accumulation rates in Creel Bay were 4.9 nanograms per square centimeter per year, and rates in Main Bay were 1.8 nanograms per square centimeter per year. Mean preindustrial Hg accumulation rates in Creel Bay were 1.2 nanograms per square centimeter per year, and rates in Main Bay were 1.6 nanograms per square centimeter per year. Relatively low Hg concentrations in recent sediments in the Devils Lake Basin, along with similarities in Hg accumulation rates between lakes in the Devils Lake Basin and other lakes in the northern interior of North America, indicate that local sources of Hg are not important sources of Hg. Results of the study indicate that accurate Hg chronologies are discernible in sediment cores collected from saline lakes. However, spatial and temporal variations in lake level and water chemistry common to saline lakes make interpretation of radioisotopic and geochemical chronologies difficult. Hg geochemistry in Devils Lake, and presumably in other saline lakes, is dynamic. The results of this study indicate that the absolute amount of sediment transported to Devils Lake, along with the associated Hg and total organic carbon, and the distribution of sedimentation patterns in Devils Lake may be affected by changing lake levels.

Two sets of hydrologic indices were developed to characterize the water-budget components of nontidal wetlands. The first set consisted of six water-budget indices for input and output variables, and the second set consisted of two hydrologic interaction indices derived from the water-budget indices. The indices then were applied to 19 wetlands with previously published water-budget data. Two trilinear diagrams for each wetland were constructed, one for the three input indices and another for the three output indices. These two trilinear diagrams then were combined with a central quadrangle to form a Piper-type diagram, with data points from the trilinear diagrams projected onto the quadrangle. The quadrangle then was divided into nine fields that summarized the water-budget information. Two quantitative “interaction indices” were calculated from two of the six water-budget indices (precipitation and evapotranspiration). They also were obtained graphically from the water-budget indices, which were first projected to the central quadrangle of a Piper-type diagram from the flanking trilinear plots. The first interaction index (I) defines the strength of interaction between a wetland and the surrounding ground- and surface-water system. The second interaction index (S) defines the nature of the interaction between the wetland and the surrounding ground- and surface-water system (source versus sink). Evaluation of these indices using published wetland water-budget data illustrates the usefulness of the technique.

A series of water samples (precipitation, surface water and ground water) from the Devils Lake drainage basin in central North Dakota have been analyzed for their δ18O and δD and 87Sr/86Sr. The δ18O and δD of snow and most ground water samples fall near the meteoric water line, with the ground water being isotopically heavier than the snow, indicating that a portion of the recharge must come from non-winter precipitation events. One ground water and all the surface water samples fall below the meteoric water line, demonstrating extensive evaporation. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio of the snow is more radiogenic than those of the ground water samples, indicating that the ground water has increased its 86Sr content by the dissolution of mafic rock in the aquifer. Stump Lake has a much more radiogenic Sr isotopic ratio than the waters of Devils Lake suggesting a source of water different from that of Devils Lake. The East Stump Lake water, on the other hand, appears to be either a mix of Devils Lake and Stump Lake waters, or Devils Lake water diluted with precipitation.

Sediment cores from Jellyfish Lake were processed under an inert atmos phcre and the pore waters extracted and analyzed for the following parameters: pH, titration alkalinity (TA), Cl-, H4Si04, POd3-, NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SOd2-, and H2S. Additionally, in one set of pore-water samples (core lo), the 613C of the X0, was also determined. The TA, H4Si04, POd3-, NH;+, and H,S increased with depth in the pore waters above anoxic bottom-water values. H,S values increased to 3.8 PM. In one case, both H,SiO, and POd3- concentrations increased to a maximum value and then decreased with depth, suggesting removal into solid phases. The H,SiO, concentrations are equal to or greater than pore-water values observed in sediments underlying upwelling areas. Pod3 - concentrations are, in general, lower than pore-water values from terrigenous nearshore areas but higher than nearshore carbonate pore-water values from Florida Bay or Bermuda. The Ca2+, Cl-, and Mg2+ : Cl- ratios show slight decreases in the top 15-20 cm, suggesting that authigenic carbonate may be forming. This suggestion is supported by the fact that the pore waters are saturated with respect to CaCO, due to the very high TAs. The 613C measurements of the pore-water X0, are from a shorter core. These measurements reach their most negative concentration at 72 cm and tilen become slightly heavier. This change is accompanied by a decrease in TA, suggesting the onset of methanogenesis at this location in this core.

An 84 cm sediment core collected from the center of Devils Lake, North Dakota, was analyzed at 1-cm intervals for, 21°pb, 137Cs, sediment conductivity, the concentrations of, biogenic silica, total organic carbon, carbon to nitrogen ratio, and the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of tbe organic fraction. Variations in Z1°Pb activities in the upper 20 centimeters indicate that sediment accumulations rates in Devils Lake are not constant, and that accumulation rates were highest during periods of high lake level. The mean sedimentation accumulation rate was calculated as 0.24 cm -1 yr. The 137Cs profile is characterized by near-surface maximum concentrations, possibly the result of redistribution of 137Cs during salinity excursions. Biogenic silica is strongly correlated to lake level in Devils Lake. Periods of low lake level (characterized by high sediment conductivity) correspond to low biogenic silica concentrations. The trends in biogenic silica are attributed m variations in diatom productivity in the lake and to variations in sediment accumulation rates. Based on biogenic silica content and the composition of organic matter in the sediment (total organic carbon, carbon:nitrogen ratio and the 613C and dlSN composition of total organic matter), paleobiologic conditions of Devils Lake during low lake stands were characterized by, (1) decreased primary productivity, (2) decreased input of detrital organic matter, and (3) increased nitrogen availability. During the 350 years of sediment accumulation represented by the 84-cm sediment core Devils Lake has experienced two periods of sustained high lake level; one between about 130 and 170 years ago (1820 to 1860 A.D.) and the second between 270 and 310 years ago (1680 to 1720 A.D.). Devils Lake experienced a period of intense drying about 260 years ago (1720 A.D.).

Sediment cores were collected for pore-water analysis from the eastern end of Devils Lake, located in northeastern North Dakota, to determine diagenetic reactions occurring in surficial bottom sediments and to evaluate the impact of these reactions on chemical concentrations in the overlying lake water. Sediment pore waters are enriched in major ions and nutrients relative to lake water. The principal sources of major ions to pore water are saline sediments located in the upper 1 m of bottom sediment. The principal source of titration alkalinity and nutrients to pore water is microbial decomposition of sedimentary organic matter by sulfate reduction. Sediment pore waters in the eastern part of Devils Lake have higher major-ion concentrations and solute-flux rates than the sediment pore waters in the central part of the lake. In contrast, sediment pore waters in the central part of Devils Lake have significantly higher nutrient concentrations and solute-flux rates. Major-ion concentrations and solute-flux rates in sediment pore water increase from west to east. These trends indicate that bottom-sediment diagenetic processes are, in part, responsible for the observed concentration gradient in the lake. The higher nutrient concentrations and the higher nutrient diffusional-flux rates in Main Bay are the result of more labile sedimentary organic matter and the occurrence of sulfate reduction. Environmentally-reactive trace-metal concentrations (Cu, Pb, Zn, and Fe) in bottom sediments decrease from west to east with distance from the surface-water sources and with increasing surface-water salinity.

Two cores were collected from supratidal estuarine sediment near the lead smelter located at Port Pirie, South Australia. These sediment cores were analyzed for trace metal (Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Cd and Ag) concentrations and excess Pb‐210 activity. Both cores, PP1 and PP2, exhibited trace metal enrichments well above the expected background concentrations for uncontaminated sediments. In particular, PP2 located down the prevailing wind direction from the smelter, contained extremely high concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd, 2960, 5390, and 120 μgg‐1. By combining the metal concentration data and the excess Pb‐210 data we were able to construct histories of the flux of metal to the sediment. Maximum trace metal fluxes to the Gulf appear to have occurred in the 1950—1960s while minima took place during the Great Depression period into World War II. The maxima fluxes of Pb, Cd and Zn downwind from the smelter are as high as ever reported in an aquatic environment.

Major elements data are presented for a number of surface water samples from the Vojvodina region of Yugoslavia. These include samples from the Danube and Tisa Rivers as well as from three lakes in the Pannonian Plain. The data indicate that surface waters evolved to two major water types: Na-CO3-SO4-Cl and Na-Cl. The chemical composition of the surface water from this region has been strongly affected by anthropogenic activities including irrigation and the direct introduction of various chemical species, especially Na and Cl. It appears that the major element chemistry of a number of lakes in this region has changed since the 1950s.

The chemical composition of saline, acidic pore waters at a groundwater discharge zone were investigated to delineate the biogeochemical conditions which occur within this zone. The discharge area was a surface exposure of a subsurface gradient where regional groundwaters of low pH and salinities similar to seawater were mixing with anoxic, sulfidic brines which were refluxing after evaporation within the lake. Shallow pore-water samples collected along transects from the lake edge into the lake revealed large increases in nitrate and iron and small increases in manganese. Ratios of sulfate to chloride near the shore were similar to those found in seawater while ratios increased further into the lake. The mixing of the regional groundwaters with the reflux brines apparently resulted in nitrification, sulfur oxidation and iron reduction. The sulfide in the brines appeared to have been generated at some remote location, probably on the eastern side of the lake where neutral and saline groundwaters discharge and cyanobacterial mats proliferate. Hence, biogeochemical processes occurring in the western discharge zone were fueled primarily by microbial activities in an area situated a few kilometers away.

We have analyzed the waters of the Lake Tyrrell system for the trace metals, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cu and Zn. In a number of samples both dissolved Fe T and Fe 2+ were also determined. Great care was exercized to minimize any contamination of the samples. Not surprisingly the highest metal concentrations occur in the low-pH, high-Eh regional groundwaters, with much lower values observed in the reflux brines and the neutral Wahpool-Timboram waters. It is thought that the source of these metals to the groundwaters is the dissolution of a suite of heavy minerals within the aquifer, the Pliocene Parilla Sand. As the acid groundwaters flow toward the lake some metals are removed near lake edge at depth. The metal concentrations in the spring zone region indicate an extremely dynamic system, where at different times of the year due to changes in the hydrologic regime metals can be either removed or solubilized.

We have conducted a preliminary survey of analyzed surface sediment samples from approximately twenty lakes in Australia for their Fe, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations. In addition lake sediments from the gold mining areas of Western Australia (WA) were analyzed for Ag, and samples from NW Victoria were analyzed for Mn, Ni, Co, Cr and V. These lakes are discharge zones for regional and/or local saline groundwaters. The groundwaters entering many of these lakes have very low pH’s (pH 3–4) and contain extremely high dissolved Fe concentrations. These low pH waters may also contain high concentrations of trace metals and radionuclides from the 238U decay series.

Backscatter scanning electron microscopy (BSEM) was used to evaluate microdiagenesis in biogenic carbonates of the Pungo River Formation, a phosphate-bearing, Miocene, continental shelf deposit in North Carolina. Results of this new high-resolution technique correlate well to the downsection δ 18 O variation of three species of benthic foraminifera. This technique is useful in the evaluation of diagenesis prior to isotopic analysis for paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic purposes.