Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies Active
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 groundwater/surface-water exchange.
Overview
Understanding exchanges of groundwater and surface water is essential to water managers and hydrologists for the development of effective water-resources policy, protection, and management. Surface water (including streams, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries) “gains” groundwater discharge via seeps and springs, while surface water also infiltrates into adjacent groundwater under “losing” hydraulic conditions. Groundwater discharge is the main component of stream baseflow, or the channel water flowing in between storm events and snowmelt. Many streams, lakes, and wetlands are primarily sourced by groundwater discharge during dry conditions, while coastal water quality can be strongly influenced by submarine groundwater discharge. Groundwater recharge occurs when surface water is exchanged into aquifers below, impacting groundwater chemistry and water supply. The sediment interface between groundwater and surface water, such as a streambed, is often highly reactive due to diverse chemical and microbial conditions, further modifying water quality over short transport distances (e.g., centimeters).
Physical methods of monitoring groundwater/surface-water exchange are often labor intensive and limited in spatial scale. The effects of groundwater/surface-water exchange can occur on a variety of time scales and distances. The dynamics of groundwater/surface water exchange at the stream reach to regional scale are often characterized based on measurements made at a few individual points, though such extrapolation can be highly uncertain do to inherent spatial and temporal variability. The hydrogeophysics toolkit produces data that span scales and helps put point-based measurements into hydrogeological context, often leading to improved understanding of groundwater/surface water exchange processes and associated management concerns.
Using Geophysics to Study Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange
The USGS Water Resources Mission Area conducts applied research to evaluate the use of new or emerging hydrogeophysical tools and methods to improve our understanding of groundwater/surface-water exchange. Geophysical methods based on measuring the electrical, thermal, and (or) physical properties of surface water, groundwater, and the shallow subsurface can enable scientists to efficiently locate and quantify groundwater and surface-water related processes. Such spatially comprehensive and spatially distributed information can tie point measurements to larger geologic structures controlling 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.
USGS has been a leader in advancing the use of hydrogeophysics to study groundwater/surface-water exchange 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 about our water resources. This work is also part of the USGS Next Generation Water Observing Systems state-of-the-art monitoring technology and methods to increase the spatial and temporal coverage of USGS water data and to make data more affordable and more rapidly available. The USGS Water Resources Mission Area recently released a groundwater/surface water exchange related methods selection tool to aid in the discovery of complimentary tools that may be well suited for specific applications, and to increase the general awareness of the diverse existing toolkit.
USGS Water Resources Mission Area science pages related to Geophysics for Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Selected USGS data releases related to Geophysics for Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Selected USGS publications related to Geophysics for Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Return flows from beaver ponds enhance floodplain-to-river metals exchange in alluvial mountain catchments
Wetland-scale mapping of preferential fresh groundwater discharge to the Colorado River
Multi-scale preferential flow processes in an urban streambed under variable hydraulic conditions
DTSGUI: A python program to process and visualize fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing data
Efficient hydrogeological characterization of remote stream corridors using drones
Hydrogeochemical controls on brook trout spawning habitats in a coastal stream
Inferring watershed hydraulics and cold-water habitat persistence using multi-year air and stream temperature signals
Explicit consideration of preferential groundwater discharges as surface water ecosystem control points
Direct observations of hydrologic exchange occurring with less‐mobile porosity and the development of anoxic microzones in sandy lakebed sediments
Potential for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems applications for identifying groundwater-surface water exchange in a meandering river reach
Using diurnal temperature signals to infer vertical groundwater-surface water exchange
Actively heated high-resolution fiber-optic-distributed temperature sensing to quantify streambed flow dynamics in zones of strong groundwater upwelling
USGS software related to Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
- Overview
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 groundwater/surface-water exchange.
Overview
Understanding exchanges of groundwater and surface water is essential to water managers and hydrologists for the development of effective water-resources policy, protection, and management. Surface water (including streams, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries) “gains” groundwater discharge via seeps and springs, while surface water also infiltrates into adjacent groundwater under “losing” hydraulic conditions. Groundwater discharge is the main component of stream baseflow, or the channel water flowing in between storm events and snowmelt. Many streams, lakes, and wetlands are primarily sourced by groundwater discharge during dry conditions, while coastal water quality can be strongly influenced by submarine groundwater discharge. Groundwater recharge occurs when surface water is exchanged into aquifers below, impacting groundwater chemistry and water supply. The sediment interface between groundwater and surface water, such as a streambed, is often highly reactive due to diverse chemical and microbial conditions, further modifying water quality over short transport distances (e.g., centimeters).
Physical methods of monitoring groundwater/surface-water exchange are often labor intensive and limited in spatial scale. The effects of groundwater/surface-water exchange can occur on a variety of time scales and distances. The dynamics of groundwater/surface water exchange at the stream reach to regional scale are often characterized based on measurements made at a few individual points, though such extrapolation can be highly uncertain do to inherent spatial and temporal variability. The hydrogeophysics toolkit produces data that span scales and helps put point-based measurements into hydrogeological context, often leading to improved understanding of groundwater/surface water exchange processes and associated management concerns.
Using Geophysics to Study Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange
The USGS Water Resources Mission Area conducts applied research to evaluate the use of new or emerging hydrogeophysical tools and methods to improve our understanding of groundwater/surface-water exchange. Geophysical methods based on measuring the electrical, thermal, and (or) physical properties of surface water, groundwater, and the shallow subsurface can enable scientists to efficiently locate and quantify groundwater and surface-water related processes. Such spatially comprehensive and spatially distributed information can tie point measurements to larger geologic structures controlling 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.
USGS has been a leader in advancing the use of hydrogeophysics to study groundwater/surface-water exchange 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 about our water resources. This work is also part of the USGS Next Generation Water Observing Systems state-of-the-art monitoring technology and methods to increase the spatial and temporal coverage of USGS water data and to make data more affordable and more rapidly available. The USGS Water Resources Mission Area recently released a groundwater/surface water exchange related methods selection tool to aid in the discovery of complimentary tools that may be well suited for specific applications, and to increase the general awareness of the diverse existing toolkit.
- Science
USGS Water Resources Mission Area science pages related to Geophysics for Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
- Data
Selected USGS data releases related to Geophysics for Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
- Publications
Selected USGS publications related to Geophysics for Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Filter Total Items: 43Return flows from beaver ponds enhance floodplain-to-river metals exchange in alluvial mountain catchments
River to floodplain hydrologic connectivity is strongly enhanced by beaver- (Castor canadensis) engineered channel water diversions. The hydroecological impacts are wide ranging and generally positive, however, the hydrogeochemical characteristics of beaver-induced flowpaths have not been thoroughly examined. Using a suite of complementary ground- and drone-based heat tracing and remote sensing meAuthorsMartin Briggs, Cheng-Hui Wang, Frederick Day-Lewis, Kenneth H. Williams, Wenming Dong, John LaneWetland-scale mapping of preferential fresh groundwater discharge to the Colorado River
Quantitative evaluation of groundwater/surface water exchange dynamics is universally challenging in large river systems, because existing methodology often does not yield spatially‐distributed data and is difficult to apply in deeper water. Here we apply a combined near‐surface geophysical and direct groundwater chemical toolkit to refine fresh groundwater discharge estimates to the Colorado RiveAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Nora C. Nelson, Philip M. Gardner, D. Kip Solomon, Neil Terry, John W. LaneMulti-scale preferential flow processes in an urban streambed under variable hydraulic conditions
Spatially preferential flow processes occur at nested scales at the sediment-water interface (SWI), due in part to sediment heterogeneities, which may be enhanced in flashy urban streams with heavy road sand influence. However, several factors, including the flow-rate dependence of preferential hyporheic flow and discrete groundwater discharge zones are commonly overlooked in reach-scale models ofAuthorsFarzaneh MahmoodPoor Dehkordy, Martin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Kamini Singha, Ashton Krajnovich, Tyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarnetske, Courtney R. Scruggs, Amvrossios C. BagtzoglouDTSGUI: A python program to process and visualize fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing data
Fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing (FO‐DTS) has proven to be a transformative technology for the hydrologic sciences, with application to diverse problems including hyporheic exchange, groundwater/surface‐water interaction, fractured‐rock characterization, and cold regions hydrology. FO‐DTS produces large, complex, and information‐rich datasets. Despite the potential of FO‐DTS, adoption oAuthorsMarian M. Domanski, Daven Quinn, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Martin A. Briggs, Dale D. Werkema, John W. LaneEfficient hydrogeological characterization of remote stream corridors using drones
This project demonstrates the successful use of small unoccupied aircraft system (sUASs) for hydrogeological characterization of a remote stream reach in a rugged mountain terrain. Thermal infrared, visual imagery, and derived digital surface models are used to inform conceptual models of groundwater/surface‐water exchange and efficiently geolocate zones of preferential groundwater discharge thatAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Cian B. Dawson, Christopher Holmquist-Johnson, Kenneth H. Williams, John W. LaneHydrogeochemical controls on brook trout spawning habitats in a coastal stream
Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) spawn in fall and overwintering egg development can benefit from stable, relatively warm temperatures in groundwater-seepage zones. However, eggs are also sensitive to dissolved oxygen concentration, which may be reduced in discharging groundwater (i.e., seepage). We investigated a 2 km reach of the coastal Quashnet River in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, to relaAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Judson W. Harvey, Stephen T. Hurley, Donald O. Rosenberry, Timothy D. McCobb, Dale D. Werkema, John W. LaneInferring watershed hydraulics and cold-water habitat persistence using multi-year air and stream temperature signals
Streams strongly influenced by groundwater discharge may serve as “climate refugia” for sensitive species in regions of increasingly marginal thermal conditions. The main goal of this study is to develop paired air and stream water annual temperature signal analysis techniques to elucidate the relative groundwater contribution to stream water and the effective groundwater flowpath depth. GroundwatAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Zachary C. Johnson, Craig D. Snyder, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Barret L. Kurylyk, Laura K. Lautz, Dylan J. Irvine, Stephen T. Hurley, John W. LaneExplicit consideration of preferential groundwater discharges as surface water ecosystem control points
Heterogeneities in sediment and rock permeability induce preferentialgroundwater flow from the scale of pore networks to large basins. Inthe unsaturated zone, preferential flow is frequently conceptualizedas an infiltration process dominated by macropores, resulting in stron-ger delivery of surface‐derived solute than would be predicted via dif-fuse percolation alone (Beven & Germann, 2013). In thAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Danielle K. HareDirect observations of hydrologic exchange occurring with less‐mobile porosity and the development of anoxic microzones in sandy lakebed sediments
Quantifying coupled mobile/less‐mobile porosity dynamics is critical to the prediction of biogeochemical storage, release, and transformation processes in the zone where groundwater and surface water exchange. The recent development of fine‐scale geoelectrical monitoring paired with pore‐water sampling in groundwater systems enables direct characterization of hydrologic exchange between more‐ andAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Farzaneh Mahmood Poor Dehkordy, Tyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarnetske, Courtney R. Scruggs, Kamini Singha, Judson W. Harvey, John W. LanePotential for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems applications for identifying groundwater-surface water exchange in a meandering river reach
The exchange of groundwater and surface water (GW-SW), including dissolved constituents and energy, represents a critical yet challenging characterization problem for hydrogeologists and stream ecologists. Here, we describe the use of a suite of high spatial-resolution remote-sensing techniques, collected using a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), to provide novel and complementary data to anaAuthorsH. Pai, H. Malenda, Martin A. Briggs, K. Singha, R. González-Pinzón, M. Gooseff, S.W. TylerUsing diurnal temperature signals to infer vertical groundwater-surface water exchange
Heat is a powerful tracer to quantify fluid exchange between surface water and groundwater. Temperature time series can be used to estimate pore water fluid flux, and techniques can be employed to extend these estimates to produce detailed plan-view flux maps. Key advantages of heat tracing include cost-effective sensors and ease of data collection and interpretation, without the need for expensivAuthorsDylan J. Irvine, Martin A. Briggs, Laura K. Lautz, Ryan P. Gordon, Jeffrey M. McKenzie, Ian CartwrightActively heated high-resolution fiber-optic-distributed temperature sensing to quantify streambed flow dynamics in zones of strong groundwater upwelling
Zones of strong groundwater upwelling to streams enhance thermal stability and moderate thermal extremes, which is particularly important to aquatic ecosystems in a warming climate. Passive thermal tracer methods used to quantify vertical upwelling rates rely on downward conduction of surface temperature signals. However, moderate to high groundwater flux rates (>−1.5 m d−1) restrict downward propAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Sean F. Buckley, Amvrossios C. Bagtzoglou, Dale D. Werkema, John W. Lane - Software
USGS software related to Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies