Groundwater Nitrogen in Clallam County

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Spring 2014 - Volume 18 Number 2

"Groundwater Nitrogen in Clallam County"

geostatistical modeling image

Dwight Barry, PhD, and Brandon Massey

This image is a geostatistical model of nitrate groundwater concentrations at individual well sites in Clallam County, WA. Because much of the rural county is timberland or in Olympic National Park, wells are clustered around towns. The straight lines that look like ice crystals are the result of the model trying to interpolate between distant wells and/or across large water bodies. It is colored blue because of the "blue baby" syndrome that can sometimes result from high levels of nitrates in well water.

Dr Barry is a Data Scientist with Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, WA. Mr Massey works in public health in San Jose, CA.