Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions

As one of several Focus Area Studies within the USGS National Water Census (NWC), the USGS has completed a 3-year study of water availability and use in the Colorado River Basin.

The USGS studies calcium carbonate mineral reactions in soils at the Amarigosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) near Beatty, Nevada, in order to better understand carbon dioxide transport to and from the soil surface, as well as sequestration of toxic elements in the soil.

Although calcium carbonate reaction kinetics has important application in several areas of Earth Science, the mechanism of natural organic matter mediation of carbonate minerals growth and dissolution rates remains largely unknown. This project uses multiple approaches to study calcium carbonate formation and dissolution rates in surface water and groundwater systems.