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Evaluating the Advective Capacity of Regional Groundwater Flow Regimes to Transport Legacy DRP in a Tiled Farm Field of The Maumee River Watershed

McCormick, Matthew Ryan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1620579888383649

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science, University of Toledo, Geology.
Recent research investigating the contributions of non-point legacy dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) sources to DRP loading in the Maumee River watershed has relied heavily on edge of field methods. While edge of field methods consider the hydraulic and chemical parameters of tile drainage and overland flow, these studies neglect to consider the field-scale groundwater flow regimes which control the mobilization and advection of DRP to tile drains. Understanding the field-scale advective capacity of groundwater can aid in the assessment and modeling of the impacts of legacy sources on watershed DRP loading. A tile drained farm field with legacy soil P accumulation resulting from decades of biosolid applications within the Maumee River watershed was selected as a study site to evaluate the advective capacity of two groundwater flow regimes: rapid return flow (RRF) and slower groundwater baseflow (SBF). 15 piezometers were installed throughout the farm field to characterize the unconfined aquifer, monitor the potentiometric surface, and permit groundwater sampling. Hydrograph separation of piezometer and tile drain hydrographs yielded the RRF and SBF components of groundwater and tile discharge. The legacy P source in the soil profile was characterized by sampling the soil profile at increasing depths. Results show significant legacy soil P accumulation in the near surface soil profile (100-300ppm soil test phosphorus, 0-60cm), with a stratification of concentrations that decreased as depth in the soil profile increased. Elevated groundwater DRP concentrations observed after recharge indicate that gravity drainage is mobilizing legacy P sequestered in the soil profile. The RRF component of piezometer hydrographs was found to transport considerably less DRP than SBF, accounting for 13% of total discharge and 11% of DRP mass transported. This regime dynamic was also present in groundwater and tile drain discharge as baseflow. The total DRP mass discharged by the tile drain (357.65g) was found to be less than the mass transported by groundwater to the tile drain (388.80g), raising the possibility of sequestration as DRP mass moves through the unconfined aquifer. The results of this study highlight the advective capacity of groundwater flow, especially SBF, to transport legacy DRP to tile drains. RRF was found to be a minor contributor to DRP mass input and advection due to limited discharge capacity. SBF is the dominate flow regime in legacy DRP systems due to slow recession of head and prolonged interaction with the soil P source. In traditional systems, RRF is the flow regime often linked to DRP mass transport. However, these results show that SBF dominates DRP mass transport in legacy systems due to the nature of the P source and the process of mobilization. Given these results, it is recommended that future research consider regional groundwater flow regimes when assessing the impact of non-point legacy DRP sources. To date, no studies have evaluated the capacity of groundwater and its associated regimes for advective potential in legacy systems. Understanding the field scale hydraulic mechanisms controlling legacy DRP runoff can aid in the development of mitigation measures and conservation techniques to decrease DRP loading in the Maumee River watershed.
James Martin-Hayden, Dr. (Advisor)
Daryl Dwyer, Dr. (Committee Member)
Kevin Czajkowski, Dr. (Committee Member)
63 p.
Agricultural Chemicals; Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Geology; Hydrologic Sciences; Hydrology; Water Resource Management
DRP, dissolved reactive phosphorus, legacy phosphorus, legacy DRP, Lake Erie, Maumee River, legacy soil phosphorus, tile drains, groundwater, agriculture, row crops, subsurface nutrient runoff, tile drain runoff, phosphorus loading, advection

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Citations

  • McCormick, M. R. (2021). Evaluating the Advective Capacity of Regional Groundwater Flow Regimes to Transport Legacy DRP in a Tiled Farm Field of The Maumee River Watershed [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1620579888383649

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McCormick, Matthew. Evaluating the Advective Capacity of Regional Groundwater Flow Regimes to Transport Legacy DRP in a Tiled Farm Field of The Maumee River Watershed. 2021. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1620579888383649.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McCormick, Matthew. "Evaluating the Advective Capacity of Regional Groundwater Flow Regimes to Transport Legacy DRP in a Tiled Farm Field of The Maumee River Watershed." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1620579888383649

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1620579888383649
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This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.