We are using electrical resistivity tomography to image the dynamic nature of soil moisture, and coupling this with high resolution models to better understand transpiration dynamics and unsaturated flow. We are using time-lapse hydrogeophysical tools to characterize soil moisture variability beneath a range of vegetation types. Those tools include 2D and 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and ground-penetrating radar (GPR).

We will then combine our measurements with detailed site characterization, point measurements of soil temperature and moisture, and numerical models of hydrological and plant processes to quantify root-zone moisture dynamics with an unprecedented level of detail. (more…)

We have developed a novel hydrologic process model called the Integrated Landscape Hydrology Model (ILHM), which is a framework of existing and novel codes to simulate the entire hydrologic cycle at large watershed scales. ILHM is capable of modeling all the major surface and near-surface hydrologic processes including evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge, and stream discharge. In the first published application of the model, the ILHM-modeled stream flows compared favorably with measured data with a minimum of parameter calibration. It was tested for a small watershed (~130 square kilometers) in Michigan, and is currently being applied to much larger domains. (more…)

Ground water chemistry is reflective of time-weighted averages of anthropogenic inputs originating from spatial and temporal patterns of land use. We developed an approach to examine potential relationships between land use-derived solutes and baseflow surface water quality using regional ground water and solute transport models linked to GIS. Our first test of this approach estimated chloride concentrations in surface water due to road salt transport through ground water in Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay watershed.

Further development of  watershed-scale groundwater flow and transport models  has been undertaken to examine the impacts of various land uses on nitrate concentrations.  In Michigan, streams are predominantly groundwater-fed for much of the year.  Therefore, understanding groundwater nitrate concentrations and fluxes is vital to understanding stream water quality.  The figure on the left shows a preliminary simulation of total N concentrations in Cedar Creek, a small  subwatershed of the Muskegon River in central lower Michigan. (more…)

A fundamental issue in aquifer biogeochemistry is the means by which solute transport geochemical processes, and microbiological activity combine to produce spatial and temporal variations in redox zonation.  Our Hydrogeology and Hydrogeochemistry groups are examining the temporal variability of TEAP conditions in shallow groundwater contaminated with waste fuel and chlorinated solvents. (more…)

New methods of estimating aquifer properties are needed to improve our understanding of the factors that influence the transport and fate of groundwater contaminants, and to better design remediation systems. Geophysical methods have long been applied to characterize oil reservoirs, while their application to characterize aquifers is much more recent. Our research group is developing a novel set of approaches that combine diverse hydrologic and geophysical data sources to estimate flow and transport properties with the highest resolution possible.

Related Publications:

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Research in glacial hydrology involves the origin and pathway of subglacial discharge associated with primarily temperate glaciers in Southern Alaska. This generally involves quantifying discharge from the terminus of a glacier and separating flow components using isotopic characteristics of the discharge. Of particular concern is the origin of basal ice and debris bands that occur near the glacier terminus. Also of interest is defining flow components of meltwater discharge from the glacier and investigating the micromorphologic characteristics of glaciogenic sediments near the glacier margin.

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