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Montgomery Prizes awarded at University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University annual eventsEl Dia Del AquaTucson, Arizona – April 14, 2003 – The 13th Annual El Dia Del Agua at the University of Arizona Department of Hydrology and Water Resources was held on April 4th. The event included professional presentations, and was well attended by members of the Arizona hydrologic community. For the last several years, Errol L. Montgomery & Associates has awarded a special cash award, The Montgomery Prize, for best oral presentation at the annual student symposium. The Montgomery Prize this year was awarded to Noah Molotch for his interesting, lively, and informative presentation on snowmelt modeling. The award was presented by Montgomery & Associates hydrogeologist Leslie Katz. Title and abstract of the presentation is below: Assimilation of remotely sensed snow-cover properties into an operational snowmelt model N. Molotch Runoff forecasts in the southwestern U.S. rely heavily on estimates of the timing and magnitude of snowmelt. Given the spatial and temporal variability of snow properties, remotely sensed snow data are useful for improving snowmelt estimates. Simple, computationally inexpensive net radiation snowmelt models have relatively low input requirements, making them attractive for operational snowmelt runoff forecasts. In this research a net radiation / accumulated degree-day index snowmelt model was coupled with remotely sensed snow covered area (SCA) and snow-surface albedo data to simulate snow cover depletion and runoff and to reconstruct maximum snow water equivalent (SWE) in the 19.1-km2 Tokopah Basin of the Sierra Nevada, California. Meteorological input data were derived from 3 meteorological stations within the basin. The timing of modeled runoff compared well with observed runoff. Promising results were obtained for the magnitude of snowmelt, with reconstructed SWE within 2% of the field surveyed SWE. Large portions of the basin where the solar radiative flux dominated snowmelt were simulated more accurately than areas dominated by the longwave and turbulent fluxes. Future applications are appropriate in snow-covered areas where below freezing temperatures persist and incident solar radiation is high such as low-mid latitude alpine and high plateau areas. For more information about El Dia Del Aqua, visit its Website at www.hwr.arizona.edu. GeoDazeThe 31st Annual GeoDaze event at the University of Arizona Department of Geosciences was held April 10 - 12. The Montgomery Prize is awarded at GeoDaze for best overall talk at the annual student symposium. The Montgomery Prize this year was awarded to Jonathon Dorn for his presentation on the distribution of in situ microbial activity. The award was presented by Montgomery & Associates geologist Janis Blainer-Fleming. Title and abstract of the presentation is below: J. G. Dorn, I. Yolcubal, M. L. Brusseau and R. M. Maier In situ bioremediation is one of the most promising techniques for soil and groundwater restoration. Bioremediation is controlled by in situ microbial activity and consequently, a major problem facing implementation of in situ bioremediation is the lack of information concerning the spatial and temporal distribution of microbial activity. The overall objective of this study was to construct and employ a model system to gain an understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of in situ microbial activity in saturated soil environments. Pseudomonas putida RB1353, a salicylate/naphthalene-degrading inducible lux isolate, was chosen as the model organism. A 0.1 m stainless steel flow cell was homogeneously packed with sand and inoculated with P. putida RB1353 (107 CFU g-1 of dry sand). A series of experiments was conducted in which a pulse of naphthalene (30 mg L-1), dissolved in a mineral salts broth sparged with oxygen (20 mg L-1), was introduced into the flow cell. A fiber optic detection system consisting of six optic fibers and a computer for automated, multiplexed sampling was constructed and employed to monitor P. putida RB1353 luminescence. Fluid samples were simultaneously withdrawn from ports along the flow cell and analyzed for substrate and oxygen concentrations using a UV spectrophotometer and an oxygen probe, respectively. The fiber optic lux reporter system enabled rapid and real-time monitoring of the spatial and temporal distribution of in situ microbial activity in the saturated soil system. The spatial and temporal distribution of microbial activity was determined to be heavily influenced by the availability of oxygen, the terminal electron acceptor. Ultimately, the data acquired from the fiber optic lux reporter system will provide a better understanding of the course of in situ organic contaminant biodegradation in saturated soil environments. An improved understanding will enable the development and implementation of more efficient, cost-effective technologies to clean up polluted groundwater in Arizona. For more information about GeoDaze, visit its Website at www.geo.arizona.edu. NAU 2003 Montgomery PrizeAt Northern Arizona University, Montgomery Prize winners are chosen by the faculty after completion of an application and review process. This year, Christian de Fontaine and Jason Raucci were chosen as Montgomery Prize winners based on outstanding academic performance. The awards were presented by Montgomery & Associates hydrogeologist Ed McGavock. Christian de Fontaine's interests include Quaternary geology and volcanology, with an emphasis on volcanic ash-fall and related hazards. His thesis work is titled "Late Quaternary distal tephra in lacustrine sediments of the upper Cook Inlet, Alaska," and has involved locating tephra within lake-sediment cores to estimate the frequency of Holocene plinian ash-fall events in the Anchorage area. Christian is working to define how volcanic eruption frequency recorded in proximal deposits compares with ash-fall events preserved in lake sediments. Because volcanic ash is extremely hazardous to aircraft, an accurate tephrochronology is especially important for the Municipality of Anchorage, which relies heavily on aviation for supplies and commerce. This research is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey/Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, Alaska, as part of their volcanic hazards program Jason Raucci's thesis work is being conducted in the western part of the Grand Canyon on the Hurricane Fault, a major normal fault that extends for more than 250 kilometers in Utah and Arizona. In Utah, the Hurricane Fault forms the tectonic and topographic boundary of the Colorado Plateau, separating it from the relatively lower terrain and highly faulted rocks of the Basin and Range. In Arizona, the Hurricane Fault is part of a complex system of faults at the western margin of the Colorado Plateau. The fault has documented Holocene activity along much of its length. The two major objectives of Jason's work are to characterize the structure of the fault zone and to describe the rates and kinematics of Quaternary activity in the Grand Canyon region. The Grand Canyon allows detailed structural mapping of the fault, while basalt flows cut by the fault provide constraints on slip rates. Knowledge of the slip rate and kinematics of the Hurricane Fault add to an understanding of the neotectonics of the Colorado Plateau. In addition, structural data can be used to evaluate the role that reactivation of older structures may play in controlling modern tectonic features. For more information about the geology program at Northern Arizona University, visit its Website at www.nau.edu/geology.
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