45 Hydrogeology (Posters)

Added due to amount of discipline abstracts submitted.

Wednesday, 11 March 2026
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
RCC, Lower Level Hall

Integrating GRACE-Derived Groundwater Storage and Well-Log Data for U.S. Aquifers

Paper number: 45-9
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

This research presents a scalable, national-level framework for integrating in situ well-log records with downscaled, GRACE-derived (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) groundwater storage (GWS) anomalies, all delivered through an interactive web-based GIS dashboard for the United States’ principal aquifer systems. First, a Random Forest model was trained to downscale monthly JPL GRACE mascon solutions using GLDAS (Global Land-surface Data Assimilation System) predictors, generating higher-resolution (0.25°) TWS anomaly fields. Next, the workflow ingests and harmonizes water-level observations and well metadata from USGS’s NGWMN (National Groundwater Monitoring Network) for each principal aquifer. Key data-quality metrics—measurement count, record span, well lithology, and mean water-table depth—are analyzed to evaluate spatial and temporal coverage as well as hydrogeologic variability. To validate the downscaled GWS products against point-based observations, we apply K-means clustering to smoothed well-cluster and GRACE-based time series, which reveals coherent spatiotemporal response patterns, overcoming the limitations of linearly correlative single-site validation methods. The resulting dashboard visualizes raw and downscaled GRACE anomalies alongside interactive well locations, dynamic hydrographs, and cluster-based validation series—providing planners and researchers with a unified, interactive platform for monitoring and analyzing groundwater dynamics across numerous U.S. regions.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411898

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