Peter Zamora

• Ph.D.
• Professor (Assistant) at University of North Carolina Wilmington

Submarine fresh groundwater discharging from discrete zones such as conduits overlain by thick sediment remains poorly documented and understood despite common anecdotal accounts of it. We analyzed this phenomenon by a suite of variable-density, variably-saturated groundwater flow simulations guided by field studies. The field observations included...

The northwest Pacific Ocean is a hotspot for sea level rise and increasing frequency of stronger storms. It is where super typhoon Haiyan formed, the strongest storm to hit land, which provided a window into the hydrologic impacts of an extreme storm. Through detailed documentation of flood levels, groundwater table elevations and salinity, electri...

We monitored submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) into the Werribee Estuary, Australia, using both chemical and physical methods. SGD occurred at hotspots where 222Rn persisted through a 12 month survey period. A significant correlation between 222Rn and (r2 = 0.8, p < 0.01), as well as between 222Rn and N2O (r2 = 0.6, p < 0.01) at a 222Rn hotspot...

Thermal springs are ubiquitous features whose underground kinematic structure is mostly unknown but are typically thought to originate from deep sources. We documented a type of thermal springs at the banks of a volcanic lake that are discharge zones of hydrothermal convection cells circulating groundwater within the near shore environment. The con...

The SW sector of Mount Natib, a potentially active volcano in the Bataan volcanic arc in western Luzon, is the site of a mothballed nuclear power plant that members of the national legislature have proposed to activate. Detailed geological fieldwork was conducted to assess the capability of the volcano and to identify any volcanic hazards it might...

The subterranean estuary, the interface between groundwater and seawater, provides a biogeochemical interaction zone for both land and ocean materials and controls the composition of porewater discharged into coastal waters. Thus, understanding dynamics at this land-ocean interface is critical in determining the quantity, form, and evolution of che...

The chemical, thermal, and hydrologic dynamics of volcanic lakes are controlled by mass and energy inputs and outputs from deep sources (magmatic and hydrothermal), atmospheric processes, and near surface hydrologic processes. Our study is focused on the latter, which has received very little attention in past and recent years. We present results o...

Organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) and stable isotope ratios (δ(13)C and δ(15)N) were determined in 58 fishes belonging to 20 species collected from Manila Bay, the Philippines. OPCs were detected in most of the samples and found up to μg/g lw (lipid weight) level, suggesting their ubiquitous presence in the coastal marine environment of the Philipp...

Surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) interact at multiple levels in myriad settings and their interaction is an important hydrogeologic process that impacts ecological and biogeochemical functions. GW discharge and associated mixing with SW in these settings have been challenging to map with sufficient detail and coverage. Three examples are pre...

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important component of the hydrologic cycle connecting terrestrial to marine environments. SGD in fringing reefs and its consequences on biogeochemistry and ecology remain mostly unexplored. The 222Rn activity and salinity of seawater indicate a substantial groundwater contribution throughout most of the...

The supply of nitrogen and phosphorus in coastal zones through time is reflected in the nutrients’ concentration in the sediment record. Five aquaculture sites in the Philippines were investigated in an effort to establish how long-term changes in land and coastal water use could have led to biogeochemical modifications affecting the coastal ecosys...

Temporal variation in the type and abundance of dinoflagellate cysts in Manila Bay, Philippines, is established using 210Pb-dated sediment cores. At least 17 dinoflagellate cyst species, including those of the toxic species, Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum, were identified. P. bahamense may have been present in the area since at least the 1920...

The 1991 Pinatubo eruption left 5–6km3 of debris on the volcano slopes, much of which has been mobilized into large lahars in the following rainy seasons. Also during the eruption, collapse, localized in part along preexisting faults, left a caldera 2.5km in diameter that almost immediately began to accumulate a 1.6 × 108m3 lake. By 2001, the water...

The lateral variation of sediment properties and associated cyst content of sediment in Manila Bay were determined and their possible role/s in the occurrences of Pyrodinium bahamense Plate var. compressum (Bohm) Steidinger, Tester et Taylor toxic blooms were assessed. Manila Bay's surface sediment was determined to be silt dominated. Clay generall...

Brominated flame retardants, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), as well as PCBs were determined in surface and core sediments from Manila Bay, the Philippines. Organohalogen compounds analyzed in the present study were detected in most of the surface sediment samples, indicating ubiquitous pollutio...