Patterns of groundwater quality in sandy aquifers under environmental pressure by Marc J M Vissers
1
476 Book reviews ISSN 0004-0894 © The Authors. Journal compilation © Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) 2006 mental regulation the book tends to bog down in details of treaties and conferences that is a poor fit with the over- whelming focus of the book on discourse, representation, and the inscription of geopolitical space. This is not to say that those details, only that they do not seem to fit with the overall tone of the book, in which the focus is on instruct- ing undergraduates in the ways that critical geopolitics can reshape our worldviews. Overall, the book is excellent, and the writing style lends itself nicely to an understanding of the concepts introduced, with many good photos and case studies supplementing the text. The writing is not jargon-heavy, and seems to be well aimed at the target audience. I look forward to incorporating this book into my future classes, and other instructors of polit- ical geography and geopolitics would be well advised to investigate it before making their own book adoption choices. Jason Dittmer Georgia Southern University References Braden K and Shelley F 1999 Engaging Geopolitics New York: Prentice Hall Dodds K 2000 Geopolitics in a Changing World London: Pearson Education Flint C 2006 Introduction to Geopolitcs London: Routledge Patterns of groundwater quality in sandy aquifers under environmental pressure by Marc J M Vissers Utrecht: NGS 335, 144pp. £18.00 paperback ISBN 90 6809 375 4 The report is essentially a published thesis which consists of several linked chapters (which themselves are published papers), all concerned with mapping and interpretation of groundwater quality variability in shallow unconfined groundwater in phreatic sand aquifers. The report is combined with an introduction setting the context and approach used in the study, as well as a concluding chapter. The report focuses on interpretations of natural variability of phreatic aquifers in two project areas in the Netherlands. Both are characterised, and made complex, by significant groundwater-surface water interaction. The report asks and answers three main questions: definition of the spatio- temporal distribution of groundwater quality variability, on the influences of a range of processes in defining this variability, including climatic changes, and on opportunities for predicting future changes in groundwater quality. The author initially assesses groundwater flow character- istics with the numerical model MODFLOW/MODPATH to define 3-D patterns using forward and backward particle- tracking techniques to define specific flow regimes, with the intention of using this as a basis for water quality inter- pretation. The technique is refreshingly new and particularly useful, combining analysis of both flow fields and water quality. The maps used to show the variable flow fields (travel times, travel distances) at different depths within the aquifers are unusual and unfamiliar. However, once these are looked at in a groundwater context, their unfamiliarity fades and apparent usefulness becomes evident. It is difficult to see whether these will become generally accepted for this type of study, and one wonders whether there are better ways of illustrating the same information in less complex ways. The analysis clearly provides a sounder basis for assessing spatial (3-D) water quality and its causes, com- pared with the more traditional approach of assuming a more uniform flow field. The author uses groundwater quality data from multi-port bores at a second field site where this type of flow field analysis has also been applied to assist in explaining variability in major and minor element variations in groundwater. The bores used to determine water quality variability would seem to be located along a flow transect across the groundwater basin. Only two of the eleven bores are reported to be located in the same flow system identified by the author, reflecting the hydro-geological complexity. The explanations of the system geochemistry is by nature involved using this analy- sis, and this reviewer considered the more usual definition of redox zonation in the aquifer (as used also by the author) as being more useful overall than his in-depth treat- ment of stream-tube geochemistry, some of which seemed subjective. The analysis almost becomes overly complex. The report also investigates the behaviour of a suite of trace elements in groundwater, based on three control processes – chemical equilibria, co-dissolution/co-precipitation and sorption. Unfortunately there was significant between-batch variability in the extensive analytical data, which reduced the extent of coverage for the trace elements. It does how- ever illustrate the thoroughness of approach used in the study. Not surprisingly, the report concludes that co-dissolution and co-precipitation and sorption of trace elements were controlling processes, whilst chemical equilibria were rela- tively unimportant. Overall, the report provides an interesting and novel treatment of regional variability in groundwater quality in (complex) phreatic aquifers. The combined identification and analysis of groundwater flow regimes, land-use and time-variant factors particularly is notable and definitely worth considering by others faced with studies where traditional approaches to regional groundwater quality data interpretation fall short, which is often. Chris Barber Crisalis International, Darlington, Western Australia Cultural Geography: A Critical Dictionary of Key Concepts edited by David Atkinson, Peter Jackson, David Sibley and Neil Washbourne London: I.B. Tauris, 2005, 240 pp, £14.95 paperback ISBN 1 86064 702 2 This is an excellent and long overdue reference work for students of critical cultural geography. The editors set out
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Transcript of Patterns of groundwater quality in sandy aquifers under environmental pressure by Marc J M Vissers
476
Book reviews
ISSN 0004-0894 © The Authors.Journal compilation © Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) 2006
mental regulation the book tends to bog down in details oftreaties and conferences that is a poor fit with the over-whelming focus of the book on discourse, representation,and the inscription of geopolitical space. This is not to saythat those details, only that they do not seem to fit with theoverall tone of the book, in which the focus is on instruct-ing undergraduates in the ways that critical geopolitics canreshape our worldviews.
Overall, the book is excellent, and the writing style lendsitself nicely to an understanding of the concepts introduced,with many good photos and case studies supplementing thetext. The writing is not jargon-heavy, and seems to be wellaimed at the target audience. I look forward to incorporatingthis book into my future classes, and other instructors of polit-ical geography and geopolitics would be well advised toinvestigate it before making their own book adoption choices.
Jason DittmerGeorgia Southern University
References
Braden
K and Shelley
F
1999
Engaging Geopolitics
NewYork: Prentice Hall
Dodds
K
2000
Geopolitics in a Changing World
London:Pearson Education
Flint
C
2006
Introduction to Geopolitcs
London: Routledge
Patterns of groundwater quality in sandy aquifersunder environmental pressure
by Marc J M VissersUtrecht: NGS 335, 144pp. £18.00 paperback ISBN90 6809 375 4
The report is essentially a published thesis which consists ofseveral linked chapters (which themselves are publishedpapers), all concerned with mapping and interpretation ofgroundwater quality variability in shallow unconfinedgroundwater in phreatic sand aquifers. The report iscombined with an introduction setting the context andapproach used in the study, as well as a concluding chapter.The report focuses on interpretations of natural variabilityof phreatic aquifers in two project areas in the Netherlands.Both are characterised, and made complex, by significantgroundwater-surface water interaction. The report asks andanswers three main questions: definition of the spatio-temporal distribution of groundwater quality variability, onthe influences of a range of processes in defining thisvariability, including climatic changes, and on opportunitiesfor predicting future changes in groundwater quality.
The author initially assesses groundwater flow character-istics with the numerical model MODFLOW/MODPATH todefine 3-D patterns using forward and backward particle-tracking techniques to define specific flow regimes, withthe intention of using this as a basis for water quality inter-pretation. The technique is refreshingly new and particularlyuseful, combining analysis of both flow fields and waterquality. The maps used to show the variable flow fields(travel times, travel distances) at different depths within the
aquifers are unusual and unfamiliar. However, once these arelooked at in a groundwater context, their unfamiliarity fadesand apparent usefulness becomes evident. It is difficult tosee whether these will become generally accepted for thistype of study, and one wonders whether there are betterways of illustrating the same information in less complexways. The analysis clearly provides a sounder basis forassessing spatial (3-D) water quality and its causes, com-pared with the more traditional approach of assuming amore uniform flow field.
The author uses groundwater quality data from multi-portbores at a second field site where this type of flow field analysishas also been applied to assist in explaining variability in majorand minor element variations in groundwater. The bores usedto determine water quality variability would seem to belocated along a flow transect across the groundwater basin.Only two of the eleven bores are reported to be located inthe same flow system identified by the author, reflectingthe hydro-geological complexity. The explanations of thesystem geochemistry is by nature involved using this analy-sis, and this reviewer considered the more usual definitionof redox zonation in the aquifer (as used also by theauthor) as being more useful overall than his in-depth treat-ment of stream-tube geochemistry, some of which seemedsubjective. The analysis almost becomes overly complex.
The report also investigates the behaviour of a suite of traceelements in groundwater, based on three control processes– chemical equilibria, co-dissolution/co-precipitation andsorption. Unfortunately there was significant between-batchvariability in the extensive analytical data, which reducedthe extent of coverage for the trace elements. It does how-ever illustrate the thoroughness of approach used in the study.Not surprisingly, the report concludes that co-dissolutionand co-precipitation and sorption of trace elements werecontrolling processes, whilst chemical equilibria were rela-tively unimportant.
Overall, the report provides an interesting and noveltreatment of regional variability in groundwater quality in(complex) phreatic aquifers. The combined identificationand analysis of groundwater flow regimes, land-use andtime-variant factors particularly is notable and definitelyworth considering by others faced with studies wheretraditional approaches to regional groundwater quality datainterpretation fall short, which is often.
Chris BarberCrisalis International,
Darlington, Western Australia
Cultural Geography: A Critical Dictionary of KeyConcepts
edited by
David Atkinson, Peter Jackson,David Sibley
and
Neil Washbourne
London: I.B. Tauris, 2005, 240 pp, £14.95 paperbackISBN 1 86064 702 2
This is an excellent and long overdue reference work forstudents of critical cultural geography. The editors set out
