William E Schnabel

University of Alaska System · Water and Environmental Research Center

The food–energy–water (FEW) nexus describes interactions among domains that yield gains or trade-offs when analysed together rather than independently. In a project about renewable energy in rural Alaska communities, we applied this concept to examine the implications for sustainability and resilience. The FEW nexus provided a useful framework for...

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus describes interactions among domains that yield gains or tradeoffs when analyzed together rather than independently. In a project about renewable energy in rural Alaska communities, we applied this concept to examine the implications for sustainability and resilience. The FEW nexus provided a useful framework for i...

This paper provides a framework to evaluate how policymakers interact with information, make decisions, and act upon policy-related information. To explore the influence of information in bridging water policy knowledge boundaries and linking policy decision making and action, the authors conducted a grounded theory study of key congressional legis...

This study explores the nature of water security challenges in rural Alaska, using a framework for environmental security that entails four interrelated concepts: availability, access, utility, and stability of water resources. Many researchers and professionals agree that water insecurity is a problem in rural Alaska, although the scale and nature...

# 2017-148 2017 In-situ burning presents an attractive oil spill response option with high oil removal efficiency and low personnel requirements. In recent times, surfactant chemicals termed ‘herding agents’ have been proposed to promote collection/thickening of spilled oil to facilitate in-situ burning activities. The approach could prove specific...

In situ burning (ISB) aided by herding agents is a promising tool for oil spill response in Arctic waters. An advantageous aspect of the herder mediated ISB approach is that the application of herders as well as the subsequent ignition of the slick could potentially be carried out from aerial platforms. This could obviate the need for personnel to...

We present a probe factor for a simple measurement device, which can be used to determine in-situ electrical resistivity in soils or other penetrable bodies. The probe is primarily sensitive to the material immediately surrounding it and therefore is ideal for determining localized conductivities. The geometry of the probe can be scaled to effectiv...

In-situ burning (ISB) aided by herding agents is a promising tool for oil spill response in Arctic waters. An advantageous aspect of the herder mediated ISB approach is that the application of herders as well as the subsequent ignition of the slick could potentially be carried out from aerial platforms. This could obviate the need for personnel to...

This study used combined geophysical and cryostratigraphic methods for permafrost characterization in Arctic road design and engineering. Two major study areas located in the continuous permafrost zone represented a range of terrain conditions including yedoma (syngenetically frozen ice-rich silts with large ice wedges) plateaus and hills, thaw-lak...

Freshwater resources in rural Alaska communities, especially those underlain by permafrost, are particularly vulnerable to impacts from nearby waste facilities. The authors investigated the connection between rural solid waste facilities and transmission of pathogenic organisms into nearby water resources by evaluating the (1) prevalence of pathoge...

As the acreages of agricultural lands increase, changes in surface energetics and evapotranspiration (ET) rates may arise consequently affecting regional climate regimes. The objective of this study was to evaluate summertime ET dynamics and surface energy processes in a subarctic agricultural farm in Interior Alaska. The study includes micrometeor...

Woody vegetation cultivated for moisture management on evapotranspiration (ET) landfill covers could potentially serve a secondary function as a biomass crop. However, research is required to evaluate the extent to which trees could be harvested from ET covers without significantly impacting their moisture management function. This study investigat...

Alternative landfill covers utilizing evapotranspiration (ET) as the primary mechanism for protecting the waste layer from aerial moisture represent promising tools for cold region solid waste management. However, ET covers have not been evaluated for use in subarctic climates. As the functionality of an ET cover is driven primarily by climactic va...

Lakes on the North Slope of Alaska are used for water supply for building of ice roads and pads during the wintertime energy exploration season. Ongoing climate change may affect the water balance of these lakes and result in diminished water resources to support oil and gas development as well as preserve environmental integrity. The North Slope D...

In order to test the efficacy ofa cold-region evapotranspiration (ET) landfill cover against a conventional compacted clay (CCL) landfill cover, two pilot scale covers were constructed in side-by-side basin lysimeters (20m x 10m x 2m) at a site in Anchorage, Alaska. The primary basis of comparison between the two lysimeters was the percolation of m...

Discharge in arctic rivers is often near its annual maximum during spring breakup. However, the presence swiftly moving ice at this time of year leads to unsafe boating conditions, thus complicating the collection of discharge information through modern methods such as acoustic Doppler current profiling (ADCP). In this paper, we report the results...

Little research has been done to describe the basic characteristics of the majority of rivers on the North Slope of Alaska. The fundamental hydrologic and sedimentologic properties of these rivers is unknown; this coupled with only short-term measurements of precipitation and runoff makes further analysis of the region difficult. Increased human pr...

Temporal atmospheric pressure variations introduce an artifact into percolation measurements in free-draining lysimeters. This anomaly is associated with transient pressure gradients that occur as fluid and gas pressures within the lysimeter equilibrate with atmospheric pressure changes at the drain. On the basis of harmonic (Fourier) analysis of a...

This paper will describe the technological aspects of the North Slope Decision Support System (NSDSS) a project currently underway to develop a water resources management solution in support of oil and gas exploration on the North Slope. Sponsored by the Department of Energy, the NSDSS will consist of an information system, software tools for decis...

On the North Slope of Alaska, ice roads provide a cost-effective means of oil and gas exploration with minimal impact to the underlying tundra. Their widespread use represents a challenge to water resource managers due to the water required to construct and maintain them - water that is typically extracted from the lakes that dot the landscape. Wat...

On the North Slope of Alaska, ice roads and ice pads provide a cost-effective means of oil and gas exploration with minimal impact to the sensitive underlying tundra. They have become integral to oil and gas exploration activities. Their widespread use represents a challenge to water resource managers, however, due to the large volume of water requ...

Alessa, Lilian, Mark Altaweel, Andrew Kliskey, Christopher Bone, William Schnabel, and Kalb Stevenson, 2011. Alaska’s Freshwater Resources: Issues Affecting Local and International Interests. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(1):143-157. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00498.x Abstract: The State of Alaska faces a broad r...

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was utilized to evaluate soil moisture in two large (10m x 20m x 2m) basin lysimeters over a four-year period in Anchorage, Alaska. The lysimeters were intended to test the efficacy of two competing landfill cover designs, thus water balance information was collected over the entire experimental period. The f...

Rivers located on the North Slope of Alaska's Brooks Range are typically not well characterized with respect to basic hydraulic and sedimentological data. In order to obtain basic hydrosedimentological information on the Anaktuvuk River, a pristine stream located in the Colville River basin, we conducted an extensive field campaign from late May to...

Fecal coliform �(FC)� analyses were conducted on weekly water samples collected from a single watershed over a 2-year period in Anchorage, Alaska. Although peak FC concentrations ��100 FC/100 mL� were observed primarily during the warmer months, lower FC levels ��20 FC/100 mL� could be observed throughout the year in the urbanized portion of the wa...

This study was designed to elucidate the partitioning behavior of fecal indicator bacteria Enterococcus and E. coli in spring snowmelt. Two snowmelt lysimeters were constructed and inoculated with agriculturally-derived manure prior to the first snowfall. After approximately six months, the lysimeter runoff was collected daily and transported to th...

Alaska's North Slope hosts a phenomenal wealth of natural, cultural, and economic resources. It represents a complex system, not only in terms of the biophysical system and its global importance but also from the standpoint of its social dynamic. A major challenge at the forefront of domestic energy development on the North Slope is the need for be...

In this book, current scientific knowledge and practical experiences with bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soils in cold regions are reviewed and compiled. We now more fully understand the inter-relationships between cold temperatures, soil and water properties, and biological processes. This aids decision making about practical remediation...

This manuscript describes an ongoing study designed to test the viability of an evapotranspiration (ET) landfill cover as an alternative to a compacted clay cap (CCL) in South Central Alaska. A key component of the study involves the development of real time in situ soil moisture profiles via electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Two adjacent pi...

The use of evapotranspiration (ET) covers for final closure of landfills has seen increased use over the last several years. This increase is in part due to economics and public acceptance. The ideal climatic regions for the use of ET covers are arid and semi-arid regions. To date the use of ET covers has not been thoroughly investigated in cold re...

Antibiotic Resistance Analysis (ARA) is a technique that can be employed to identify the source of fecal indicator bacteria in rural and urban watersheds. In this ongoing study, ARA is being utilized to investigate the sources of Enterococcus bacteria in Chester Creek, Anchorage, AK. Possible sources of fecal bacteria in the Chester Creek Watershed...

As the field of phytoremediation has evolved over the last 10 years, there has been a growing interest in the use of vegetative covers as alternative landfill caps. Consequently, a number of vegetative caps (grass, shrubs, and trees) have been installed at landfills across the United States, with tree caps being the focus of this paper. The two pri...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of mycorrhizal infection on vegetative uptake of polychlorinated biphenyls. Feltleaf willow (Salix alaxensis) and balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) were grown in soil spiked with 6 mg/kg 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl-(UL-C). The fungicide Daconil2787® was employed to suppress indigenous m...

The objective of this study was to investigate the phytoremediation potential of mycorrhizal systems for the remediation of aldrin-contaminated soils. Feltleaf willow (Salix alaxensis) and balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) were grown in soil spiked with 0.8 mg/kg aldrin- (1,2,3,4,10-C). Daconil2787® was employed to suppress indigenous mycorrhizal...

Mixed liquid cultures of ectomycorrhizal fungi were incubated in the presence of common soil contaminants (aldrin and PCBs) and three commercial surfactants (Surfonic® L24–9, Surfonic® T‐20, and Rexophos JV‐05–015). Two surfactants (Surfonic® L24–9 and Surfonic® T‐20) significantly increased hyphal growth under carbon‐limiting conditions, thus impl...

Biological treatment of a synthetic leachate containing cyanide was accomplished in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR). A mixed culture of organisms growing on silicone tubing were provided with cyanide as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. Organisms consumed cyanide (20 mg/liter CN−WAD) and produced ammonia in an approximate 1:1 molar yield...

Edible garden plants (carrots, spinach, and tomatoes) were grown to maturity inside continuous air-flow bioreactors, and were regularly irrigated with synthetic groundwater containing a mixture of 14C-labeled and unlabeled TCE. Two dose levels were tested (about 560 μg/L and 140 μg/L). Following TCE exposure for 31 to 106 days, different plant tiss...

The receptors for the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] form a family of closely related proteins that play an important role in regulating the free intracellular Ca2+ concentration. To test the hypothesis that changing the expression level of Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptors could alter the Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated Ca2+ signal, we ov...