Tristan McKenzie

University of Gothenburg | GU · Department of Marine Sciences

Several reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered damage on March 11, 2011, resulting in the release of radiocesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs), as well as other radionuclides, into the atmosphere. A week later, these isotopes were detected in aerosols over the state of Hawai'i and in milk samples analyzed on the island of Hawai'i....

Groundwater-surface water interactions drive water quality in both streams and the coastal ocean, where groundwater discharge occurs in streams as baseflow and along the coastline as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Groundwater contributions to streams and to the coastal ocean were quantified in three urban streams in Kāne'ohe Watershed, Hawa...

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is rarely considered as a pathway for contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Here, we investigated SGD as a source of CECs in Sydney Harbour, Australia. CEC detection frequencies based on presence/absence of a specific compound were >90% for caffeine, carbamazepine, and dioxins, and overall ranged from 25 to...

Sea‐level rise (SLR) is expected to compromise coastal wastewater infrastructure (WIS) via groundwater inundation (GWI). We conducted a field‐based study in urban Honolulu, Hawai'i using spring tides as a proxy for future sea levels to quantify the hydrologic connection of WIS. This study focused on two possible pathways: (1) direct GWI of WIS and...

It is relatively well accepted that climate change can affect human pathogenic diseases; however, the full extent of this risk remains poorly quantified. Here we carried out a systematic search for empirical examples about the impacts of ten climatic hazards sensitive to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on each known human pathogenic disease. We foun...

Groundwater is a vital resource for humans and groundwater dependent ecosystems. Coastal aquifers and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), both influenced by terrestrial and marine forces, are increasingly affected by climate variations and sea-level rise. Despite this, coastal groundwater resources and discharge are frequently poorly constrained...

Climate change-driven sea level rise (SLR) is increasingly stressing and decreasing the efficacy of coastal wastewater infrastructure due to its vulnerability to flooding by tidal groundwater inundation. This can result in flooded sewer mains and onsite sewage disposal systems (OSDS), lowering the efficiency of treatment and increasing the potentia...

International research is necessary in aquatic sciences because water moves across borders. Historically, international collaborations have been useful in conducting oceanographic research programs, which span large distances and require several funding sources. Although valuable, international research can have unforeseen challenges to the unprepa...

Dense coastal population, permeable geology, and extreme tides on Pacific Islands result in anthropogenically-derived pollution entering groundwater, which then can be transported to streams and the coastal ocean. This study takes a novel approach by looking at groundwater baseflow and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) as a continuous vector fo...

Pacific islands water resources are particularly vulnerable to contamination because the islands typically have small watersheds, permeable geologic substrates, and short subsurface pollutant residence times, all resulting in minimal natural remediation. We have applied a multi-tracer source-tracking approach in Kāneʻohe Bay watershed, located on t...

Reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered damage in March 2011, resulting in the release of radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) into the atmosphere. A week later, Fukushima-derived cesium was detected in aerosols over the state of Hawaiʻi as well as in milk samples analyzed from the island of Hawaiʻi. This study estimated the magnit...

We have applied a novel approach using radon, δ15N and δ18O values of nitrate, and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) to identify groundwater pathways of anthropogenic contaminants. This approach was applied in Kāneʻohe watershed, located on the windward side of Oʻahu, which has been subject to persistent near shore water pollution. Previous r...

Kāneʻohe Bay, a reef-dominated embayment located on the windward side of Oʻahu, has been subject to persistent water pollution issues. Recent water quality issues in northwestern Kāneʻohe Bay have emerged forcing the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health to close beaches near Kahaluʻu Lagoon. Contamination transport from the Kahaluʻu watershed is susp...

Groundwater contribution to streams and estuaries has been suggested to significantly affect water quality on Pacific islands. A stream complex and coastline in Kahaluu, located on the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii, was studied to demonstrate the importance of groundwater in delivering nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon, and anthropogenic pollut...

On March 11, 2011, several reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered damage and released the radioisotopes 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs into the atmosphere. A week later, these isotopes were detected in aerosols over the state of Hawaiʻi and in milk samples analyzed from the island of Hawaiʻi. This study estimated the magnitude of c...

On March 11, 2011, several reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered damage and released the radioisotopes iodine-131, cesium-134, and cesium-137 into the atmosphere. A week later, these isotopes were detected in aerosols over the state of Hawaii and in milk samples analyzed from the Big Island. Because the detected levels wer...

In March of 2011, the radioisotopes cesium-134 (134Cs) and cesium-137 (137Cs) were released into the atmosphere from the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. This study estimated the magnitude of atmospheric fallout of these isotopes on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi, and examined the patterns of cesium wet deposition with precipitation in mushroom s...