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At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
USGS2014

Fluctuations in artesian pressure produced by passing railroad‐trains as shown in a well on Long Island, New York

Perhaps one of the chief interests of ground‐water hydrologists is the study of water‐level fluctuations. Since the beginning of the science of hydrology attempts have been made to interpret these phenomena and determine their significance. On the basis of actual observations and “with special reference to Long Island, New York,” Veatch [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] in 1906 considered in some detail several different causes of water‐level fluctuations. He placed the known causes under two general headings, natural and human. However, considering proximate rather than ultimate causes a further classification might be, and indeed often is, made with regard to the conditions under which the fluctuations are produced by a given agency, natural or human. Thus we speak of ”water‐table conditions“ and ”artesian conditions,“ realizing, however, that the distinction between the two is not always definite. The phenomena peculiar to artesian conditions are usually the result merely of the imperviousness of the confining beds relative to the particular aquifer under consideration. Indeed, it is recognized that perhaps even the most dense clay is not absolutely impervious to the flow of water, given a difference in head, sufficient to produce the flow, though it may be beyond the precision of the means now employed to detect the flow of water through such impervious strata.

New York↗
USGS2014

Discussion of question no. 2 of the International Commission on Subterranean Water: Definitions of the different kinds of subterranean water

The hydrologists who are concerned with the study of the water that occurs below the land‐surface feel strongly the need of better agreement among the different countries as to the fundamental concepts of this branch of hydrology and as to technical terms to designate these concepts. For this reason, the question as to the definitions of different kinds of subterranean water was selected as one of the three questions for discussion by the International Commission on Subterranean Water at the meeting in Edinburgh in 1936 and again (as Question No. 2) at the meeting that is to be held in Washington in September, 1939. The purpose of the International meetings is not only to discuss subjects of mutual interest but also, so far as practicable, to make official decisions. Obviously, decisions on scientific questions should be made only after mature consideration and only on questions as to which there is general agreement. The reports that have been prepared in different countries on the question under consideration and the correspondence and oral discussion appear to show that the way is open for International agreement on some of the basic concepts. A comprehensive paper on the question was prepared for the Edinburgh meeting by Dr. Vasillevskij, of Russia (Internat, Ass. Sci. Hyd., Bull. 22, 1936). Dr. Yasilievskij, in a letter dated January 12, 1939, urges that a beginning be made at the Washington Assembly to adopt new terms on the basis of Latin and Greek roots, these terms to have strict meanings for all countries. The following are tentative suggestions for such a beginning, based especially on information from France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

A conception of runoff‐phenomena

The problem of transforming observed precipitation into stream‐flow for a natural drainage‐basin can be divided into two parts. The first part requires a procedure for determining the amount and kind of runoff that occurs under various conditions. The second part is concerned with the shaping of the runoff into a discharge‐hydrograph for a particular gaging station. (Rainfall‐eccentricities often provide more difficulties than either of the above.) Considerable investigation has been made and is being continued along both lines of research. The unit‐hydrograph and related methods now provide a means of shaping discharge‐hydrographs as accurately as is required by the practical considerations of most problems. However, it is believed that methods for determining the amount and kind of runoff which occur under various conditions have not been demonstrated to an equivalent refinement. It is with the latter problem that this paper is concerned.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Magnetic studies of the Florida peninsula

This investigation was undertaken primarily as a pilot‐experiment for gaining information concerning the field‐technique and accuracy which is needed for covering large areas in detail and at the same time economically. Owing to the complex nature of magnetic observations, such a pilot‐study serves, in addition, as a basis for determining the best methods of presenting the results of large areal studies in an easily comprehensible form. The State of Florida was chosen for such preliminary study for the following reasons: First, because it is geologically ideal for such an investigation since it comprises a series of unconsolidated, flat‐lying, Tertiary and Cretaceous sediments of low magnetic permeability covering a complex and much‐folded crystalline basement composed largely of rocks carrying strongly paramagnetic materials; secondly, because information concerning the structural trends of the crystalline basement would be of great interest and importance in the study of Appalachian orogeny and the relationship of the Florida Peninsula to both the Appalachian and Antillean tectonic systems.

Florida↗
USGS2014

Committee on chemistry of natural waters, 1939–40

The membership of this Committee is as follows: I. A. Dennison, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.; C. S. Scofield, Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.; D. G. Thompson, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D.C.; Prof. T. G. Thompson, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; and C. S. Howard (Chairman), United States Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. The Committee arranged for the presentation of the following five papers at the 1940 Spring meeting: (1) Salt‐water intrusion in the Connecticut River, by C. S. Howard, United States Geological Survey; (2) Salinity‐movement and its causes in the Delaware River Estuary, by William D. Mason and Wallace R. Pietsch, Sun Oil Company; (3) Salinity of, lower Savannah River in relation to tidal action and stream‐flow, by William L. Lamar, United States Geological Survey; (4) Corrosion of ferrous and nonferrous metals and the behavior of metallic coatings in tidal marsh, by I. A. Dennison, National Bureau of Standards; (5) The contamination of underground waters by salt water near Parlin, New Jersey, by H. C. Barksdale, United States Geological Survey.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Committee on runoff, 1939–40

The Runoff Committee during the year has consisted of H. K. Barrows, Merrill Bernard, E. S. Callings, R. S. Goodridge, G. A. Hathaway, Joseph Jacobs, Prof. F. T. Mavis, H. S. Riesbol, Waldo E. Smith, F. F. Snyder, and H. G. Wilm. The Committee represents a rather wide geographic distribution, quite a large variety of interests, and most of the agencies interested in runoff‐problems. Throughout the year members of the Committee have shown interest in runoff‐problems of various kinds as evidenced by numerous articles and discussions in technical publications and by their participation in the deliberations of many working or advisory committees dealing with hydrologic problems. As the Chairman views it, the functions of the members of the research committees are not only to keep abreast of, and to make advances in, the technique relating to their particular fields, but also to demonstrate the practicability of the technique in the field of applied hydrology. Members of the Committee on Runoff have kept these aims in view. As in past years, the Committee is indebted to Miss Mary Soroka of New York City, Chairman of the International Committee on Bibliography, for her compilations of references to all articles relating to runoff, and to Mr. Beij for his work in connection therewith.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Committee on glaciers, 1939–40

The Committee on Glaciers is now composed of the following members: Harry Fielding Reid, Professor Emeritus of Geology, Johns Hopkins University, 608 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Maryland; William H. Hobbs, Professor Emeritus of Geology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Lawrence Martin, Chief of the Division of Maps, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; J. E. Church, Professor of Meteorology, Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada; Wm. Osgood Field, Jr., Explorer, 18 West Twelfth Street, New York, N.Y.; Earl A. Trager, Chief of the Naturalist Division, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.; Oliver Kehrlein, Chairman, Committee on Glacier Studies, 1050 Mills Tower, 220 Bush Street, San Francisco, California; Kenneth N. Phillips, Associate Hydraulic Engineer, Water Resources Branch, United States Geological Survey, Chairman, Research Committee of the Mazamas, 606 Post‐Office Building, Portland, Oregon; William S. Cooper, Professor of Botany, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Gerald FitzGerald, Senior Topographic Engineer, Alaska Branch, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D.C.; Lawrence M. Gould, Professor of Geology, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota; François E. Matthes (Chairman), Senior Geologist, Section of Glacial Geology, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. The international relations of the Committee have changed somewhat during the past year as a result of the consolidation of the International Commission of Glaciers with the International Commission of Snow. That consolidation was effected by the International Association of Scientific Hydrology (to which both commissions belonged) at the triennial meeting in Washington, in September, 1939. Inasmuch as the membership of the new International Commission of Snow and Glaciers comprises the personnel of the two former commissions, our Committee on Glaciers now automatically is represented on the new International Commission by four men—Church, Hobbs, Gould, and Matthes. Moreover, Church is acting President, and it is understood that he will become President as soon as the political situation in Europe permits the holding of a formal election of officers at which all nations interested can exercise their right of voting

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Salt‐water intrusion in the Connecticut River

The intrusion of salt water in the lower Connecticut River Basin was studied during October 1, 1934, to June 30, 1939. The field‐ and laboratory‐work was done as a project of the Works Progress Administration under the sponsorship of the State Water Commission of the State of Connecticut. Some technical assistance was given by the Geological Survey through cooperation with the State Water Commission.

Connecticut↗
USGS2014

Salinity of the lower Savannah River in relation to stream‐flow and tidal action

In order to obtain information needed in planning for industrial development along the Savannah River and in the city of Savannah, Georgia, a study of the salinity of the Savannah River was undertaken by the Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the Georgia Division of Mines, Mining, and Geology. The Works Progress Administration of Georgia and the city of Savannah also cooperated in the study. The Savannah River lies on the boundary between the States of Georgia and South Carolina. The River proper from the mouth to the junction of the Tugaloo and Senaca rivers is 314 miles in length. The area of its watershed is about 10,579 square miles, of which 9,850 square miles are above the stream‐flow gaging‐station near Clyo, Georgia. The River is tidal for about 50 miles above its mouth. The average streamflow for the Savannah River near Clyo, Georgia, was 10,410 and 10,820 second‐feet, respectively, for the years ending September 30, 1938 and 1939. The city of Savannah, Georgia, located on the Savannah River 17 miles above its mouth, is an important seaport and industrial center. The lower Savannah River near the city of Savannah is shown in Figure 1.

Georgia, South Carolina↗
USGS2014

The contamination of ground‐water by salt water near Parlin, New Jersey

The classic studies of Badon Ghyben [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] and Alexander Herzoerg [2].that defined the basic principles governing the relation between salt water and fresh water in water‐bearing sands are now fairly well known. They showed that fresh water floats on the heavier salt Water and that, under static conditions, the ratio between the head of the fresh water above mean sea‐level and the depth of the contact between fresh and salt water below mean sea‐level, is determined by the relative specific gravities of the two waters. Other studies have shown that under ordinary conditions there is little mixing between the fresh and salt waters, so that the zone of contact is narrow. Instances have been observed in which the chloride‐content of the water has ranged from a few parts to several thousand parts per million within a few feet. It would seem, therefore, that the basic conditions under which fresh and salt water occur together in water‐bearing sands are somewhat similar to those in the tidal estuaries of streams. The principal differences are caused by the frictional resistance of the sand which prevents rapid movements of both fluids and probably retards their mixing.

New Jersey↗
USGS2014

Ground‐water recharge in areas of deep water‐table in the Great Plains

It is unanimously agreed, I think, that of the water which falls upon the Earth's surface, a part runs off toward the sea, a part is at least temporarily detained, a part of it evaporates, and a part sinks beneath the ground‐surface. But among students of that water which sinks beneath the Earth's surface, complete agreement as to the course it then takes has not always prevailed. Ground‐water hydrologists have assumed that water can and does reach the water‐table by descending through a great thickness of subsoil in the semi‐arid upland divides of the Great Plains. But many students of soil‐moisture and its use by vegetation in the Great Plains have concluded from their soil‐moisture sampling that water does not descend to the water‐table where the depth to the water‐table is great. Thus Cole and Mathews state in Technical Bulletin 637 of the United States Department of Agriculture, page 69, that “It can be safely said, however, that on the short‐grass land of the Great Plains there is no penetration of upland surface‐water to the water‐table.”

Nebraska↗
USGS2014

On the flow of water in an elastic artesian aquifer

Slichter showed in 1898 that a solution may be obtained for a given problem in the steady motion of ground‐water by solving the familiar Laplace equation and that therefore in steady‐state conditions a problem in the motion of ground‐water is mathematically analogous to a problem in the steady flow of heat or electricity [see 1 of “References” at end of paper]. More recently it has been recognized that the analogy holds also for the non‐steady‐state flow of compressible liquids, in elastic systems as well as in rigid systems. In studying the effect of the discharge of flowing wells on the head in the Dakota sandstone, Meinzer [2, 3] concluded that the water discharged by the wells had largely been derived locally from storage. It was found that the amount of water withdrawn from storage could not be accounted for on the basis of the compressibility of water alone but that it might be accounted for on the basis of the probable compressibility of the sandstone itself. Prior to that time, estimates of water‐supplies from artesian aquifers had been based upon the assumption that artesian aquifers are perfectly incompressible and inelastic However, as Meinzer states [2, p. 289], “artesian aquifers are apparently all more or less compressible and elastic though they differ widely in the degree and relative importance of these properties. In general, the properties of compressibility and elasticity are of the most consequence in aquifers that have low permeability, slow recharge, and high head.”

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Determination of Manning's N from vertical‐velocity curves

Professor M. P. O'Brien [see 1, 2 of “References” at end of paper] has recently shown that data on the vertical distribution of velocity through the theory of turbulent flow as developed by Prandtl, Von Karman, and others may be applied to the determination of friction‐coefficients in open channels. Hydrographers in making measurements of river‐flow have often noticed that in streams having rough bottoms appreciable difference is generally found between the measured velocity at 0.2‐ and 0.8‐depth. It is satisfying to note that Professor O'Brien's calculations are in accord with these general observations.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Channel‐storage and unit‐hydrograph studies

Recent studies of the rainfal‐and‐runoff relation tend towards treatment of the subject in two parts, namely, (1) the ground‐phase, which includes the study of such processes as infiltration and evaporation, and (2) the channel‐phase, which comprehends the study of the flow of water in the channel‐system with particular reference to flood‐wave movement. This paper discusses the channel‐phase.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

A brief review of ground‐water conditions in Michigan

The State of Michigan makes up about one‐half of the area of the great Michigan Synclinal Basin, the remainder of which embraces Lakes Michigan and Huron and small parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario [see 1 (p. 7) of “References” at end of paper]. The Basin has characteristics of both a geosyncline and a major structural basin. The geosynclinal origin is indicated by the facts that the Basin has been progressively downwarped, the beds thicken markedly into the central area, the outline of the course of the outcropping rocks is roughly oval, and the minor structures within the Basin are mostly parallel to the longer diameter of the downwarp. Evidence of several periods of isolation and evaporation and the absence of thick series of coarse clastic sediments in the post‐Cambrian rock‐column are features that are more characteristic of structural basins.

Michigan↗
USGS2014

Ground‐water problems in Ohio, with special reference to the industrial area of Cincinnati in Butler and Hamilton counties

The importance of ground‐water as a natural resource to be used for water‐supply and industrial purposes is often overlooked by the general public. A recent survey conducted by the Engineering News‐Record [see 1 of “References” at end of paper], based on data obtained from State Sanitary engineers, shows that 9,100 out of a total of 12,700 public water‐supply systems in the United States obtain water from underground sources. Of the total population served by public water‐supplies, about 28 per cent or 22,500,000 people are served by systems using ground‐water. In addition to the quantities of water pumped for public supplies, many million gallons of ground‐water are pumped daily for rural, domestic, and industrial purposes. In many of the cities that have public supplies from surface‐sources, there is nevertheless heavy pumping from private wells for industrial purposes.

Ohio↗
USGS2014

Factors influencing runoff during the flood of December, 1937, in northern California

Engineers and hydrologists engaged on flood‐problems throughout much of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains must deal to a considerable extent with wide‐spread storms covering thousands of square miles. The gradations of meteorologic conditions as regard both area and time are relatively homogeneous during such storm‐events and are affected but moderately by orographical influences. Under such conditions similar storm‐characteristics prevail over vast areas. True, precipitation decreases toward the boundaries of such major storm‐areas, and locally precipitation‐rates may greatly exceed the average. Often, however, drainage‐basin after drainage‐basin will yield comparable depths of flood‐runoff. The storms of March, 1936, which resulted in the simultaneous occurrence of floods throughout all of the northeastern part of the United States from Ohio and Virginia to Maine and the storm of January, 1937, which embraced all of the 200,000 square miles comprising the Ohio River drainage are typical of major Eastern disturbances. The storm of December, 1937, in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys is used herein to illustrate what may be called a typical major California disturbance, and it is this storm and resulting flood that I wish to consider in some detail and also to make such comparisons and contrasts with Eastern floods as seem to be of general interest.

California↗
USGS2014

Fluctuations of water‐level in wells in the Los Angeles basin, California, during five strong earthquakes, 1933–1940

Numerous ground‐water hydrologists have obtained records of water‐level surges in wells during earthquakes and of heightened or lowered levels after those earthquakes. Many of these surges and changes of level are undoubtedly direct effects of the several earthquake‐waves that are recorded on seismographs. Thus, water‐level recorders on observation‐wells promise to afford a means of extending greatly the scope of seismographic records for local areas.

California↗