Zugl.: Köln, University, Diss., 2008.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis characterises and discusses two continuous coastal Southern Hemispheric (SH) atmospheric radon (222Rn) signals. Large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns are important components of the climate system implicated in driving catastrophic events such as extreme droughts and mega-wildfires and radon measurements at coastal sites provide valuable information on interactions of terrestrial and oceanic air masses on regional to hemispheric scales. The main collaborating SH atmospheric observatories in this study are located at Cape Grim (CGO, Tasmania, 1992-2017) and Cape Point (CPO, South Africa, 1999-2017). The radon signal from a high-altitude remote island oceanic site in the Northern Hemisphere Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO, Hawaii, 2004-2015) is also incorporated for comparison purposes. The CGO radon signal is the longest and most sensitive in current existence. A variety of statistical, spectral, trend, back-trajectory and trajectory density methods are utilized in this study to illuminate features of the datasets on multiple scales. Strongly skewed radon distributions occur, with a large number of events falling into a compact range of low values (corresponding to marine air-masses) and a smaller number of events spread over a wide range of high-radon values (continental air-masses). Making use of Fast Fourier Transform power spectral analysis, prominent periodicities are identified on diurnal and annual scales. Inter-annual variations in seasonal and diurnal radon and meteorological characteristics, indicating changes in the continental/oceanic atmospheric mixing state, are evident especially during the period from 2012 to 2017, perhaps associated with the strong El-Niño southern oscillation centred on 2015. A slow but systematic decline in CGO and CPO radon levels is evident over the dataset, associated with fewer continental and more marine air-masses impacting the coastal stations. The long-term trends observed in the atmospheric radon signal may indicate changes in SH circulation patterns over time, perhaps associated with climate change effects.

Regions of surface water and groundwater exchange are major sites for the transfer and transformation of solutes and nutrients between stream and subsurface environments. Conventional stream and groundwater exchange investigations are limited by methodologies that require intensive field investigations and/or the set-up of expensive infrastructure. These difficulties are exacerbated where hydraulic gradients are very low and stream discharge highly variable. This thesis uses a suite of environmental tracers (Cl-, Rn-222, H-2 & O-18, Sr-87/Sr-86) to characterise the extent of stream and groundwater exchange between a sand bed stream and adjacent alluvial aquifer in a subtropical catchment (the Wollombi Brook) of eastern Australia. The aims were to identify sources and relative contributions of different sources of groundwater to stream discharge and specifically to improve the methodology of using Rn-222 to obtain quantitative estimate of groundwater fluxes. The sensitivity of the Rn-222 technique for identifying groundwater discharge based on the Rn-222 concentration in stream water was improved via an iterative numerical approach to account for Rn-222 loss from stream water via turbulent gas exchange and radioactive decay. Optimal distances between stream sampling points for defining the magnitude of groundwater discharge to stream flow based on Rn-222 concentrations in stream water is a function of average stream velocity and water depth. The maximum allowable distance between sampling points for determining the magnitude of groundwater discharge to the Wollombi Brook was 2 km. This work showed that groundwater discharged to all reaches of the Wollombi Brook during baseflow and flood recession conditions. Alluvial groundwater contributed less than 30% of water to stream flow in the mid Wollombi Brook catchment. Dilution of steady-state Rn-222 concentrations measured in transects from the stream to the alluvial sediments showed that significant surface water and groundwater exchange occurs even when gradients between surface water and groundwater are low. Lateral stream water influx to the adjacent alluvial aquifer was more extensive in the lowland areas of the Wollombi Catchment during low flow than flood recession conditions. Extensive stream water influx to the adjacent alluvial aquifer occurs contrary to the net direction of surface water and groundwater flux (as indicated by hydraulic gradients toward the stream channel). The rate of stream and groundwater exchange within the adjacent alluvial aquifer appears to be greatest during baseflow conditions. Fresh alluvial groundwater appeared to provide a buffer against higher salinity regional groundwater discharge to the alluvial aquifer in some reaches of the Wollombi Brook catchment. Pumping of the alluvial aquifer and diversions of surface water may jeopardise the water quality and volume of the alluvial aquifer and induce water flow from the regional aquifer toward the stream, potentially salinising the fresh alluvial aquifer and subsequently the stream. The change in the Cl- concentration and the variation in slope of the deuterium � oxygen-18 line between consecutive stream sampling points could be used to differentiate between regional and alluvial groundwater discharge to stream flow. Incorporating this information with three-component end-member mixing using [Sr2+] and Sr-87/Sr-86 showed that stream and alluvial groundwater exchange within the stream channel was highest in the lowland floodplains during low flow conditions. The least stream and alluvial groundwater exchange occurred in the low streambed gradient mid reaches of the Wollombi Brook regardless of stream stage. The greatest difference in the degree of stream and alluvial groundwater exchange between high and low stream stages occurred in the lowland floodplains of the Wollombi Brook.

No description available.

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) represents a significant portion of the total discharge from coastal aquifers through diffuse seepage and point source springs, but can be difficult to locate. SGD is important as it can be a source of nutrients to estuaries and other coastal ecosystems. In an effort to evaluate geophysical and thermal methods for detecting SGD on the Florida Gulf coast, a suite of water-borne surveys were run in conjunction with aerial thermal imagery over the lower Suwannee River and estuary in March and September 2005. Thermal imagery exploits temperature differences between discharging groundwater and surface water. Thermal images were collected in March (dry season), at the end of winter, and at night to maximize the differences between warm groundwater and colder surface water. Generally pore waters in zones of concentrated SGD should be fresher, and hence more resistive than "background" values. Marine streaming resistivity data can detect pore water resistivity variations and were collected alongside continuous 222Rn and CH4 sampling from surface waters. Naturally occurring tracers, 222Rn and CH4, are used as the "standard" against which resistivity and thermal images are compared. Based on the expected properties of discharging groundwater, we hypothesize that in zones of elected tracer concentrations, increased thermal image temperatures and increased terrain resistivities will be observed. The data set as a whole supports this hypothesis. However, regional-scale correlations are clearly and significantly influenced by factors other than SGD including thermal-image noise, the presence of the fresh/salt water interface, and a large regional tracer gradient generated by a first-order spring. At local scales (tens to hundreds of meters) there are no significant correlations between thermal image temperature and tracer concentrations, due at least in part to flight-line edge effects that dominate the thermal imagery. After correcting for regional trends,significant correlations between tracer concentration and log resistivity exist only in a subset of the data that lies offshore. Because neither thermal imagery nor streaming resistivity data consistently support the hypotheses, this study suggests that neither method by itself is reliable for detecting SGD in this area

Cette recherche réalisée dans le cadre d'un projet visant à développer les méthodes de caractérisation des eaux souterraines à l'aide des traceurs isotopiques a été entreprise grâce à un financement du FRQNT (programme partenariats-actions concertées sur les eaux souterraines). Ce projet de maîtrise s'est intéressé à la région de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue. L'objectif était de quantifier l'apport d'eau souterraine aux tourbières à l'aide du 222Rn. Le 222Rn, radionucléide (demi-vie de 3.82 jours), produit par le 226Ra issu de la chaîne de désintégration de 238U, est un excellent traceur pour étudier les interactions entre les eaux souterraines et les eaux de surface. Les tourbières étudiées sont situées sur les flancs des eskers de Saint-Mathieu-de-Berry et de Barraute, de même que sur la moraine d'Harricana. Les sites expérimentaux ont été instrumentés et caractérisés dans le cadre d'un autre projet de recherche également financé par le FRQNT. L'eau recueillie montre des activités en 222Rn de 2,8 à 34,9 Bq/L dans les eaux des eskers et du socle fracturé archéen au-dessous des plaines séparant les eskers. L'activité en 222Rn varie de 0,02 à 16,59 Bq/L dans les eaux de tourbières. Aussi, les tourbières montrent une bonne corrélation entre l'activité du 222Rn et les ions totaux dissous, et plus particulièrement les ions HCO3-, SO42-, Mg2+ et Ca2+. La relation établie entre le 222Rn et la profondeur permet de conclure que la salinité de l'eau provient en grande partie des eaux des eskers. Un bilan de masse entre les eaux de l'aquifère, riches en 222Rn et les eaux de tourbières appauvries en sels et en 222Rn, permet d'estimer qu'entre 0,03 et 39% de toute l'eau qui alimente les tourbières provient de l'eau souterraine des eskers. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : 222Rn, tourbière, esker, eau souterraine, eau de surface, traçage, Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

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