Examples of Science Drivers Subsurface Hydrology

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Examples of Science DriversSubsurface Hydrology

• Fundamental nature of discrete versus continuous
  flow and storage of groundwater in both granular
  and fractured rock aquifers
• Evaluation of water and solute transport through
  mountain blocks and into a terminal lake
• Impacts of extreme hydraulic gradients
• Relationships between surface versus subsurface
  fracture and fault populations and their
  hydraulic properties
• In-situ hydraulic properties of fault zones and
  what the geologic structures are that control
  these
• Fate of groundwaters that originate in
  mountainous terrain and end up "recharging" the
  upper crust with meteoric water
• Provide a platform for the development of
  advanced groundwater tracing techniques
  (chloroplasts, 7Be, fluorescent microspheres,
  dyes in sub-visual range, heat, noble gas
  thermometry, etc.)

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Science Drivers Cont.

• Evaluation of windows in confining layers
• Residence time distribution both near surface at
  discharge points (streams, lakes) and throughout
  the flow system
• Applicability of concept of mean residence time
• Perturbation of geothermal gradient by
  groundwater flow
• Applicability of small scale and near surface
  recharge estimates over a range of soil/rock and
  vegetation types
• Evaluation of climate change and surface
  temperature histories as a function of elevation
• Evaluation of background tectonic heat flow
• Coexistence of very young and very old water
  mechanisms and significance
• Closed versus open nature of the subsurface of
  the Great Salt Lake
• Role of climate on the dynamics of the fresh
  water/salt water interface

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InfrastructureFocus on three regions

• High elevation catchment with travel times that
  range from days to tens of year
• Mountain block with travel times ranging from
  years to hundreds of years
• Alluvial basin and interface with GSL with travel
  times ranging from years to possibly 50 ka

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High Elevation Catchment System

• Soil moisture
• Soil water potential
• Soil and groundwater temperature
• Spring inventory and discharge measurements
• Shallow depth (2 10 m) wells
• Moderate depth (30 100 m) wells
• Seepage meters along streams

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Mountain Block

• Spring inventory and discharge measurements
• Deep (500 m) boreholes capable of providing
• Temperature profiles
• Depth specific samples for isotopic and
  geochemical analyses
• In situ hydraulic testing
• exotic geophysical logging
• GPS base stations

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Alluvial System

• Multilevel monitoring wells through range
  bounding fault(s)
• Transect of wells (300 m) capable of providing
• Temperature profiles
• Depth specific samples for isotopic and
  geochemical analyses
• Monitoring in both high and low permeability
  layers
• Continuous (or nearly continuous) core
• Wells on the GSL margin to monitor fresh
  water/salt water inteface
• Isotopic analysis of groundwater and surface
  water in and adjacent to GSL
• Monitoring of salinity, discharge, and
  temperature of fresh/salt water marshes around
  GSL
• GPS base stations
• Seepage meters

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Uniqueness of GSLHOselling points

• 101 km scale flow system (numerous 100 km scale
  systems already exist)
• Desert sink for both solutes and groundwater
• Along the proposed transect, groundwater ages
  range from days to possibly 50 ka
• Existence of highly instrumented plot-scale
  remediation sites at Hill Air Force Base
• Very steep gradients (hydraulic and geologic)
• Land use changes