Arsenic presents complex spatial occurrence trends that can be difficult to identify and
understand. The objective of this study was to understand geographic trends in arsenic occurrence using a
visualization technique. The approach taken was to link geospatially referenced arsenic
concentration information from a water quality database with elevation data contained in Digital
Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) files. DTED files are available for all land masses across the
world for public download. This allows for the development of three-dimensional plots of
arsenic concentration and topography. The plots developed in this manner show that high arsenic
is associated with the transition from plains to piedmont in New Jersey. In Oklahoma, high
arsenic is found along the North Canadian River Valley. In New Mexico, concentrations are
generally high in the Rio Grande Valley, but there is also an area of low concentration in the southern
portion of this valley. In California, arsenic concentrations are high in the middle of the Central
Valley, but moderate somewhat toward the edges. These results are consistent with mobilization
of arsenic by reductive processes in the organic-rich sediments of river valleys, but further
statistical analysis is required to confirm the significance of this association. The visualization
software used here is broadly applicable, and a user guide for this software is available on
request. Includes 9 references, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 1.4 MB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 10 |
| Published : | 11/01/2009 |
