Dissolved Gas, Environmental Tracer Concentrations, and Lumped Parameter Modeling Results for Groundwater Age Dating in the Glacial Aquifer System, Conterminous United States

Dates

Publication Date: 2019-03-01
Start Date: 2004
End Date: 2014

Citation

Solder, J.E., 2019, Dissolved Gas, Environmental Tracer Concentrations, and Lumped Parameter Modeling Results for Groundwater Age Dating in the Glacial Aquifer System, Conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F77S7KT5.

Summary

This data release documents nine Microsoft Excel tables that contain data for understanding groundwater ages in the Glacial aquifer system. Results for the three sample networks (PAS, principal aquifer study; MSS, modeling support study; FPS, flow path study) are described by three tables each: dissolved gas modeling results, environmental tracer concentrations (tritium, tritiogenic helium-3, sulfur hexafluoride, carbon-14, and radiogenic helium-4), and results for the mean age and age distribution. Tables are labeled by network and data type (as described below) separated by an underscore (_). For example, dissolved gas modeling results from the PAS network is label ‘PAS_NGmodel’. Dissolved gas modeling results (NGmodel) contains [...]

Summary

This data release documents nine Microsoft Excel tables that contain data for understanding groundwater ages in the Glacial aquifer system. Results for the three sample networks (PAS, principal aquifer study; MSS, modeling support study; FPS, flow path study) are described by three tables each: dissolved gas modeling results, environmental tracer concentrations (tritium, tritiogenic helium-3, sulfur hexafluoride, carbon-14, and radiogenic helium-4), and results for the mean age and age distribution. Tables are labeled by network and data type (as described below) separated by an underscore (_). For example, dissolved gas modeling results from the PAS network is label ‘PAS_NGmodel’.

Dissolved gas modeling results (NGmodel) contains detailed information on the calibration of dissolved gas models to dissolved gas concentrations (neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and nitrogen). Calibration was done using methods described by Aeschbach-Hertig and others (1999) with modifications to include nitrogen gas (Weiss 1970). In most cases, a single set of noble gas data (neon, argon, krypton, and xenon) were used to determine recharge conditions (recharge temperature, excess air or entrapped air, fractionation). In cases where noble gas data were not available, multiple analyses of nitrogen and argon (collected sequentially on the same sample date) were used to determine recharge conditions.

Environmental tracer results (Tracers) contain detailed information on calculations of environmental tracer data. Dissolved gas models were paired with sulfur hexafluoride and helium isotopes (3He/4He) and helium to determine concentrations of tritiogenic helium-3 (from decay of tritium; Solomon and Cook, 2000) and radiogenic helium-4 (from decay of uranium and thorium in aquifer materials; Solomon, 2000). Multiple tracer concentrations were computed when sites had multiple dissolved gas model results and analyses for sulfur hexafluoride or helium isotopes.

Mean age and age distribution results (LPMModOut) contain final models of groundwater age by calibration of lumped parameter models to tracer concentrations (Jurgens and others, 2012). One additional table describes LPM results from a previous sampling of the FPS network in 2004. Tracer concentrations from 2004 FPS sampling are described in previous publication (Tesoriero et al., 2007; Saad, 2008). Dissolved gas modeling and environmental tracer results were averaged when multiple dissolved gas models and tracer concentrations were computed. In cases where age was modeled with a binary lumped parameter model (BMM), the mean age was computed from the mean age and fraction of the two components in the mixture. Please see the processing steps below and the main manuscript for additional details on the results presented in this table.

Aeschbach-Hertig, W., F. Peeters, U. Beyerle, and R. Kipfer (1999), Interpretation of dissolved atmospheric noble gases in natural waters, Water Resour. Res., 35(9), 2779–2792,https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/1999WR900130.

Jurgens, B.C., Böhlke, J.K., and Eberts, S.M., 2012, TracerLPM (Version 1): An Excel® workbook for interpreting groundwater age distributions from environmental tracer data: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods Report 4-F3, 60p.

Saad, D.A., 2008, Agricultural-related trends in groundwater quality of the glacial deposits aquifer, central Wisconsin. J. Environ. Qual., 37:S-209 – S-225. doi:10.2134/jeq2007.0053

Solomon, D.K. 2000. 4He in groundwater. In Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology, ed. P.G. Cook and A.L. Herczeg, 425-439. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Solomon, D.K., and P.G. Cook. 2000. 3H and 3He. In Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology, ed. P.G. Cook and A.L. Herczeg, 197-424. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Tesoriero, A.J., Saad, D.A., Burow, K.R., Frick, E.A., Puckett, L.J., and Barbash, J.E., 2007, Linking ground-water age and chemistry data along flow paths: Implications for trends and transformations of nitrate and pesticides. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 94, 139-155, doi: 10.1016/j.conhyd.2007.05.007.

Weiss, R. F., 1970, The solubility of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon in water and seawater, Deep Sea Research, vol. 17, pp. 721-735, https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-7471(70)90037-9.

Contacts

Point of Contact :: John E Solder
Originator :: John E Solder
Metadata Contact :: Jennifer B Sharpe
Publisher :: U.S. Geological Survey
USGS Mission Area :: Water Resources
SDC Data Owner :: Utah Water Science Center
Distributor :: U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase

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Groundwater_Age_Glacial_Aquifer_System_Metadata.xml “Metadata” Original FGDC Metadata	View	52.15 KB	application/fgdc+xml
Groundwater_Age_Glacial_Aquifer_System.zip “Data Tables and Metadata”		1.14 MB	application/zip

Purpose

Dissolved gas and environmental tracer data were collected from drinking-water wells that withdraw water from the Glacial Alluvial aquifer system in 2014 and 2004 to understand the age and vulnerability of the aquifer to natural and anthropogenic contaminants.

Dissolved Gas, Environmental Tracer Concentrations, and Lumped Parameter Modeling Results for Groundwater Age Dating in the Glacial Aquifer System, Conterminous United States

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