Libby Wildermuth
I work largely with the USGS Southwest Gravity Program, collecting and analyzing gravity data to answer hydrological questions.
My current projects include monitoring aquifer-storage change via established gravity methods, incorporating gravity observations as a groundwater model calibration target using coupled hydrogeophysical inversion, and assessing the utility of gravity data in detecting porosity changes across a fault.
Science and Products
Aquifer-storage monitoring at Tucson Water’s Heritage Project
Tucson Water’s Santa Cruz River Heritage Project releases up to 3,150 acre-feet a year of reclaimed water into the Santa Cruz River channel near downtown Tucson, AZ, much of which is expected to recharge to the subsurface through the channel bottom. Tracking the movement of recharged water is necessary to limit the dispersal of that water within specific target boundaries, and to enable resource...
Monitoring aquifer-storage change at Tucson Water's Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project
The Arizona Water Science Center is monitoring aquifer-storage changes at an artificial recharge facility operated by Tucson Water in southeast Tucson. Aquifer-storage change is monitored by measuring changes in gravity over time at the same network of benchmarks. As water is added or removed from the aquifer, there is a change in mass and a corresponding measurable change in gravity.
Aquifer-Storage Change and Land-Surface Elevation Change Monitoring in the Tucson Active Management Area
The Arizona Water Science Center is monitoring aquifer-storage changes and land subsidence within the Tucson Active Management Area (AMA). Land-surface elevation change is monitored at a network of benchmarks throughout the Tucson AMA by measuring changes in land surface elevation over time (approximately annually) with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Aquifer-storage change is...
Science and Products
Aquifer-storage monitoring at Tucson Water’s Heritage Project
Tucson Water’s Santa Cruz River Heritage Project releases up to 3,150 acre-feet a year of reclaimed water into the Santa Cruz River channel near downtown Tucson, AZ, much of which is expected to recharge to the subsurface through the channel bottom. Tracking the movement of recharged water is necessary to limit the dispersal of that water within specific target boundaries, and to enable resource...
Monitoring aquifer-storage change at Tucson Water's Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project
The Arizona Water Science Center is monitoring aquifer-storage changes at an artificial recharge facility operated by Tucson Water in southeast Tucson. Aquifer-storage change is monitored by measuring changes in gravity over time at the same network of benchmarks. As water is added or removed from the aquifer, there is a change in mass and a corresponding measurable change in gravity.
Aquifer-Storage Change and Land-Surface Elevation Change Monitoring in the Tucson Active Management Area
The Arizona Water Science Center is monitoring aquifer-storage changes and land subsidence within the Tucson Active Management Area (AMA). Land-surface elevation change is monitored at a network of benchmarks throughout the Tucson AMA by measuring changes in land surface elevation over time (approximately annually) with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Aquifer-storage change is...