Gary R. Walter

Multi-temporal image analysis of historical aerial photographs and recent satellite imagery reveals evolution of water body surface area and polygonal terrain morphology in Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

Multi-temporal image analysis of very-high-resolution historical aerial and recent satellite imagery of the Ahnewetut Wetlands in Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska, revealed the nature of thaw lake and polygonal terrain evolution over a 54-year period of record comprising two 27-year intervals (1951?1978, 1978?2005). Using active-contouring-based change detection, high-precision orthorectification and co-registration and the normalized difference index, surface area expansion and contraction of 22 shallow water bodies, ranging in size from 0.09 to 179?ha, and the transition of ice-wedge polygons from a low- to a high-centered morphology were quantified. Total surface area decreased by only 0.4% during the first time interval, but decreased by 5.5% during the second time interval. Twelve water bodies (ten lakes and two ponds) were relatively stable with net surface area decreases of ?10%, including four lakes that gained area during both time intervals, whereas ten water bodies (five lakes and five ponds) had surface area losses in excess of 10%, including two ponds that drained completely. Polygonal terrain remained relatively stable during the first time interval, but transformation of polygons from low- to high-centered was significant during the second time interval.

Fatal Flaws in Measuring Landfill Gas Generation Rates by Empirical Well Testing

Abstract Well testing procedures, such as the Tier 3 methodology specified in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Subtitle D, are commonly used for directly estimating landfill gas (LFG) emissions at municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. Similar procedures are also used to estimate LFG generation rates for the design of LFG-to-energy projects. These methodologies assume that the LFG generation rate equals the extraction rate of a test gas well within its radius of influence (ROI). The ROI is defined as the distance from the extraction well at which the induced pressure drop is immeasurable by some standard of precision. Based on fluid dynamic principles, Tier 3 and similar methodologies are demonstrated to be incapable of providing reliable estimates of the LFG generation rate. These tests may either over- or underestimate the LFG generation rate depending on the precision with which the ROI is determined, but they will only coincidentally produce an estimate that accurately represents the actual LFG generation rate. Fluid dynamic principles dictate that the actual LFG generation rate can only be estimated if the pneumatic properties of the refuse and cover materials as well as the excess pressure in the refuse caused by LFG generation are known or can be estimated.

Effect of biogas generation on radon emissions from landfills receiving radium-bearing waste from shale gas development

Dramatic increases in the development of oil and natural gas from shale formations will result in large quantities of drill cuttings, flowback water, and produced water. These organic-rich shale gas formations often contain elevated concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), such as uranium, thorium, and radium. Production of oil and gas from these formations will also lead to the development of technologically enhanced NORM (TENORM) in production equipment. Disposal of these potentially radium-bearing materials in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills could release radon to the atmosphere. Risk analyses of disposal of radium-bearing TENORM in MSW landfills sponsored by the Department of Energy did not consider the effect of landfill gas (LFG) generation or LFG control systems on radon emissions. Simulation of radon emissions from landfills with LFG generation indicates that LFG generation can significantly increase radon emissions relative to emissions without LFG generation, where the radon emissions are largely controlled by vapor-phase diffusion. Although the operation of LFG control systems at landfills with radon source materials can result in point-source atmospheric radon plumes, the LFG control systems tend to reduce overall radon emissions by reducing advective gas flow through the landfill surface, and increasing the radon residence time in the subsurface, thus allowing more time for radon to decay. In some of the disposal scenarios considered, the radon flux from the landfill and off-site atmospheric activities exceed levels that would be allowed for radon emissions from uranium mill tailings. Implications: Increased development of hydrocarbons from organic-rich shale formations has raised public concern that wastes from these activities containing naturally occurring radioactive materials, particularly radium, may be disposed in municipal solid waste landfills and endanger public health by releasing radon to the atmosphere. This paper analyses the processes by which radon may be emitted from a landfill to the atmosphere. The analyses indicate that landfill gas generation can significantly increase radon emissions, but that the actual level of radon emissions depend on the place of the waste, construction of the landfill cover, and nature of the landfill gas control system.

Estimating Aquifer Channel Recharge Using Optical Data Interpretation

Recharge through intermittent and ephemeral stream channels is believed to be a primary aquifer recharge process in arid and semiarid environments. The intermittent nature of precipitation and flow events in these channels, and their often remote locations, makes direct flow and loss measurements difficult and expensive. Airborne and satellite optical images were interpreted to evaluate aquifer recharge due to stream losses on the Frio River in south-central Texas. Losses in the Frio River are believed to be a major contributor of recharge to the Edwards Aquifer. The results of this work indicate that interpretation of readily available remote sensing optical images can offer important insights into the spatial distribution of aquifer recharge from losing streams. In cases where upstream gauging data are available, simple visual analysis of the length of the flowing reach downstream from the gauging station can be used to estimate channel losses. In the case of the Frio River, the rate of channel loss estimated from the length of the flowing reach at low flows was about half of the loss rate calculated from in-stream gain-loss measurements. Analysis based on water-surface width and channel slope indicated that losses were mainly in a reach downstream of the mapped recharge zone. The analysis based on water-surface width, however, did not indicate that this method could yield accurate estimates of actual flow in pool and riffle streams, such as the Frio River and similar rivers draining the Edwards Plateau.

Using TerraSAR-X satellite data to detect road age and degradation

Analysis of satellite-acquired synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data provides a way to rapidly survey road conditions over large areas. This capability could be useful for identifying road segments that potentially require repair or at least onsite inspection of their condition due to changes in vehicular traffic associated with change in land use. We conducted a feasibility study focused on urban roads near the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) campus in San Antonio, Texas. The roads near SwRI were affected by heavy truck traffic, they were easily inspected, and the age and construction of the pavement was known. TerraSAR-X (TSX) SpotLight (ST) satellite data were used to correlate radar backscattering response to pavement age and condition. Our preliminary results indicate that TSX radar imagery can be useful for detecting changes in pavement type, damage to pavement, such as cracking and scaling, and, occasionally, severe rutting. In addition, multitemporal interferometric analysis showed patches of settlement along two roads south of the SwRI campus. Further development of an automated approach to detect degradation of roads could allow transportation departments to prioritize inspection and repair efforts. The techniques also could be used to detect surreptitious heavy truck traffic in areas where direct inspection is not possible.

Detection of Small Leaks in Liquid Pipelines Utilizing Distributed Temperature Sensing

Leaks from hazardous liquid pipelines can have significant impacts on safety and the environment. The detection of such leaks in their infancy is important to the overall integrity management of pipelines. The traditional means of detecting leaks on this infrastructure typically involve visual inspection or computational monitoring. However, such methods are often inadequate for detecting and locating small discharges that can result in damage to the environment. One potential alternative technology is distributed temperature sensing (DTS).The analytical work in this paper details near-field thermal effects surrounding the pipeline, seasonal and diurnal impacts on temperature as a function of buried depth, and the impact of transient temperature response from batch product operations. The analysis demonstrated that DTS employed on a buried transmission line would be immune from many of these effects and would not generate numerous false alarms due to these conditions.Laboratory testing was conducted on both Brillouin and Raman-based DTS systems; a total of four different manufacturer’s products were utilized. The testing characterized any limitations of such systems as a function of wetted length. The testing demonstrated that such technology could accurately detect small temperature fluctuations over distances exceeding 12 km (7.5 mi) to a location with a resolution of one meter. In addition to sensitivity testing of the systems, the automated alarm systems were tested to ensure that the systems could detect leaks without generating numerous false alarms.Copyright