Hillslope scale subsurface flow dynamics assessed by near-surface geophysical methods
Abstract
Snowm elt water is an important resource for recharging aquifers and generating surface water flow for human uses . Understand ing the hydrological process es i nvolved in these scenarios is fundamental in impro ving management of snow-dominated catchments . Indeed, m ounta i n hydrology has been a subject of study of many existing Critical Zones Observat ories (CZOs). However, assessing the subsurface flow is not an easy task, in part because the subsurface structures are often complex and inaccessible and the heterogeneous distribution of soil water is unknown , except on very small scale such as in wells. As an alternative, geophysic al imaging has been shown to be a powerful tool for gathering more information and providing hydrological parameters leading to more accurate hydrological models. In this study , near-surface geophysical methods Time-Lapse electrical resistivity tomography ( ERT ) and s eismic r efraction have been applied. The seismic refraction provides the subsurface structure while the Time-Lapse ERT provides the w ater dynamic s . Furthermore, in order to have a more generalized understanding of the role of subsurface properties in individual watershed systems, we applied the geophysical methods to six mounta inous sites with three different geologies . Here we present a comparison of the seismic-derived subsurface structure and the wetting front dynamics from time-lapse ERT imaging . We highlight t he differences and similarities of subsurface structure and interpreted flow patter ns between each site.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMNS41B0810N
- Keywords:
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- 0933 Remote sensing;
- EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS;
- 1829 Groundwater hydrology;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1835 Hydrogeophysics;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1880 Water management;
- HYDROLOGY