A 17-Year Record of Environmental Tracers in Spring Discharge, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA
Busenberg E and Plummer LN. 2013. A 17-Year Record of Environmental Tracers in Spring Discharge, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA. Aquatic Geochemistry
Use of Climatic Data and Environmental Conditions to Interpret Discharge, Dissolved Solutes, and Tracer Concentrations. A 17-year record (1995–2012) of a suite of environmental tracer concentrations in discharge from 34 springs located along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park (SNP), Virginia, USA, reveals patterns and trends that can be related to climatic and environmental conditions. These data include a 12-year time series of monthly sampling at five springs, with measurements of temperature, specific conductance, pH, and discharge recorded at 30-min intervals. The monthly measurements include age tracers (CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-13, SF6, and SF5CF3), dissolved gases (N2, O2, Ar, CO2, and CH4), stable isotopes of water, and major and trace inorganic constituents. The chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)concentrations (in pptv) in spring discharge closely follow the concurrent monthly measurements of their atmospheric mixing ratios measured at the Air Monitoring Station at Big Meadows, SNP, indicating waters 0–3 years in age.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Busenberg, Eurybiades; Plummer, L.
- Units
- SHEN
- Keywords
- Chemical, climatic impact, Discharge, Isotopic, Oceanic Nino Index, Springs, Watershed
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Groundwater Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry