West's articles include those written for scientific and nature-oriented journals, as well as those composed for specific presentations, lectures, workshops, or short courses. Journal articles address water quality and ecology issues, water treatment and remediation techniques, and some of water's unusual physical and chemical properties. Lecture-related articles address the implications of modern and ancient views of water, as well as water's importance in global issues (e.g., carbon trading, climate change, energy sources, resource allocation) and in esoteric topics such as life force, sacred geometry, and cosmology. Articles are listed under two categories and may be accessed by clicking on the desired title. To download an article, simply click on the PDF icon located next to the title.

"Hydromimicry: Water as a Model for Technology and Management" was published in the Post Carbon Institute's Energy Bulletin for August. Hydromimicry principles are based on emulating water's natural patterns, rhythms, and behaviors in the design of human products, technologies, and management strategies. Applications range from micro to macro scales and from technically complex to relatively simple.

Water quality impacts to coastal waters may be caused by the submarine discharge of contaminated groundwater into near shore seawater. Methods for limiting groundwater pollutant discharges to a subtropical bay and coastal lagoon included defining and eliminating several point sources, as well as enhancing natural biodegradation process of existing pollutants and restoring the original stormwater drainage pathways.

Residual crude oil in soils resulting from previous spills or leaks are common in coastal marine environments, especially where the volatilization, solubilization, and transport of toxic hydrocarbons are of concern. Analyses of groundwater and seawater samples from and impacted bay indicated that many volatile compounds were depleted, but that more soluble compounds could pose a threat depending on tidal fluxes and adsorption characteristics.

Recognizing water as more than a commodity and resource is a challenge because of the way we perceive it. Earth is truly a water planet; hence, phenomena such as climate change, energy selection, food production, technology development, and human health are dependent on the behavior of water. Designers in many fields are emulating or mimicking water and its natural patterns and rhythms in the development of products, processes, and management schemes.

"Perspectives on the Relation between Water and Carbon" was published in the AIP's ISASWR Proc. (vol. 1251). The global switch to energy sources that are more sustainable and less polluting than fossil fuels is dependent, in part, upon local water resources. Similarly, carbon sequestration has energy costs and potential long-term hazards. To increase energy efficiency and reduce negative impacts, designers are now looking to water and nature.

Dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons in fractured bedrock settings may lead to an increase in the atmospheric loading of methane. The spatial distribution of methane within surface soils overlying bedrock suggests that methane flows through fractures, even though most of it is oxidized to carbon dioxide before reaching the ground surface. While minimal on a worldwide basis, this source may be locally important in shifting soils from a sink to a source of atmospheric methane.

Carbon sequestration techniques include pumping liquid CO2 into the ocean depths (impacting deep sea ecosystems) and into saline aquifers and depleted petroleum reservoirs (potentially contaminating potable groundwater). Other carbon offsets affecting local water resources include establishing tree plantations in deforested regions and fertilizing the ocean surface to stimulate phytoplankton growth, both of which are motivated by the lucrative carbon credit market.

"The Magic of Water" was published in a compilation of essays entitled Transformation. Ancient writings indicate that vortices, waves, ripples, and other flow forms were considered the most mysterious and powerful of water's attributes. By contrast, scientists have long modeled water as a self-organizing network of water molecules. Earth utilizes the substance of water to produce, modify, and dissolve the vast array of features that we recognize as its surface.

"Water Requirements and Impacts Associated with Alternative Energy Sources" was published in Water Scarcity, Global Changes, and Groundwater Management Responses. Switching from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources is dependent on the quantity, distribution, and quality of water that is available. Alternative energies like wind, small-scale solar, and algae-generated fuels pose the least water demands, whereas nuclear, fossil, and biomass pose the greatest demands.

Water’s three-dimensional geometry reflects both a tetrahedron and an icosahedron, such that connections among individual molecules are represented by the former and more complex groupings are represented by the latter. The icosahedron is an ancient symbol of water and connects various branches of mathematics, including ones that may describe the universe's particles and forces. Biological and planetary forms reflect the patterns, geometries, and rhythms of water.

The creative use of sound, images, interactive animation, and subtle storytelling permit visitors to experience water and to hear its story. Presented through people, animals, plants, and ancient cultures, visitors realize that water is shared by all earthly forms and is the primary essence of their own physical existence. Transported from water's cosmic realm, visitors experiences the rhythm and geometry of its microscopic realm. . .one that is almost beyond imagination.

"The Waters of Chaos" was published in the August/September issue of Magister Botanicus. Many ancient peoples believed that the material world emerged from a primordial state of chaos----water appears to have been the most popular metaphor for that chaos. The waters of chaos were believed to possess a storehouse of unmanifested possibilities, such that they could give rise to forms from their formlessness. Water does mediate many worldly processes.

Likely routes of introducing of human sewage into Hanalei Bay include [1] direct discharge via designed outfalls (treated sewage), [2] release from holding tanks aboard boats (untreated sewage), [3] indirect surface discharge from sewage entering rivers that empty into the Bay, and [4] indirect subsurface discharge from sewage entering groundwater that discharges into the Bay. Studies of bacteria suggest that the latter route may be the most significant.

"Options for the Disposal of Wastewater Effluent in Hanalei, Hawaii" was published in the USGS Report 2007-1219. The options available for disposing treated wastewater effluent in sensitive aquatic and marine environments depend, in large part, on the method of treatment (e.g., primary, secondary, or tertiary). Surface water discharge, groundwater injection, land application, and irrigation/reuse are evaluated for their possible impacts on Hanalei Bay.

Historically, water has been associated with the life force and the unseen realm, within which it purportedly animates and gives rise to the observable world. This unseen realm is sometimes referred to as etheric, akashic, or extra dimensional. Sacred traditions and geometries suggest water’s mediating between seen and unseen worlds and symbolizing the life force itself. Lacking a scientific explanation, any connection between life force and water is relegated to esoteric theories.

"Cosmic Water" is an entry in the Water Encyclopedia. Water is present throughout the cosmos in solid, vapor and , perhaps, liquid phases. The origins of water may be traced back to hydrogen atoms that were created following the Big Bang and oxygen atoms that continue to be created in the interior of dying stars. Water resides on everything from interstellar dust and gas clouds to the surface of planets, where it performs myriad roles within the interstellar realms.

"Molecular Network Dynamics" is an entry in the Water Encyclopedia. Liquid water forms a vast interconnected network that is just beginning to be understood in terms of its structure and dynamics. The network is composed of individual molecules that chemically bond to their nearest neighbors such that the bonds are switched as rapidly as a trillion times per second. Some of the molecules are grouped together in more ordered arrangements known as clusters.

"Sound in Water" is an entry in the Water Encyclopedia. As an elastic medium, water transmits sound as longitudinal waves that propagate along a defined path. Because water is a denser medium than air, the former transmits sound waves faster and more efficiently than does that latter. Underwater environments are characterized by a spectrum of sound frequencies and intensities produced by geological, meteorological, biological, and anthropogenic sources.

"Water Symbolism" is an entry in the Water Encyclopedia. Throughout history, water has been a symbol of wisdom, power, grace, music, and the undifferentiated chaos that gave rise to the material world. Whether portrayed as a shape-shifting dragon, an omnipotent god, a three-dimensional geometry, or a subterranean river, water has always been understood to play a fundamental role in the creation and maintenance of the physical and biological worlds.

We humans can hear sounds over a frequency range of about 10 octaves, bracketed by a lower limit at about 20 hertz and an upper limit at about 20,000 hertz. Sounds generated at frequencies lower than 20 hertz (known as infrasonic) are often felt within our bodies rather than heard with our ears. The environment is full of infrasounds that may influence us. Some animals and a wide range of geological and meteorological events produce infrasounds.

Changes in climate patterns are mediated primarily through water and its myriad roles within the hydrologic cycle. As the only substance that can affect CO2-induced global warming trends in the short term, water is sometimes referred to as the "mediator of rapid climate change." Many of our water-related problems can be traced to managing water in accordance with man-made structures and boundaries, rather than with natural watersheds and flow regimes.

Our view of water as a human right, a financial commodity, a scientific oddity, and a crucial resource has served us in many ways; however, solving today's water crises may require our connecting to water in ways that will supplement our predominantly intellectual perception. Clues to a different perception of water may be found in art, music, poetry, personal experiences, and the rituals of ancient and indigenous peoples.

"Potential Atmospheric Contribution of Methane from Fractured Bedrock Aquifers" was published in the Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 81(26). It addresses the relationship between the widespread contamination of groundwater by petroleum hydrocarbons (e.g., fuels, oils) and the release of methane, which is a greenhouse gas produced during the biodegradation of contaminants under the anaerobic conditions present in most groundwater aquifers.

"Hydration Structures and Dynamics: An Alternative Perspective on Remediation Processes" was published in Physical and Thermal Technologies C2(5). It explores the way in which commonly-employed remediation technologies are likely to affect the molecular structure of water. Some technologies alter water's molecular structure so that its ability to solvate the pollutants is compromised, resulting in their aqueous destruction or their partitioning into the adjacent air or soils.

"C2 and C3 Hydrocarbon Gases Associated with Highly Reducing Conditions in Groundwater" was published in Biogeochemistry 47(1). The analyses of hydrocarbon and biogenic (greenhouse) gases in groundwater and soils are commonly used to indicate redox conditions and fuel spills. Biogenic gases are produced by microbial processes such as respiration and photosynthesis. Adding these compounds to a suite of water or vapor analytes may enhance data interpretation.

"Techniques for Rapidly Evaluating the Progress of In-situ Remediation" was published in Remediation 3(1). This paper explains how analyzing several common gases (e.g., oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane) and their relative abundance in water, soils, and sediments may be used to assess the pathways by which water contaminants are undergoing biodegradation by naturally-occurring microorganisms. This relatively rapid assessment technique can be used to assess ongoing remediation efforts.