January 2007
transect points: My 2007 Field Season Begins
In the Yakima Valley, WA, with its 500,000 irrigated acres and its network of leaking canals, irrigation induced seasonal wetlands are common. In the floodplain, upwelling hyporheic / phreatic river water can be masked by irrigation induced hydrology, but only while the canals are full, or recently so. During this January visit, long after irrigation diversions have ceased, there was no mistaking the dominant river-induced groundwater hydrology at the site.
December 2006
transect points: My picks from Vadose Zone Journal May 2005; Vol. 4 (2): 225 - 451
VZJ articles are released to open access 18 months after online publication. These articles, from May 2005, became available on November 13, 2006. (1) Buckingham, 1907: An Appreciation: Buckingham articulated his findings mostly in written prose, without much reliance on mathematics. His foundational ideas are as valid today as when he proposed them. (2) Simplified Method to Estimate [hydraulic conductivity] ... A simple, innovative method is presented to estimate saturated hydraulic conductivity in soil. The only paired data points necessary for this proposed new method are the times when the permeameter is half full and when it reaches empty.
transect points: Soil and Bioavailability of P in Food
Researchers find that soil phosphorus levels may affect plant phytate levels as much as plant breeding. Not only is the phosphorus in low-phytate grain crops more digestible by people, but low-phytate grains free up minerals essential to human nutrition: zinc, manganese and iron.
February 2006
New Scientist Increased CO2 may cause plant life to raise rivers - Breaking News
Plants around the world are using water much more efficiently, thanks to increased amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect is so pronounced, says a new study, that it is massively increasing river flows and raising the risks of flooding.
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(5 marks)