USGS Monthly Groundwater News and Highlights: September 1, 2016

Featured Product: Simulation of climate change effects on streamflow, groundwater, and stream temperature using GSFLOW and SNTEMP in the Black Earth Creek Watershed, Wisconsin

USGS scientists create and apply computer programs to simulate or forecast groundwater flow conditions over time. Although groundwater and surface water are considered a single resource, many hydrologic models don't fully simulate the connections between groundwater systems and other hydrologic processes. USGS recently constructed a groundwater/surface-water model for the Black Earth Creek watershed in south-central Wisconsin using the computer code GSFLOW (Groundwater/Surface-water FLOW) to simulate hydrologic processes in the atmosphere, at land surface, in streams, within the soil zone, and in groundwater on a daily time step during water years 1985-2007. The model was then run to simulate scenarios representing common societal concerns in the basin, focusing on maintaining a cold-water resource in an urbanizing fringe near the upper stream reaches of Black Earth Creek and minimizing downstream flooding. Learn more about the project in the new report, Simulation of climate change effects on streamflow, groundwater, and stream temperature using GSFLOW and SNTEMP in the Black Earth Creek Watershed, Wisconsin Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5091.

USGS Groundwater-Related Press Releases

Groundwater Sampling Method Key to Monitoring Success of Carbon Sequestration (August 29, 2016)

More than a Century of USGS Water Quality Studies in National Parks (August 25, 2016)

Water Levels Declining in Areas Along San Pedro River near Sierra Vista, Arizona (August 18, 2016)

Groundwater Recharge in Upper Colorado River Basin May Hold Steady Under Climate Change (August 15, 2016)

Indiana-Kentucky Spring-Summer 2016 Newsletter (August 8, 2016)

 

USGS Groundwater-Related Publications

Methods for exploring uncertainty in groundwater management predictions

Assessment of hydrogeologic terrains, well-construction characteristics, groundwater hydraulics, and water-quality and microbial data for determination of surface-water-influenced groundwater supplies in West Virginia

Groundwater quality at the Saline Valley Conservancy District well field, Gallatin County, Illinois

Simulation of climate change effects on streamflow, groundwater, and stream temperature using GSFLOW and SNTEMP in the Black Earth Creek Watershed, Wisconsin

Geology, hydrology, water quality, and potential for interbasin invasive-species spread by way of the groundwater pathway near Lemont, Illinois

Hydrological conditions and evaluation of sustainable groundwater use in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, southeastern Arizona

Numerical simulation of groundwater flow at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington

Geomorphological control on variably saturated hillslope hydrology and slope instability

Climate, streamflow, and legacy effects on growth of riparian Populus angustifolia in the arid San Luis Valley, Colorado

Evaluation of effects of groundwater withdrawals at the proposed Allen combined-cycle combustion turbine plant, Shelby County, Tennessee

Changes in groundwater recharge under projected climate in the upper Colorado River basin

Preliminary results from exploratory sampling of wells for the California oil, gas, and groundwater program, 2014-15

 

USGS Groundwater-Related Software Updates and New Releases

ModelMuse v3.8.1

RORA v2.0 (updated files)

RECESS v2.0 (updated files)

PART v2.0 (updated files)

ModelMuse v3.8.0

Field Photo: Scientists Never Stop Learning

For USGS scientists, learning doesn't stop when we leave school. We are constantly learning -- new tools, new scientific methods, and new science. Recently a group of USGS scientists took a a field class to learn more about groundwater and surface-water exchange at Lake Tahoe, California. USGS hydrologists are studying Lake Tahoe to gain an understanding of heat and nutrient transport through Lake Tahoe's shoreline environments. Participating scientists got a chance to see and try a variety of scientific instruments being used as part of this and related studies, including the broadband electromagnetic induction tool shown in the first photo below, demonstrated by USGS hydrologist Eric White. In the bottom photo below, USGS research hydrologist Ramon Naranjo introduces scientists to one of the field sites.

Archive of Past Highlights:

Past monthly summaries are available online.