Seasonal variation of high elevation groundwater recharge as indicator of climate response

Segal, Daniel C.; Moran, J. E.; Visser, A.; Singleton, Michael; Esser, Bradley K.

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.10.051

Cited by 13 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…A large proportion of samples in this data set is collected from public supply wells, with long screens that draw groundwater from a range of depths and provide a line-support measurement. Further complications include the potential of wells to draw preferentially from high conductivity layers in the aquifer (Segal et al, 2014). Unfortunately, vertical flow profiles of long screened wells are not available for this data set.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geostatistical analysis of tritium, groundwater age and other noble gas derived parameters in California

et al. 2016

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Key characteristics of California groundwater systems related to aquifer vulnerability, sustainability, recharge locations and mechanisms, and anthropogenic impact on recharge are revealed in a spatial geostatistical analysis of a unique data set of tritium, noble gases and other isotopic analyses unprecedented in size at nearly 4000 samples. The correlation length of key groundwater residence time parameters varies between tens of kilometers ((3)H; age) to the order of a hundred kilometers ((4)Heter; (14)C; (3)Hetrit). The correlation length of parameters related to climate, topography and atmospheric processes is on the order of several hundred kilometers (recharge temperature; δ(18)O). Young groundwater ages that highlight regional recharge areas are located in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, in the southern Santa Clara Valley Basin, in the upper LA basin and along unlined canals carrying Colorado River water, showing that much of the recent recharge in central and southern California is dominated by river recharge and managed aquifer recharge. Modern groundwater is found in wells with the top open intervals below 60 m depth in the southeastern San Joaquin Valley, Santa Clara Valley and Los Angeles basin, as the result of intensive pumping and/or managed aquifer recharge operations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geostatistical analysis of tritium, groundwater age and other noble gas derived parameters in California

et al. 2016

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“…As the dominant region of snowpack storage in California, the hydrologic system of the Sierra Nevada Range of California has received considerably more attention [10][11][12] than the Cascade Range to the north [13]. Extensive granitic rocks in the Sierra Nevada batholith are suggestive of a 'teflon basin' where infiltration and groundwater storage are on the order of a few meters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracers Reveal Recharge Elevations, Groundwater Flow Paths and Travel Times on Mount Shasta, California

Peters

Visser

Esser

et al. 2018

Water

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Mount Shasta (4322 m) is famous for its spring water. Water for municipal, domestic and industrial use is obtained from local springs and wells, fed by annual snow melt and sustained perennially by the groundwater flow system. We examined geochemical and isotopic tracers in samples from wells and springs on Mount Shasta, at the headwaters of the Sacramento River, in order to better understand the hydrologic system. The topographic relief in the study area imparts robust signatures of recharge elevation to both stable isotopes of the water molecule (δ 18 O and δD) and to dissolved noble gases, offering tools to identify recharge areas and delineate groundwater flow paths. Recharge elevations determined using stable isotopes and noble gas recharge temperatures are in close agreement and indicate that most snowmelt infiltrates at elevations between 2000 m and 2900 m, which coincides with areas of thin soils and barren land cover. Large springs in Mt Shasta City discharge at an elevation more than 1600 m lower. High elevation springs (>2000 m) yield very young water (<2 years) while lower elevation wells (1000-1500 m) produce water with a residence time ranging from 6 years to over 60 years, based on observed tritium activities. Upslope movement of the tree line in the identified recharge elevation range due to a warming climate is likely to decrease infiltration and recharge, which will decrease spring discharge and production at wells, albeit with a time lag dependent upon the length of groundwater flow paths.

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“…Environmental groundwater tracers, such as dissolved gases and isotopic tracers, are useful for characterizing the transit time or “apparent age” of groundwater in high‐elevation basins (e.g. Plummer et al, ; Manning & Solomon, ; Manning et al, ; Segal et al, ). In the Sierra Nevada, dissolved noble gas concentrations (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) combined with tritium–helium ( 3 H/ 3 He) age dating have been useful in determining apparent groundwater ages of <50 years in various basins such as Martis Valley Groundwater Basin (MVGB) and Olympic Valley Basin (Singleton & Moran, ; Segal et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plummer et al, ; Manning & Solomon, ; Manning et al, ; Segal et al, ). In the Sierra Nevada, dissolved noble gas concentrations (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) combined with tritium–helium ( 3 H/ 3 He) age dating have been useful in determining apparent groundwater ages of <50 years in various basins such as Martis Valley Groundwater Basin (MVGB) and Olympic Valley Basin (Singleton & Moran, ; Segal et al ). For the nearby Sagehen Creek Basin (SCB), Manning et al () used time‐series measurements of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), sulfur hexafluoride, and tritium ( 3 H) to determine apparent groundwater ages of springs and found that most springs are best characterized by a bimodal mixture of <1‐year‐old water and water recharged after 1950.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The half life of 87.5 days (Lal & Peters, ) is ideal for investigating groundwater recharge and cycling of 35 SO 4 2− on timescales of <1.2 years (five half lives). Hydrologic studies in high‐elevation basins such as the Rocky Mountain Range have successfully used 35 SO 4 2− to determine mean residence times of SO 4 2− and groundwater in basins where the hydrologic SO 4 2− budget is dominated by atmospheric inputs, and biogeochemical cycling and water–rock interactions are minimal (Cooper et al, ; Sueker et al, ; Michel et al, ; Kester et al, ; Shanley et al, ; Singleton et al, ). Because of its short half life, the 35 SO 4 2− tracer can be used to characterize basins that have a significant component of total streamflow derived from the current year's snowmelt (hereon referred to as “new” snowmelt), which would be an important tool in evaluating the vulnerability of water resources to changing precipitation patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying annual groundwater recharge and storage in the central Sierra Nevada using naturally occurring³⁵S

et al. 2017

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Identifying aquifer vulnerability to climate change is of vital importance in the Sierra Nevada and other snow-dominated basins where groundwater systems are essential to water supply and ecosystem health. Quantifying the component of new (current year's) snowmelt in groundwater and surface water is useful in evaluating aquifer vulnerability because significant annual recharge may indicate that streamflow will respond rapidly to annual variability in precipitation, followed by more gradual decreases in recharge as recharge declines over decades. Hydrologic models and field-based studies have indicated that young (<1 year) water is an important component of streamflow. The goal of this study was to utilize the short-lived, naturally occurring cosmogenic during baseflow conditions to 14.0 ± 3.4% during high-flow periods of snowmelt. Similar to SCB, the PNS in MVGB groundwater and streamflow was typically <30% with the largest fractions occurring in late spring or early summer following peak streamflow. The consistently low PNS suggests that a significant fraction of annual snowmelt in SCB and MVGB recharges groundwater, and groundwater contributions to streamflow in these systems have the potential to mitigate climate change impacts on runoff. KEYWORDSgroundwater recharge, mountain groundwater, snowmelt infiltration, sulfur-35Groundwater vulnerability to climate change in high-elevation basins has widespread implications for ecosystem health and water supply (Earman & Dettinger, 2011;Earman et al., 2015). In the mountains of the western United States, groundwater is a major component of streamflow, even during peak snowmelt conditions (e.g., Frisbee et al., 2011;Liu et al., 2004). Spatial and temporal changes in snow dynamics, such as declines in snowpack accumulation (Mote 2003;Mote et al., 2005) and earlier onset of snowmelt Knowles et al., 2006;Mote et al., 2005), are of particular concern for Sierra Nevada basins because groundwater recharge is mainly derived from snowpack for most of the southwest (Earman et al., 2006;Winograd et al., 1998). Groundwater recharge in high-elevation basins in the western United States is important for aquifer replenishment (Wilson & Guan, 2004;Manning & Solomon, 2005) and ecosystem health, yet the impact of climate change on groundwater recharge is poorly understood (Earman & Dettinger, 2011;Earman et al., 2015;Viviroli et al., 2011).Understanding climate change impacts on groundwater resources in the Sierra Nevada and other high-elevation basins is difficult because of a weak understanding of direct and indirect effects of climate change on mountain recharge processes (Earman & Dettinger, 2011;Earman et al., 2015). Current forecasts of the effects of climate change vary widely. In snow-dominated basins that are predicted to experience a shift in precipitation from snow to rain, groundwater recharge may decrease because snow is a more efficient recharging mechanism than rain (Earman et al., 2006;Meixner et al., 2016;Winograd et al., 1998 however, no data exist showing t...

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Seasonal variation of high elevation groundwater recharge as indicator of climate response

Cited by 13 publications

References 29 publications

Geostatistical analysis of tritium, groundwater age and other noble gas derived parameters in California

Geostatistical analysis of tritium, groundwater age and other noble gas derived parameters in California

Tracers Reveal Recharge Elevations, Groundwater Flow Paths and Travel Times on Mount Shasta, California

Quantifying annual groundwater recharge and storage in the central Sierra Nevada using naturally occurring³⁵S

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Seasonal variation of high elevation groundwater recharge as indicator of climate response

Cited by 13 publications

References 29 publications

Geostatistical analysis of tritium, groundwater age and other noble gas derived parameters in California

Geostatistical analysis of tritium, groundwater age and other noble gas derived parameters in California

Tracers Reveal Recharge Elevations, Groundwater Flow Paths and Travel Times on Mount Shasta, California

Quantifying annual groundwater recharge and storage in the central Sierra Nevada using naturally occurring35S

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Quantifying annual groundwater recharge and storage in the central Sierra Nevada using naturally occurring³⁵S