User talk:Hannahclimbs/sandbox

Comments about the overall article and what you could possibly edit:

-Introduction- could use some rewording and a better hook. It sort of jumps around from human use to agricultural and then onto endangered species. I just think it could flow a little bit better.

-The images at the beginning of the article feel out of place to me. I think they need to be included somewhere in the article. Maybe when talking about the description of the shape of the aquifer and where it is located. There is just a large blank space at the beginning that disrupts the flow of the article.

-I like the use of the table about the discharge summaries. I think it would be good to talk about the most popular discharge locations from the wells (irrigation, municipal, industrial), and the other unreported uses. The article talks about the two ways of recharge and discharge but does not provide a lot of detailed information about what is included within the table. It is just placed in there without any sort of introduction or mention. Same with the diagram depicting the outputs of the percentages the different types. Those are not discussed in the text.

-Hydrologic modeling -I think could use some more information about the purpose. It is used to determine the amount of water in the aquifer, but why is it necessary? Maybe talk about the importance of hydrologic modeling and include pictures if at all possible.

-Geography section- I was honestly a bit lost in this section. There is a lot of different information about the divisions of the aquifer, where the different zones extend to. I think it would be helpful to organize it a little bit better and reword it so it isn't just a lot of facts thrown out into a couple paragraphs. If there are some figures or images that actually shows the geography I think that would help immensely in visualizing all that is going on.

-Geology-same thing with geology, just needs some tidying up and to add some diagram that shows how the limestone has tilted. Would be nice to also see the different types of stratigraphic columns to visually see how they are different from one another.

-Hydrogeology- some sentences I think can be shortened to be more precise and to the point. I would also add in some links to explain some terms (faults, joints, burrows, etc.), that way the reader can understand the hydro process without stumbling on simple geological terms that are included. Some sentences are also repetitive. Where a link is provided for a word (effective porosity), but then is still defined afterwards. I feel like the extra words here and there can get removed and that might help make things more clear to understand and comprehend. The images next to climate and hydrogeology sections I don't seem to find relevant. Yes they are showing what a karst and fracture looks like, but it would be nice to see images of those aspects from the actual Edwards Aquifer.

-Climate- this section is decent. You could possibly add more about how climate can affect the recharge and discharge, expanding upon the rainfall and temperature a bit more into detail.

-Water quality- It would be nice to include some data and numbers about the expected levels of VOCs, pesticides etc. Also I would move the information about nitrates as pollutants down to the second paragraph since it discusses anthropogenic activity. I think there could be more information about how they go about testing the water quality as well.

-Ecology- Define an endemic species, subterranean. Random insertion of the widemouth blindcat. I think it is unnecessary if it is not a common species or one of concern. Images of the different organisms and plants that are within the aquifer should have some pictures. Might be useful to include a table of the endangered species or even a list rather than typing them out in a couple of sentences. It would make the paragraph more organized and visually appealing.

-Land use- I think the beginning paragraph is alright in explaining the different types of land use. I would like to read more about how the developments are affecting the recharge and quality of water more in depth. Also the next paragraph briefly mentions efforts to conserve the land. It could definitely be expanded upon and provide more insight. Images possibly to show which portions of the aquifer fall under which land use

-Demographics- I like the figure included that predicts the populations of the areas that fall within the boundaries of the aquifer. Numbers included with the populations also help. Might be good to include more information about how increasing population can be a concern towards the amount of water being used for different areas (drinking, municipal, industrial)

-Economy- I think there can be a better conclusion to wrap up the information provided in this section.

-Stakeholders- Good use of the table showing the major stakeholders

-History- Potentially could be included at the beginning?

Personal Sandbox Portion Comments:

-Should end the sentence are TDS information and start a new one describing how discharge changes from fast to slow. Maybe describe in more detail as to why it changes?

-Vertical and lateral distributions of what? TDS? discharge rates? If the terms (porosity, permeability, pumping, stratigraphy, faulting) are not linked earlier on in the article, it may be useful to do so. Adding the links will help someone who is not very knowledgeable about basic geology understand the simple terms so they can focus their attention on the bigger picture and not stumble over basic vocab.

-Geology and hydrogeology- platform? Might be good to reiterate what rocks will be associated with the saline water. "as well as gypsum and anhydrite" -- are you saying that these rocks have low permeability and higher concentrations of org. matter? Wouldn't they be included when you say "rocks associated with the saline aquifer". I am a bit confused as to where those two minerals fall within this sentence. Possibly reword. I think adding in maps like you mentioned would be a good idea. I personally like visual aids to help me understand what information the reader is trying to get across.

-Water chemistry- Instead of using ABCDE ..could you possibly use subheading for the different facies and italicize them even for a more obvious indication. The bulleted letters seem a bit awkward to look at. Just a personal preference for reformatting You say it has <1000 but earlier in the section you mention a range? Associated with reducing conditions? What are the reducing conditions, how do they arise? Link a definition to the term "facies", "dissolution". originate from down-dip Edwards group of oil field brines? what exactly is that? Wasn't mentioned before in the geology What are brines? Has that been defined, linked, or explained Last bullet (E) needs a period after it. Also the last sentence needs to be capitalized. I like how you separated out the different facies so it was more easy to navigate and understand. I think it would be good to expand upon the facies and the interactions between the different minerals and how that creates those specific unique types of water chemistry.

Ecology- Term "obligate" link the definition? maybe use the term "zone" instead of portions since that was the term you used in the title. Helpful to be consistent with terms. (Within the saline zone of the aquifer...) I think it would be better to start off with the different types of species within the aquifer and then dive into the carbon source section. You sort of jump from how diverse the community is and then into carbon sources derived some species. Might be better to introduce the different categories of species and list the ones within those categories and then dive into the specifics. I know you are still working on this section and overall wiki page, but pictures are definitely a plus, especially looking at the ecology.

Great work on your wiki section. There is a lot of great information that you provided. I think you just need to tidy it up and add some more like you mentioned you were going to. Overall, I think you are on the right track and cannot wait to see what else you plan on writing!