Water tracing dye was injected into a stream in Leadville, Colorado, to identify locations of metal loading and to guide geophysical measurements.
Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team Active
Electromagnetic imaging tools
are used to identify terrestrial groundwater discharge that may be impacted by contaminants.
Water tracing dyes
are injected into streams to guide geophysical measurements and identify contaminant loading.
Long-term fiber-optic temperature sensing arrays
are used to track groundwater discharges to creeks.
About the Research.
The Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program specializes in locating and quantifying exchanges of groundwater and surface water, along with characterizing geologic structure and mapping hydrologic connectivity across varied landscapes.
The Hydrogeophysics CTT conducts applied research and methods development to evaluate the use of emerging hydrogeophysical tools and methods to improve our understanding of hydrologic processes.
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” -Loren Eiseley
The Hydrogeophysics CTT harnesses that magic using natural and induced geophysical signals to measure a range of hydrogeologic parameters relevant to the research of Integrated Science Teams.
For example, geophysical methods based on measuring the electrical, thermal, and (or) physical properties of surface water, groundwater, and the shallow subsurface can enable the efficient geolocation and quantification of groundwater and surface-water related processes. Such spatially comprehensive and spatially distributed information can tie point measurements to larger geologic structures and ecological processes impacting flow and transport at local and regional scales. Similar data types collected over time (i.e., time-lapse data) allow researchers to track highly dynamic processes such as the movement of contaminant plumes, soil moisture, and saltwater intrusion. As a result, we are better able to understand and forecast movement of water between groundwater and surface-water bodies and associated changes in water quality and quantity.
The Hydrogeophysics CTT has been a leader in advancing the use of hydrogeophysics to study groundwater/surface-water exchange, groundwater process, and controlling geology for decades via methods and software development and pioneering research. Current efforts continue to foster innovation and development of hydrogeophysical technologies and methodologies to answer important questions related to PFAS and metals fate and transport, HABs, and other pressing EH research goals.
Key Capabilities
Land Surface Geophysical Capabilities
- tTEM (towed transient EM); Minerals IST, Leadville, CO
- ERT – electrical resistivity tomography; Williston, ND Energy IST
- EM (GEM, DualEM, TEM); Energy IST, Williston, ND; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO; Minerals IST, Leadville, CO
- Seismic refraction
- MASW – multi-channel analysis of surface wave
- Passive seismic (H/V); PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA
- GPR – ground penetrating radar
- sNMR; EH Methods Development
Waterborne and Wetland Capabilities
- Vertical temperature profiling of streambed exchange fluxes; EH Methods Development; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Energy IST, Williston, ND; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO
- Fiber-Optic DTS; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO
- TIR – thermal infrared; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO; Minerals IST, Leadville, CO
- Air-Water Temperature logging; EH Methods Development; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO
Water tracer methods; Minerals IST, Leadville, CO - FloaTEM (towed TEM)
- CRP – continuous resistivity profiling
- EM (GEM); PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO; Energy IST, Williston, ND
- CSP – continuous seismic
Monitoring Well and Borehole Geophysical Capabilities
- Caliper
- Fluid Temp and Resistivity
- Natural Gamma
- Resistivity, SP, SPR
- EMI – electromagnetic induction
- Magnetic susceptibility
- OTV and ATV imaging
- Camera
- Flowmeters (EM and HeatPulse)
- Dye dilution
- FWS – full waveform sonic
- Spectral Gamma
- Induced polarization
- Non-directional radar
- bNMR – nuclear magnetic resonance (multiple tools); EH Methods Development
Uncrewed Aircraft Capabilities
- Visual Imaging (RGB); Energy IST, Bemidji, MN; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA
- TIR; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA
- GPR
- Multi-spectral Imaging
† Hypertext links to non-USGS products and services; and the use of trade names, trademarks, company names, or other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government.
Environmental Health Integrated Science Team Collaborators
-
Energy Integrated Science Team
The Energy Lifecycle Integrated Science Team focuses on the potential for contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from energy resource activities including, extraction, production, transportation, storage, extraction, waste management and restoration. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are...Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
The team studies toxicants and pathogens in water resources from their sources, through watersheds, aquifers, and infrastructure to human and wildlife exposures. That information is used to develop decision tools that protect human and wildlife health.Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Integrated Science Team
Increasing scientific and public awareness of the widespread distribution of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. drinking-water supplies, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, wildlife, and humans has raised many public health and resource management questions that U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) science can inform. The USGS Environmental Health Program's PFAS Integrated Science Team...
Science activities related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Thermal Imaging Cameras for Studying Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange
Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Data related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Floating and Towed Transient Electromagnetic Surveys used to Characterize Hydrogeology underlying Rivers and Estuaries: March - December 2018
Riverbank vertical temperature profiler data and calculated groundwater discharge flux estimates from the Farmington River corridor, CT, USA
Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing data collected for improved mapping and monitoring of contaminated groundwater discharges along the upper Quashnet River, Mashpee and Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA 2020
Data release for tempest1d: Recursive Estimation of Vertical Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange using Heat Tracing
Heat tracing of potential groundwater seepage zones along the upper Coonamessett River bog area (Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2021)
Thermal infrared images of groundwater discharge zones in the Farmington and Housatonic River watersheds (Connecticut and Massachusetts, 2019)(ver. 3.0, January 2023)
Temperature and geophysical data collected along the Quashnet River, Mashpee/Falmouth MA (ver. 2.0, March 2020)
Surface Geophysical data collected along Blacktail Creek in June 2017 near Williston, North Dakota, USA
Near-surface geophysical data collected along streams near Silverton, Colorado, USA (ver. 2.0, May 2022)
Investigation of Scale-dependent Groundwater/Surface-water Exchange in Rivers by Gradient Self-Potential Logging: Numerical Model and Field Experiment Data, Quashnet River, Massachusetts, October 2017 (ver. 2.0, November 2020)
Hydrologic, biogeochemical, and radon data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming
Thermal infrared, multispectral, and photogrammetric data collected by drone for hydrogeologic analysis of the East River and Coal Creek beaver-impacted corridors near Crested Butte, Colorado
Multimedia items related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Hot Stream, Cold Stream – Measuring the impact of Groundwater on Stream Temperature
Groundwater that drains to surface water through seeps and springs is generally referred to as “discharge.” Groundwater discharge is a primary component of stream base flow, or streamflow that occurs between storms, periods of snowmelt runoff, and periods of quick soil drainage.
Water tracing dye was injected into a stream in Leadville, Colorado, to identify locations of metal loading and to guide geophysical measurements.
A fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton, Colorado.
linkA long-term fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton CO to track acid mine influenced groundwater discharge to the creek over time.
A fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton, Colorado.
linkA long-term fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton CO to track acid mine influenced groundwater discharge to the creek over time.
Eric White and Patrick Scordato of the USGS float an electromagnetic imaging tool along a coastal area in Massachusetts to identify terrestrial groundwater discharge that may be impacted by PFAS contamination.
Eric White and Patrick Scordato of the USGS float an electromagnetic imaging tool along a coastal area in Massachusetts to identify terrestrial groundwater discharge that may be impacted by PFAS contamination.
USGS Hydrologist Eric White monitors a computer displaying real-time data inversions while towing a novel floating transient electromagnetic (TEM) system (i.e., FloaTEM) on the Columbia River near Richland, Washington, adjacent to the Hanford 300 Area.
USGS Hydrologist Eric White monitors a computer displaying real-time data inversions while towing a novel floating transient electromagnetic (TEM) system (i.e., FloaTEM) on the Columbia River near Richland, Washington, adjacent to the Hanford 300 Area.
Studying groundwater and permafrost with geophysics slideshow
Studying groundwater and permafrost with geophysics slideshow
Scientific publications related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces
Paired Air and Stream Temperature Analysis (PASTA) to evaluate groundwater influence on streams
Wildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses
Stabilising effects of karstic groundwater on stream fish communities
Interaction of a legacy groundwater contaminant plume with the Little Wind River from 2015 through 2017, Riverton Processing site, Wyoming
Bedrock depth influences spatial patterns of summer baseflow, temperature and flow disconnection for mountainous headwater streams
Application of recursive estimation to heat tracing for groundwater/surface-water exchange
GW/SW-MST: A groundwater/surface-water method selection tool
Investigation of scale-dependent groundwater/surface-water exchange in rivers by gradient self-potential logging: Numerical modeling and field experiments
Evaluation of riverbed magnetic susceptibility for mapping biogeochemical hot spots in groundwater-impacted rivers
Using heat to trace vertical water fluxes in sediment experiencing concurrent tidal pumping and groundwater discharge
Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters
Software related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
GW/SW-MST: A Groundwater/Surface-Water Method Selection Tool
DTSGUI
1DTempPro: A program for analysis of vertical one-dimensional (1D) temperature profiles
1DTempPro is a computer program for the analysis of one-dimensional vertical temperature profiles.
Connect with members of the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team below.
- Overview
About the Research.
The Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program specializes in locating and quantifying exchanges of groundwater and surface water, along with characterizing geologic structure and mapping hydrologic connectivity across varied landscapes.
The Hydrogeophysics CTT conducts applied research and methods development to evaluate the use of emerging hydrogeophysical tools and methods to improve our understanding of hydrologic processes.
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” -Loren Eiseley
The Hydrogeophysics CTT harnesses that magic using natural and induced geophysical signals to measure a range of hydrogeologic parameters relevant to the research of Integrated Science Teams.
For example, geophysical methods based on measuring the electrical, thermal, and (or) physical properties of surface water, groundwater, and the shallow subsurface can enable the efficient geolocation and quantification of groundwater and surface-water related processes. Such spatially comprehensive and spatially distributed information can tie point measurements to larger geologic structures and ecological processes impacting flow and transport at local and regional scales. Similar data types collected over time (i.e., time-lapse data) allow researchers to track highly dynamic processes such as the movement of contaminant plumes, soil moisture, and saltwater intrusion. As a result, we are better able to understand and forecast movement of water between groundwater and surface-water bodies and associated changes in water quality and quantity.
The Hydrogeophysics CTT has been a leader in advancing the use of hydrogeophysics to study groundwater/surface-water exchange, groundwater process, and controlling geology for decades via methods and software development and pioneering research. Current efforts continue to foster innovation and development of hydrogeophysical technologies and methodologies to answer important questions related to PFAS and metals fate and transport, HABs, and other pressing EH research goals.
Key Capabilities
Land Surface Geophysical Capabilities
- tTEM (towed transient EM); Minerals IST, Leadville, CO
- ERT – electrical resistivity tomography; Williston, ND Energy IST
- EM (GEM, DualEM, TEM); Energy IST, Williston, ND; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO; Minerals IST, Leadville, CO
- Seismic refraction
- MASW – multi-channel analysis of surface wave
- Passive seismic (H/V); PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA
- GPR – ground penetrating radar
- sNMR; EH Methods Development
Waterborne and Wetland Capabilities
- Vertical temperature profiling of streambed exchange fluxes; EH Methods Development; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Energy IST, Williston, ND; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO
- Fiber-Optic DTS; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO
- TIR – thermal infrared; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO; Minerals IST, Leadville, CO
- Air-Water Temperature logging; EH Methods Development; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO
Water tracer methods; Minerals IST, Leadville, CO - FloaTEM (towed TEM)
- CRP – continuous resistivity profiling
- EM (GEM); PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA; Minerals IST, Silverton, CO; Energy IST, Williston, ND
- CSP – continuous seismic
Monitoring Well and Borehole Geophysical Capabilities
- Caliper
- Fluid Temp and Resistivity
- Natural Gamma
- Resistivity, SP, SPR
- EMI – electromagnetic induction
- Magnetic susceptibility
- OTV and ATV imaging
- Camera
- Flowmeters (EM and HeatPulse)
- Dye dilution
- FWS – full waveform sonic
- Spectral Gamma
- Induced polarization
- Non-directional radar
- bNMR – nuclear magnetic resonance (multiple tools); EH Methods Development
Uncrewed Aircraft Capabilities
- Visual Imaging (RGB); Energy IST, Bemidji, MN; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA
- TIR; PFAS IST, Cape Cod, MA
- GPR
- Multi-spectral Imaging
† Hypertext links to non-USGS products and services; and the use of trade names, trademarks, company names, or other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government.
Environmental Health Integrated Science Team Collaborators-
Energy Integrated Science Team
The Energy Lifecycle Integrated Science Team focuses on the potential for contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from energy resource activities including, extraction, production, transportation, storage, extraction, waste management and restoration. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are...Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
The team studies toxicants and pathogens in water resources from their sources, through watersheds, aquifers, and infrastructure to human and wildlife exposures. That information is used to develop decision tools that protect human and wildlife health.Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Integrated Science Team
Increasing scientific and public awareness of the widespread distribution of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. drinking-water supplies, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, wildlife, and humans has raised many public health and resource management questions that U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) science can inform. The USGS Environmental Health Program's PFAS Integrated Science Team...
- Science
Science activities related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Thermal Imaging Cameras for Studying Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange
USGS scientists are using high-resolution handheld and airborne thermal imaging cameras in groundwater/surface-water exchange studies and other investigations where surface temperature contrasts indicate various hydrological processes. These cameras are used to quickly locate and characterize thermal (temperature) anomalies along streams, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and across the landscape...Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Locating and quantifying exchanges of groundwater and surface water, along with characterizing geologic structure, is essential to water-resource managers and hydrologists for the development of effective water-resource policy, protection, and management. The USGS conducts applied research to evaluate the use of new or emerging hydrogeophysical tools and methods to improve our understanding of... - Data
Data related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Filter Total Items: 16Floating and Towed Transient Electromagnetic Surveys used to Characterize Hydrogeology underlying Rivers and Estuaries: March - December 2018
Surface and water-borne geophysical methods can provide information for the characterization of the subsurface structure of the earth for aquifer investigations. Floating and towed transient electromagnetic (FloaTEM and tTEM) surveys provide resistivity soundings of the subsurface, which can be related to lithology and hydrogeology. In the TEM method, a primary electrical current is cycled throughRiverbank vertical temperature profiler data and calculated groundwater discharge flux estimates from the Farmington River corridor, CT, USA
As the climate warms and dry periods become more extreme, shallow groundwater discharge is generally becoming a less reliable source of streamflow while deep groundwater discharge remains a more resilient source. The implications of shifts in the relative balance of shallow and deep groundwater discharge sources are profound in gaining streams. These different sources exert critical controls on stFiber-optic distributed temperature sensing data collected for improved mapping and monitoring of contaminated groundwater discharges along the upper Quashnet River, Mashpee and Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA 2020
In summer in Massachusetts, USA, preferential groundwater discharge zones are often colder than adjacent streambed areas that do not have substantial discharge. Therefore, discharge zones can efficiently be identified and mapped over space using heat as a tracer. This data release contains fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) data collected along the streambed interface of the mainData release for tempest1d: Recursive Estimation of Vertical Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange using Heat Tracing
This data release provides a recursive-estimation framework to infer groundwater/surface-water exchange based on temperature time series collected at different vertical depths below the sediment/water interface. A heat-transport problem was formulated as a state-space model (SSM), in which the spatial derivatives in the convection/conduction equation are approximated using finite differences. TheHeat tracing of potential groundwater seepage zones along the upper Coonamessett River bog area (Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2021)
Locations of focused groundwater seepage to surface water are often hydrologically and ecologically important. Spatially focused or 'preferential' seepage can be identified as anomalous cold zones compared to warmer adjacent bank and surface water features (in summer). The temperature of deeper groundwater on Cape Cod is expected to approximate 11 degrees Celsius year-round, yielding a relativelyThermal infrared images of groundwater discharge zones in the Farmington and Housatonic River watersheds (Connecticut and Massachusetts, 2019)(ver. 3.0, January 2023)
Locations of focused (or ‘preferential’) groundwater discharge to surface water are often hydrologically and ecologically important, yet our ability to predict the spatial distribution and water quality of preferential riverbank discharges is limited at the scale of river networks. To advance the understanding of the physical controls on riverbank groundwater discharge processes, discharge zones cTemperature and geophysical data collected along the Quashnet River, Mashpee/Falmouth MA (ver. 2.0, March 2020)
The temperature and surface geophysical data contained in this release have primarily been collected to support groundwater/surface water methods development, and to characterize the hydrogeological controls on native brook trout habitat. All data have been collected since 2010 along the Quashnet River corridor located on Cape Cod, MA, USA. Cape Cod is a peninsula in southeastern coastal MassachusSurface Geophysical data collected along Blacktail Creek in June 2017 near Williston, North Dakota, USA
The extraction of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources often produces highly saline waste waters, which can be released to the river corridor environment during spills and pipe leakage. In North Dakota, USA more than 8,000 spills were recorded from 2008-2015, and more than half of those spills were related to pipelines. Data collected for this study were related to UOG wastewater leakage froNear-surface geophysical data collected along streams near Silverton, Colorado, USA (ver. 2.0, May 2022)
Near-surface geophysical data from within the Bonita Peak Mining District in Silverton, Colorado, USA are presented. The data include fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) and frequency domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM) data collected in and around roughly 1 km reaches of Cement Creek and California Gulch. Additional data, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and self poteInvestigation of Scale-dependent Groundwater/Surface-water Exchange in Rivers by Gradient Self-Potential Logging: Numerical Model and Field Experiment Data, Quashnet River, Massachusetts, October 2017 (ver. 2.0, November 2020)
This data release contains waterborne self-potential (SP) logging data measured during 48 laboratory experiments and three field experiments that were performed to develop an efficient, accurate method for detecting (in the laboratory) and geolocating (in the field) focused vertical groundwater discharge (surface-water gains) and recharge (surface-water losses) in a river. The experimental proceduHydrologic, biogeochemical, and radon data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying the interaction of a contaminated groundwater plume enriched in uranium and other trace elements with water, sediment, and biota along a 3 km reach of the Little Wind River in central Wyoming. The source of the contaminants is from a reclaimed uranium mill site near Riverton, Wyoming. The study is being done in collaboration with the Department of Energy, UniThermal infrared, multispectral, and photogrammetric data collected by drone for hydrogeologic analysis of the East River and Coal Creek beaver-impacted corridors near Crested Butte, Colorado
The U.S. Geological Survey collected low-altitude (typically 200-350 ft als) airborne thermal infrared, multispectral, and visual imagery data via a multirotor, small unoccupied aircraft system deployed along beaver-impacted sections of the East River and Coal Creek stream corridors, near the town of Crested Butte, CO. Visual imagery was collected in jpg format, and the images were compiled automa - Multimedia
Multimedia items related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Hot Stream, Cold Stream – Measuring the impact of Groundwater on Stream Temperature
Groundwater that drains to surface water through seeps and springs is generally referred to as “discharge.” Groundwater discharge is a primary component of stream base flow, or streamflow that occurs between storms, periods of snowmelt runoff, and periods of quick soil drainage.
Water tracing dye injected into a stream in Leadville, Colorado.Water tracing dye injected into a stream in Leadville, Colorado.Water tracing dye was injected into a stream in Leadville, Colorado, to identify locations of metal loading and to guide geophysical measurements.
Water tracing dye was injected into a stream in Leadville, Colorado, to identify locations of metal loading and to guide geophysical measurements.
A fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton, Colorado.A fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton, Colorado.A fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton, Colorado.
linkA long-term fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton CO to track acid mine influenced groundwater discharge to the creek over time.
A fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton, Colorado.
linkA long-term fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing monitoring array installed along Cement Creek near Silverton CO to track acid mine influenced groundwater discharge to the creek over time.
Floating an electromagnetic imaging tool along a coastal area in Massachusetts.Floating an electromagnetic imaging tool along a coastal area in Massachusetts.Eric White and Patrick Scordato of the USGS float an electromagnetic imaging tool along a coastal area in Massachusetts to identify terrestrial groundwater discharge that may be impacted by PFAS contamination.
Eric White and Patrick Scordato of the USGS float an electromagnetic imaging tool along a coastal area in Massachusetts to identify terrestrial groundwater discharge that may be impacted by PFAS contamination.
USGS Hydrologist Conducts FloaTEM Geophysical Survey on RiverUSGS Hydrologist Conducts FloaTEM Geophysical Survey on RiverUSGS Hydrologist Eric White monitors a computer displaying real-time data inversions while towing a novel floating transient electromagnetic (TEM) system (i.e., FloaTEM) on the Columbia River near Richland, Washington, adjacent to the Hanford 300 Area.
USGS Hydrologist Eric White monitors a computer displaying real-time data inversions while towing a novel floating transient electromagnetic (TEM) system (i.e., FloaTEM) on the Columbia River near Richland, Washington, adjacent to the Hanford 300 Area.
Studying groundwater and permafrost with geophysicsStudying groundwater and permafrost with geophysicsStudying groundwater and permafrost with geophysicsStudying groundwater and permafrost with geophysics slideshow
Studying groundwater and permafrost with geophysics slideshow
- Publications
Scientific publications related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
Filter Total Items: 17Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces
Riverbank groundwater discharge faces are spatially extensive areas of preferential seepage that are exposed to air at low river flow. Some conceptual hydrologic models indicate discharge faces represent the spatial convergence of highly variable age and length groundwater flowpaths, while others indicate greater consistency in source groundwater characteristics. Our detailed field investigation oAuthorsAdam Haynes, Martin Briggs, Eric Moore, Kevin Jackson, James Knighton, David Rey, Ashley HeltonPaired Air and Stream Temperature Analysis (PASTA) to evaluate groundwater influence on streams
Groundwater is critical for maintaining stream baseflow and thermal stability; however, the influence of groundwater on streamflow has been difficult to evaluate at broad spatial scales. Techniques such as baseflow separation necessitate streamflow records and do not directly indicate whether groundwater inflow may be sourced from more dynamic shallow flowpaths. We present a web tool application PAuthorsDanielle K. Hare, Susanne A. Benz, Barret L. Kurylyk, Zachary Johnson, Neil Terry, Ashley M. HeltonWildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses
Within the western United States, increasingly severe and frequent wildfires may alter the magnitude, timing, and quality of water exported from burned areas by streams. Post-fire hydrologic studies often focus on peak stream flow responses to shifts in runoff generation or on annual streamflow yield response to changes in evapotranspiration following fire. However, the magnitude and duration of wAuthorsDavid Rey, Martin Briggs, Michelle A. Walvoord, Brian A. EbelStabilising effects of karstic groundwater on stream fish communities
Although groundwater exchange processes are known to modulate atmospheric influences on stream temperature and flow, the implications for ecological stability are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated temporal change in stream fish communities across a gradient of groundwater influence defined by karst terrain (carbonate parent materials) within the Potomac River basin of eastern North America. WeAuthorsNathaniel P. Hitt, Karli M Rogers, Karmann G. Kessler, Martin Briggs, Jennifer Burlingame Hoyle FairInteraction of a legacy groundwater contaminant plume with the Little Wind River from 2015 through 2017, Riverton Processing site, Wyoming
The Riverton Processing site was a uranium mill 4 kilometers southwest of Riverton, Wyoming, that prepared uranium ore for nuclear reactors and weapons from 1958 to 1963. The U.S. Department of Energy completed surface remediation of the uranium tailings in 1989; however, groundwater below and downgradient from the tailings site and nearby Little Wind River was not remediated. Beginning in 2010, aAuthorsDavid L. Naftz, Christopher C. Fuller, Robert L. Runkel, John Solder, W. Payton Gardner, Neil Terry, Martin A. Briggs, Terry M. Short, Daniel J. Cain, William L Dam, Patrick A. Byrne, James R. CampbellBedrock depth influences spatial patterns of summer baseflow, temperature and flow disconnection for mountainous headwater streams
In mountain headwater streams, the quality and resilience of summer cold-water habitat is generally regulated by stream discharge, longitudinal stream channel connectivity and groundwater exchange. These critical hydrologic processes are thought to be influenced by the stream corridor bedrock contact depth (sediment thickness), a parameter often inferred from sparse hillslope borehole information,AuthorsMartin Briggs, Phillip J. Goodling, Zachary Johnson, Karli M. Rogers, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Jennifer Burlingame Hoyle Fair, Craig D. SnyderApplication of recursive estimation to heat tracing for groundwater/surface-water exchange
We present and demonstrate a recursive-estimation framework to infer groundwater/surface-water exchange based on temperature time series collected at different vertical depths below the sediment/water interface. We formulate the heat-transport problem as a state-space model (SSM), in which the spatial derivatives in the convection/conduction equation are approximated using finite differences. TheAuthorsW. Anderson McAliley, Frederick Day-Lewis, David Rey, Martin Briggs, Allen M. Shapiro, Dale WerkemaGW/SW-MST: A groundwater/surface-water method selection tool
Groundwater/surface-water (GW/SW) exchange and hyporheic processes are topics receiving increasing attention from the hydrologic community. Hydraulic, chemical, temperature, geophysical, and remote sensing methods are used to achieve various goals (e.g., inference of GW/SW exchange, mapping of bed materials, etc.), but the application of these methods is constrained by site conditions such as wateAuthorsSteven Hammett, Frederick Day-Lewis, Brett Russell Trottier, Paul M. Barlow, Martin A. Briggs, Geoffrey N. Delin, Judson Harvey, Carole D. Johnson, John W. Lane, D. O. Rosenberry, Dale D. WerkemaInvestigation of scale-dependent groundwater/surface-water exchange in rivers by gradient self-potential logging: Numerical modeling and field experiments
Exchanges of groundwater and surface-water are fundamental to a wide range of water-supply and water-quality management issues but challenging to map beyond the reach scale. Waterborne gradient self-potential (SP) measurements are directly sensitive to water flow through riverbed sediments and can be used to infer exchange locations, direction (gain versus loss), scale, and relative changes, but tAuthorsScott Ikard, Martin A. Briggs, John W. LaneEvaluation of riverbed magnetic susceptibility for mapping biogeochemical hot spots in groundwater-impacted rivers
Redox hot spots occurring as metal-rich anoxic groundwater discharges through oxic wetland and river sediments commonly result in the formation of iron (Fe) oxide precipitates. These redox-sensitive precipitates influence the release of nutrients and metals to surface water and can act as ‘contaminant sponges’ by absorbing toxic compounds. We explore the feasibility of a non-invasive, high-resolutAuthorsCheng-Hui Wang, Martin A. Briggs, Frederick Day-Lewis, L. SlaterUsing heat to trace vertical water fluxes in sediment experiencing concurrent tidal pumping and groundwater discharge
Heat has been widely applied to trace groundwater‐surface water exchanges in inland environments, but it is infrequently applied in coastal sediment where head oscillations induce periodicity in water flux magnitude/direction and heat advection. This complicates interpretation of temperatures to estimate water fluxes. We investigate the convolution of thermal and hydraulic signals to assess the viAuthorsN LeRoux, B. Kurylyk, Martin A. Briggs, D. Irvine, J Tamborski, V. F. BenseGeochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters
Releases of oil and gas (OG) wastewaters can have complex effects on stream-water quality and downstream organisms, due to sediment-water interactions and groundwater/surface water exchange. Previously, elevated concentrations of sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), and lithium (Li), and trace hydrocarbons were determined to be key markers of OG wastewater releases when combineAuthorsIsabelle M. Cozzarelli, Douglas B. Kent, Martin A. Briggs, Mark A Engle, Adam Benthem, Katherine Skalak, Adam Mumford, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Aida Farag, John W. Lane, Denise M. Akob - Software
Software related to the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team can be found below.
GW/SW-MST: A Groundwater/Surface-Water Method Selection Tool
The Groundwater/Surface-Water Method Selection Tool (GW/SW-MST) is a spreadsheet-based tool to help practitioners identify methods for use in groundwater/surface-water (GW/SW) exchange and hyporheic studies. GW/SW exchange and hyporheic processes are topics receiving increasing attention from the hydrologic community. Hydraulic, chemical, temperature, geophysical, and remote sensing methods are uDTSGUI
DTSGUI is a public-domain software tool to import, manage, parse/cull, georeference, analyze and visualize fiber-optic distributed temperature sensor (FO-DTS) data. Visualization can efficiently be accomplished in the form of heat maps of temperature (as color) versus distance and time, and in map view plots of georeferenced data on land-surface orthoimagery. The code is written in object-oriented1DTempPro: A program for analysis of vertical one-dimensional (1D) temperature profiles
1DTempPro is a computer program for the analysis of one-dimensional vertical temperature profiles.
- Connect
Connect with members of the Hydrogeophysics Core Technology Team below.