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Appendix D—Notes on Darcy's law and permeability

In any effort to establish nomenclature relating to the flow of fluids through porous media it would seem well first to consider the history of the development of our concepts and of the terms or expressions involved. Only in this way can precedent rightfully be honored and at the same time duplicating expressions be eliminated and the remaining more useful terms clarified. Then, proceeding with a foresight lined up with recent advances, we may hope to anticipate the needs of the future.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Appendix E—List of current publications concerning ground water

Alexander, W. H., Jr., Broadhurst, W. L., and White, W. N., Progress report on ground water In the High Plains in Texas, Tex. State Bd. Water Engrs., 12 pp., 7 tigs. (mimeogranhedl May 1944. Ashley, George H.,and Graham, Jack B., Groundwater investigations in Pennsylvania Pa. Dep. Internal Affairs, Monthly Bull., v. 13, pp. 10–13 and 28, 1945.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

The glacial anticyclone theory examined in the light of recent meteorological data from Greenland—Part I

The glacial anticyclone theory, which William H. Hobbs propounded in 1910, is today still the only definitely formulated theory concerning the atmospheric movements that take place over an ice sheet of large extent. It stands chiefly on deductive grounds and contains several features that to climatologists as well as to glaciologists have always seemed questionable. Aside from the need of its verification for scientific reasons, there is now also urgent practical need for reliable information about the weather conditions that prevail over the ice sheet of Greenland, for Greenland lies athwart several of the great air routes of the future. In this paper, accordingly, the glacial anticyclone theory is first analyzed and then confronted with the facts of observation that are now at hand, especially those reported from the fixed meteorological stations which were maintained in the interior of Greenland during the 1930s. In this, the first part of the paper, the meteorological data from the Eismitte station of the German Wegener Expedition are reviewed. The second part will cover the areological data of that expedition and the similar material from the other ice‐cap stations. The conclusions reached are that there is no evidence of a virtually permanent “glacial anticyclone” centered over the Greenland ice sheet. On the contrary, there is consistent evidence from all parts of Greenland that the weather over the ice sheet is controlled by alternating cyclonic and anticyclonic movements. Cyclonic activity is most intense in southern Greenland and weakest in northern Greenland. The entire ice sheet is supplied with snow brought by rising maritime air masses, not by air descending from the upper troposphere. Aviators need not expect so much as a fifty‐fifty chance of meeting with good weather on flights across central Greenland, except for a few weeks in midsummer.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Activity of Parícutin volcano from April 12 to May 3, 1946

The activity of Parícutin varied greatly during the period April 12 to May 3. The strong eruptive activity that began in mid‐March, marked on March 17 by the formation of a new boca with a short‐lived volcancito and by external changes in the form of the cone, continued until April 18, The period April 12–18 was marked by bomb‐showers and explosive blasts at the rate of ten to 15 a minute, mostly from the south vent of the double crater. Most of the bombs fell into the north crater and on the north flank of the cone. From April 19 to 26 the activity was, in general, very weak, and little ash and few bombs were projected beyond the rim of the cone, Explosions were very rare, and the weak vapor column from the Volcano was accompanied by a dull surf‐like roar. Most of the vapor emerged from a small vent near the center of the divide between the two coalescing craters. A heavy ash column, at times approaching in intensity that of 1943, emerged from the Volcano from April 27 to 29. The ash was erupted from both the north and south vents of the crater, though the south vent is believed to have contributed the most. From April 30 to May 3 the activity was again very weak, and only a feeble column rose above the cone.

Michoacan

Discussion of “Forecasting stream‐flow of the Salt River, Arizona”

Matthew I. Rorabaugh (U.S. Geological Survey, Louisville, Kentucky, August 27, 1945)—In regions where snow is not a factor there is some advantage in making forecasts based on the effects of travel time and base flow. However, the runoff which results from precipitation during the period of forecast usually constitutes a substantial portion of the flow in many streams, and accordingly these predictions may be highly speculative. The authors state that on March 1 an average of 52 per cent of the winter flow of Parker Creek has passed the gaging station on that creek while only 36 per cent of the winter flow of the Salt River has reached Roosevelt Reservoir. The forecast is based on this lag, which would approximate 16 per cent of the winter flow of the Salt River or about 25 per cent of the flow during March to May. In giving reasons for the lag the authors minimize the effect of accumulated snow, because less than 15 per cent of the Salt River Basin is thought to have accumulated snow. It may be, however, that the snow on this portion of the basin is the principal reason for the lag. The snow cover accumulates at high altitudes, where precipitation is heaviest and temperatures lowest. As losses will be proportionally less in these low‐temperature areas than in the remainder of the basin, it follows that storage of 25 per cent of the flow could result from snow accumulation on less than 15 per cent of the basin.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

A generalized graphical method for evaluating formation constants and summarizing well‐field history

The capacities of a water‐bearing formation to transmit water under a hydraulic gradient and to yield water from storage when the water table or artesian pressure declines, are generally expressed, respectively, in terms of a coefficient of transmissibility and a coefficient of storage. Determinations of these two constants are almost always involved in quantitative studies of ground‐water problems.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Activities in tectonics of Research Committee of American Association of Petroleum Geologists

During 1945 and 1946, the Research Committee of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, under the chairmanship of Shepard W. Lowman, has been engaged in “a reconnaissance survey of research in petroleum geology and allied sciences with explicit reference to exploration” in order “to formulate a comprehensive research program which the American Association of Petroleum Geologists may adopt as its recommendation for that research most needed to improve our ability to find oil” [see “References” at end of report, Lowman, 1945]. In order to make this survey, the field was divided among a number of subcommittees, including a Subcommittee on Tectonics, of which the writer was chairman. Preliminary reports, discussing the research possibilities in the various fields covered by the subcommittees, were submitted in January, 1946, and concrete recommendations were formulated by the Research Committee at the Chicago meeting of the Association in April 1946 [Lowman, 1946]. Final reports of the subcommittees will be published later in 1946 in the Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Notes on determining the effective distance to a line of recharge

Increasing emphasis has been given in recent years to the installation of wells in sand and gravel deposits along perennial streams. Under favorable conditions water enters the aquifer from the adjacent stream so that the safe yield is not limited by recharge from local precipitation [see “References” at end of paper, Jeffords, 1946]. Some of the installations tested, however, have not been successful. At times the preliminary investigations have been inadequate, and often quantitative hydrologic techniques have been applied without adequate consideration of the existing local conditions.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Report of the Research Committee on Runoff, 1945–46

The variety of usage and even the confusion in the nomenclature and terminology of some fields of hydrology have been often remarked. The Committee on Runoff conceived the idea that it would be profitable to consider some of the terms which are especially pertinent to the field of runoff. That consideration was the principal Committee project of the past year and is featured in this report. The Chairman sent a letter to the members of the Committee that was planned to draw out a symposium of opinions on the subject. A good starting point seemed to be the classification of water on the Earth. Meinzer's well‐known classification was given: atmospheric water, surface water, and subsurface or subterranean water. Comments were solicited.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Methods used in estimating the groundwater supply in the Wichita, Kansas well-field area

T his paper presents the methods used in studying the groundwater hydrology of an area in Harvey and Sedgwick Counties, Kansas, from which the city of Wichita derives its water supply. A summary of the data available for study is presented and several hydrologic factors are evaluated. The relationship between groundwater levels and precipitation is shown, and recharge is estimated. The effect of pumping on water levels is shown graphically, and the quantity of water withdrawn from storage is estimated from several water-table contour maps. The data are analyzed and the quantity of water available for pumping is estimated.

Kansas

Suggestions as to future research in ground‐water hydrology

Determination of the ground‐water supply available from any aquifer or in any specified area requires not merely the application of specific quantitative methods but also a broad and accurate knowledge of the geologic, hydrologlc, and geochemical factors that are involved, and consideration of the economic and legal limitations. Further research is needed as to geologic texture and structure in relation to the occurrence and movement of the water; the precise nature of specific yield, which determines the effective storage capacities of the aquifers; the molecular physics involved in the downward and upward movement of water in the zone of aeration, and quantitative evaluation of ground‐water recharge and discharge; the hydraulics of ground water, as studied by pumping test methods, with special reference to boundary conditions; studies of perennial yield of aquifers of low permeability; the genesis of the mineral contents of ground water as determined through appropriate geologic, hydrologlc, and chemical studies; and methods of geophysical exploration and well logging for determining the occurrence of ground water. Serious study is also needed as to practicable methods of implementing the recently developed principles and methods of ground‐water hydrology in the production of water supplies and the economic and legal problems involved.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Survey‐net adjustment by electrical analogue

This paper describes how the equivalent of a least‐squares adjustment of a level or traverse net may be obtained by electrical measurements in an analogous electrical net. The lengths of the survey lines are replaced by proportional electrical resistances; the survey closures are replaced by proportional small dc voltages; the adjustment corrections are read as electrical potentials at the various junction points. The resistances, power units, and junction jacks are mounted on a panel, and are interconnected by jumpers. The closure and correction voltages are read with a special type feed‐back voltmeter.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Value of the electrical log for estimating ground‐water supplies and the quality of the ground water

This paper gives a brief summary of studies of the value of the electrical log for estimating ground‐water supplies and the quality of the water in them made in Texas by the United States Geological Survey and cooperating parties. The electrical log has been found to be especially valuable in the Coastal Plain Region of Texas where the rocks consist mostly of a succession of clays or shales or sandy clays or shales lnterbedded with sands or sandstones. In that region the electrical log has been found to be more useful than the driller's log for correlating the principal water‐bearing horizons over wide areas. The log by itself is not an indicator of the permeability of the water‐bearing beds, nor a safe guide as to the quality of the water in them, but if it is studied in connection with other data, it is sure to tell an interesting and instructive story. Thus far in Texas no extensive studies have been made of the value of the electrical log in limestone aquifers or in sand or sandstone aquifers associated with limestone.

Texas

Fluctuations in concentration of dissolved solids of some southwestern streams

The concentration of dissolved solids in waters of streams of the Southwestern United Stated fluctuates widely as the stream discharge changes. These fluctuations may be extensive in a period of a few days or even a few hours. Data in this paper show the extent of the day‐to‐day changes in specific conductance and discharge of the Rio Grande at San Acacia, New Mexico, during the spring run‐off period of 1945. Data also are presented to show rapid fluctuations in concentration for the Pecos River near Artesia, New Mexico, the Gila River near Bylas, Arizona, and the Rio Grande at San Acacia during typical summer months. Hourly changes in chloride and discharge are shown for a day of approximately normal flow for the Pecos River near Malaga, New Mexico, and for a 36‐hour period of extremely low flow for the Gila River near Fort Thomas, Arizona.

Arizona, New Mexico

Report of Committee on Ground Water, 1945–1946

The principal activity of the Committee during the year was the arranging and presentation of a symposium on methods of estimating ground‐water supplies. The response was gratifying and resulted in the presentation of 11 interesting papers at the 1946 meeting. The report of the Subcommittee on Permeability by C. E. Jacob, Chairman, is given as Appendix A. At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Section of Hydrology in June 1946, this Subcommittee of the Committee on Ground Water was changed to the Committee on Permeability of the Section of Hydrology, with Jacob continuing as Chairman. This will give the new Committee much greater latitude in dealing with a subject which is of concern to several of the Research Committees.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Effect of water temperature on flow of a natural stream

Approximately three per cent of the variation in streamflow of the Kootenai River near Copeland, Idaho, has been found to be associated with variation in water temperature. This has been determined by correlation analysis of residuals in streamflow that were not accounted for by either gage height or slope.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Hydrology of limestone terrane in Schoharie County, New York

During the summer of 1946 the writer studied the ground‐water resources of Schoharie County, New York, as a part of the program of ground‐water investigation being carried on in cooperation between the United States Geological Survey and the New York State Water Power and Control Commission. Because the outcrop belt of Devonian and Upper Silurian carbonate rocks is wider in Schoharie County than in other parts of the State, the effects of solution on these formations is better displayed here than elsewhere. The conditions described below probably apply on a smaller scale to the areas to the west, where the upper formations are cut out by an unconformity, and to the east in the Helderberg area, where similar effects have been described by Goldring [see “References” at end of paper, 1935]. However, it is probable that solution in the limestones in the Hudson Valley is not comparable because of the folded condition of the rocks.

New York

Report of Research Committee on Runoff, 1946–1947

The membership of the Committee has remained unchanged during the year. There has been some discussion of committee activities between individual members and in small groups. The further discussion of runoff terminology has resulted in no new developments of special note. The following statements have been received from members of the committee concerning activities of the agencies with which they are associated.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union