The impact of climate change on vadose zone pore waters and its implication for long-term monitoring

Glassley, William E.; Nitao, John J.; Grant, Charles W.; Johnson, James W.; Steefel, Carl I.; Kercher, J.R.

doi:10.1016/s0098-3004(03)00014-1

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The timing and amount of groundwater recharge can be affected by the thickness of the vadose zone, as simulated for a temperate zone . The vadose zone of some semiarid and arid regions responds slowly to terrestrial climate, and its long-term dynamics pose important challenges for understanding of the effects of climate change and variability on the vadose zone (Glassley et al 2003;Phillips 1994). Glassley et al (2003) showed that vadose-zone pore-water chemistries in the southwestern United States are still adjusting to relatively recent, post-glacial climate changes, and are not at a steady state (Phillips 1994).…”

Section: Soil Water and Vadose Zone Hydrologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Climate Change and Groundwater

Green

2016

Integrated Groundwater Management

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Projected global change includes groundwater systems, which are linked with changes in climate over space and time. Consequently, global change affects key aspects of subsurface hydrology (including soil water, deeper vadose zone water, and unconfined and confined aquifer waters), surface-groundwater interactions, and water quality. Research and publications addressing projected climate effects on subsurface water are catching up with surface water studies. Even so, technological advances, new insights and understanding are needed regarding terrestrial-subsurface systems, biophysical process interactions, and feedbacks to atmospheric processes. Importantly, groundwater resources need to be assessed in the context of atmospheric CO 2 enrichment, warming trends and associated changes in intensities and frequencies of wet and dry periods, even though projections in space and time are uncertain. Potential feedbacks of groundwater on the global climate system are largely unknown, but may be stronger than previously assumed. Groundwater has been depleted in many regions, but management of subsurface storage remains an important option to meet the combined demands of agriculture, industry (particularly the energy sector), municipal and domestic water supply, and ecosystems. In many regions, groundwater is central to the water-food-energy-climate nexus. Strategic adaptation to global change must include flexible, integrated groundwater management over many decades. Adaptation itself must be adaptive over time. Further research is needed to improve our understanding of climate and groundwater interactions and to guide integrated groundwater management.

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Section: Soil Water and Vadose Zone Hydrologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Climate Change and Groundwater

Green

2016

Integrated Groundwater Management

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“…In order to quantitatively evaluate the characteristic response of a typical vadose zone to climate change, we conducted a series of simulations using the reactive transport simulator NUFT‐C (Non‐isothermal Unsaturated‐saturated Flow and Transport—Chemistry; Glassley et al, 2001, 2003; Nitao, 1998). NUFT‐C simulates multicomponent, multiphase, saturated and unsaturated reactive transport for nonequilibrium, nonisothermal systems.…”

Section: Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These capabilities provide a quantitative description of the evolution of the permeability field as transport and chemical reactions occur, thus providing a direct feedback that modifies fluid flux. A more extensive description of the code is available in Glassley et al (2003) Although designed to run on a massively parallel IBM SP‐2 computer with 1200 processors (Mirin, 1998), allowing us to conduct high‐resolution simulations of complex geochemical and hydrological systems, versions of the code are available that run on single processor work stations and personal computers.…”

Section: Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Climate Change on the Chemical Composition of Deep Vadose Zone Waters

Glassley

Nitao

Grant

2002

Vadose Zone Journal

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Chloride mass balance, and stable (deuterium and 18O) and radiogenic (3H, 36Cl) isotope studies of deep vadose zone pore waters have generally concluded that variations in moisture flux can account for the observed variations in abundance of these approximately conservative tracers. It can be inferred, on the basis of these observations and interpretations, that a climate change record is preserved in these vadose zone waters. In arid regions where thick (>100 m) vadose zones persist, it has been concluded that this record may extend back more than 100 000 yr. Consideration of the mechanisms that control reactive transport led to the conclusion that such climate‐driven effects will also be evident as chemical reactions involving dissolution and/or precipitation of mineral phases along the flow pathway. As a result, there should also be variations in the concentrations of nonconservative chemical species that correspond to changes in the concentrations of the conservative tracers. Simulations of this reactive transport, in a regime typical of the arid U.S. Southwest, demonstrate that these changes can modify pore water chemistry by factors of up to 200%, but the changes take place slowly, requiring thousands of years to achieve steady‐state conditions. This suggests that a very rich archive of climate change history is preserved in this type of setting. However, extracting that history is currently hampered by limitations in data and models (e.g., effective mineral reactive surface areas, fluid flow pathways, and quantified models of wetted fracture surface in unsaturated, fractured systems). This challenge may be overcome if coordinated efforts are undertaken that exploit the power of detailed studies of isotope systematics, microscale rock characterization, and high performance computing.

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“…are controlled by temperature, solution composition and In order to quantitatively evaluate the characteristic ionic strength, exposed reactive mineral surface areas, response of a typical vadose zone to climate change, we and the net free energy change of the relevant dissoluconducted a series of simulations using the reactive transtion and precipitation reactions. The relevant rate equaport simulator NUFT-C (Non-isothermal Unsaturatedtion proposed by Lasaga et al (1994) is saturated Flow and Transport-Chemistry; Glassley et al, 2001Glassley et al, , 2003Nitao, 1998). NUFT-C simulates multi-…”

Section: Background Pathways and Quantified Models Of Wetted Fracturmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they also noted that the broad range in reaction rate constants as well as tions occur, thus providing a direct feedback that modif-conditions in each simulation (8.75 mm yr Ϫ1 infiltration ies fluid flux. A more extensive description of the code flux and 17.7ЊC surface temperature) were selected is available in Glassley et al (2003). Although designed based on earlier simulations of Yucca Mountain therto run on a massively parallel IBM SP-2 computer with mal-hydrology behavior (e.g., Buscheck et al, 1999).…”

Section: Vadose Zone Water Chemistry and Mineralogicalmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Climate Change on the Chemical Composition of Deep Vadose Zone Waters

Glassley

Nitao

Grant

2002

Vadose Zone Journal

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is a product of those physical and chemical interactions that take place among water, mineral surfaces, and pore Chloride mass balance, and stable (deuterium and 18 O) and radiogas in the unsaturated zone (Faybishenko, 2000). If genic ( 3 H, 36 Cl) isotope studies of deep vadose zone pore waters have generally concluded that variations in moisture flux can account for the moisture flux varies in the vadose zone as a result of observed variations in abundance of these approximately conservative variation in climate, it is likely that the dissolved load tracers. It can be inferred, on the basis of these observations and in vadose zone pore waters will also vary in sympathetic interpretations, that a climate change record is preserved in these ways. It is the purpose of this paper to evaluate the vadose zone waters. In arid regions where thick (Ͼ100 m) vadose magnitude and extent of this potential sympathetic varizones persist, it has been concluded that this record may extend back ation using published data and simulations of reactive more than 100 000 yr. Consideration of the mechanisms that control transport in the vadose zone. The conclusion is reached reactive transport led to the conclusion that such climate-driven effects that significant changes in the composition of vadose will also be evident as chemical reactions involving dissolution and/ zone pore waters should occur in response to climateor precipitation of mineral phases along the flow pathway. As a result, forced changes in infiltration flux and surface temperathere should also be variations in the concentrations of nonconservative chemical species that correspond to changes in the concentrations ture. As a result, there is a potentially rich archive of of the conservative tracers. Simulations of this reactive transport, in regional-scale climate change data preserved within a regime typical of the arid U.S. Southwest, demonstrate that these large regions of most continental land masses. However, changes can modify pore water chemistry by factors of up to 200%, interpreting empirical pore water chemical composibut the changes take place slowly, requiring thousands of years to tions in terms of past climate change is currently probachieve steady-state conditions. This suggests that a very rich archive lematic because of uncertainties in key parameters that of climate change history is preserved in this type of setting. However, control the chemical kinetics and the hydrologic history. extracting that history is currently hampered by limitations in data and models (e.g., effective mineral reactive surface areas, fluid flow 1967), and deposition of chloride on land surfaces was tional Laboratory, Livermore CA 94550. Received 25 Jan. 2002. *Corconceptualized, use of chloride as a tracer for water responding author (glassley1@llnl.gov). movement in vadose zones became relatively common (e.g., Allison et al.

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The impact of climate change on vadose zone pore waters and its implication for long-term monitoring

Cited by 15 publications

References 37 publications

Linking Climate Change and Groundwater

Linking Climate Change and Groundwater

The Impact of Climate Change on the Chemical Composition of Deep Vadose Zone Waters

The Impact of Climate Change on the Chemical Composition of Deep Vadose Zone Waters

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