FORWATER

  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Partners
    • Contact
  • Research
    • Watershed Science
    • Downstream Effects
    • Drinking Water Treatability
    • Resource Economics
  • Publications
    • List of Publications
    • Research Report
    • Research Snapshots
    • Resources
  • Capacity Building
    • Young Professionals
    • Knowledge Mobilization
    • Opportunities
  • News
    • Events
    • 2022 AGM Highlights
    • 2022 AGM Posters
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Partners
    • Contact
  • Research
    • Watershed Science
    • Downstream Effects
    • Drinking Water Treatability
    • Resource Economics
  • Publications
    • List of Publications
    • Research Report
    • Research Snapshots
    • Resources
  • Capacity Building
    • Young Professionals
    • Knowledge Mobilization
    • Opportunities
  • News
    • Events
    • 2022 AGM Highlights
    • 2022 AGM Posters

NEWS

Research Summary: Characterizing shallow groundwater systems

1/19/2021

0 Comments

 
​Hokanson KJ, Mendoza CA, Devito KJ. 2019. Interactions between regional climate, surficial geology, and topography: Characterizing shallow groundwater systems in subhumid, low-relief landscapes. Water Resources Research, 55(1): 284-297. DOI: 10.1029/2018WR023934. 
Picture
Kelly Hokanson, PhD Candidate, University of Alberta
Picture
Carl Mendoza, University of Alberta
Picture
Kevin Devito, Platform lead, Theme 1: Boreal Plains, University of Alberta
Summary​
In this research we provide the first comprehensive characterization and synthesis of groundwater movement and water table behaviour in the Boreal Plains region of Canada. Topography is often used as a first order control over groundwater movement, however we show that in the low-relief, sub-humid Boreal Plains, topography is not a good predictor of water table position, and therefore groundwater flow patterns. 

We offer a discretization approach (i.e., categorizing or classifying) as an alternative to the traditional surface topography based approach of establishing watershed boundaries. Instead, we use hydrogeological response areas (HRAs), which are defined by substrate characteristics. 
Picture
​Results
Our findings show that the use of HRAs to evaluate hydrogeological characteristics of typical glacial landforms provides a convenient and holistic way of discretizing the landscape into unique sub-units defined by hydrogeological properties and water table conditions. By examining the magnitude and frequency of water table fluctuation, vertical hydraulic gradients, geochemical signatures, and stable water isotope ratios over 19 years, we demonstrate that groundwater is controlled by a hierarchy of climate, geology, and topography.
Application
HRAs are used to delineate chemoscapes and isoscapes (spatial distributions of geochemical and isotopic compositions of groundwater and surfacewater) to provide practical pre-disturbance hydrogeological benchmarks for developing land management practices. The results of this study provide managers and stakeholders with an understanding of the dominant controls on hydrological processes and indicates the value of focusing at an intermediate scale between the basin and the hillslope scale. We demonstrate that managers should consider the complex interactions of topography, recharge, and texture when planning and managing disturbed lanscapes because they are more spatially and temporally variable than previously thought.
Key Messages
  • In sub-humid, low-relief landscapes, topography alone is inadequate to explain water table behaviour, groundwater geochemistry, and groundwater-surface water interactions through time or space.
  • Instead of using topography to delineate regions (as in watershed delineation), hydrologic response areas (HRAs) are delineated using a hierarchical framework that considers climate information first, followed by geology, and finally topography.
  • HRAs are shown to be an effective management unit for complex, low-relief, sub-humid regions and help explain the spatial variability of groundwater scale of flow, and regional variations in groundwater and surface water quality. 
Access Publication
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    forWater Network

    The Network provides insights into new scientific research for safe, secure drinking water---globally---which starts with resilient forests

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    August 2018
    March 2018
    February 2017
    June 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture