[1] We study channelization and slope destabilization driven by subsurface (groundwater) flow in a laboratory experiment. The pressure of the water entering the sand pile from below as well as the slope of the sand pile are varied. We present quantitative understanding of the three modes of sediment mobilization in this experiment: surface erosion, fluidization, and slumping. The onset of erosi...

A 100 km deep liquid water ocean probably underlies the icy exterior of Jupiter’s satellite Europa. The long-term persistence of a liquid ocean beneath an ice shell presents a thermal conundrum: Is the temperature of the ocean equal to the freezing point of water at the bottom of the ice shell, or is it equal to the somewhat warmer temperature at which water attains its maximum density? We argu...

Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to determine the response of a vitreous silica surface in contact with water to radiation damage. The defects caused by radiation damage create channels that promote high H mobility and result in significantly higher concentration and deeper penetration of H in the silica subsurface. These subsurface H hop between acidic sites such as SiOH2 and Si–(...

Sedimentary microorganisms can be used as a sensitive indicator of integrated aquatic environment quality assessment and indicate long-term water quality or toxicity. According to the Chinese National Standards of GB 3838-2002 and GB 18918-2002, the comprehensive water quality in Haihe River Basin has been described. Results showed that the comprehensive water quality in 6 sites, 4 sites, and 2...

Current study was carried out with aim to evaluate the effect of pressurized irrigation methods and furrow irrigation method with municipal effluent on distribution of salinity and moisture in the soil profile. The experimental study was designed by split plot layout with three irrigation methods including furrow, surface drip (SD) irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation (SSD) and two water q...

Ground-water contamination by crude oil, and other petroleum-based liquids, is a widespread problem. An average of 83 crude-oil spills occurred per year during 1994-96 in the United States, each spilling about 50,000 barrels of crude oil (U.S. Office of Pipeline Safety, electronic commun., 1997). An understanding of the fate of organic contaminants (such as oil and gasoline) in the subsurface i...

Current study was carried out with aim to evaluate the effect of pressurized irrigation methods and furrow irrigation method with municipal effluent on distribution of salinity and moisture in the soil profile. The experimental study was designed by split plot layout with three irrigation methods including furrow, surface drip (SD) irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation (SSD) and two water q...

Using ground-penetrating radars to investigate the subsurface of Mars will be a key scientific objective over the next several years, especially in light of the large possibility that water could exist within the planet. Radars operating from a few megahertz up to a gigahertz will be able to provide valuable information concerning the subsurface electrical structure at resolutions ranging from ...

Critical zone evolution, structure, and function are driven by energy and mass fluxes into and through the terrestrial subsurface. We have developed an approach to quantifying the effective energy and mass transfer (EEMT, MJ m−2 yr−1) to the subsurface that accounts for local variations in topography, water and energy balances, and primary production. Our objectives were to quantify how (i) loc...

Rain garden (RG) has been developed and applied to low-impact designs for the purpose of water quality enhancement. A RG consists of a surface storage basin and subsurface infiltrating layers. The storage basin is designed to be shallow, flat, and wide with an overtopping weir to pass excessive flows, while the subsurface infiltrating system is composed of two layers of filtering media. The upp...