T61 A Showcase of Undergraduate Research in Hydrogeology (Posters)

Sunday, 9 October 2022
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Exhibit Hall F

COMPARING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT METHODS USED TO DETERMINE GROUNDWATER – STREAM INTERACTIONS IN AN ALLUVIAL AQUIFER IN CLINTON, NY

Paper number: T61-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Authors

Abstract

Determining the spatial and temporal exchange of groundwater and surface water can be done using many different methods. However, constraints from equipment costs and lack of technical expertise can make quantifying these interactions difficult. Our project is focused on analyzing five different methods to determine groundwater - surface water interactions during times of groundwater pumping and non-pumping: stream discharge measurements, vertical head gradients from minipiezometers installed into the streambed, comparisons of short-term pumping-induced fluctuations in major ions and stable isotopes in the stream and groundwater, streambed temperature measurements that use heat transport models to calculate vertical flow, and numerical modeling. We are evaluating the interaction between groundwater and surface water in an alluvial aquifer with an adjacent stream in Clinton, NY. Each method demonstrated that pumping induces infiltration of stream water into the aquifer, but each method resulted in different spatial and temporal values of groundwater – surface water exchange. Thus, our goal is to evaluate the different approaches used in our study for understanding groundwater - surface water interactions and focus on the method's balance between cost and accuracy, required technical expertise, and equipment needs.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-382544

© Copyright 2022 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.