Lithologic influences on groundwater recharge through incised glacial till from profile to regional scales: Evidence from glaciated Eastern Nebraska

Abstract

[1] Variability in sediment hydraulic properties associated with landscape depositional and erosional features can influence groundwater recharge processes by affecting soil-water storage and transmission. This study considers recharge to aquifers underlying river-incised glaciated terrain where the distribution of clay-rich till is largely intact in upland locations but has been removed by alluvial erosion in stream valleys. In a stream-dissected glacial region in eastern Nebraska (Great Plains region of the United States), recharge estimates were developed for nested profile, aquifer, and regional scales using unsaturated zone profile measurements (matric potentials, Cl 2 and 3 H), groundwater tracers (CFC-12 and SF 6 ), and a remote sensing-assisted water balance model. Results show a consistent influence of till lithology on recharge rates across nested spatial scales despite substantial uncertainty in all recharge estimation methods, suggesting that minimal diffuse recharge occurs through upland glacial till lithology whereas diffuse recharge occurs in river valleys where till is locally absent. Diffuse recharge is estimated to account for a maximum of 61% of total recharge based on comparison of diffuse recharge estimated from the unsaturated zone (0-43 mm yr 21) and total recharge estimated from groundwater tracers (median 58 mm yr 21 ) and water balance modeling (median 56 mm yr 21). The results underscore the importance of lithologic controls on the distributions of both recharge rates and mechanisms.Citation: Gates, J. B., G. V. Steele, P. Nasta, and J. Szilagyi (2014), Lithologic influences on groundwater recharge through incised glacial till from profile to regional scales: Evidence from glaciated Eastern Nebraska, Water Resour. Res., 50,[466][467][468][469][470][471][472][473][474][475][476][477][478][479][480][481]

What is the source of baseflow in agriculturally fragmented catchments? Complex groundwater/surface‐water interactions in three tributary catchments of the Wabash River, Indiana, USA

“…This offset is also apparent in the mini‐piezometer dataset where the SF 6 estimated recharge years are 29 to 33 years younger (Figures a–c). We attribute this SF 6 offset to the addition of SF 6 from the interaction of water with plutonic rocks in the glacial till (Busenberg, Plummer, & Bartholomay, ; Gates, Steele, Nasta, & Szilagyi, ). SF 6 cannot be used for age dating in these sites.…”

A hydropedological approach to quantifying groundwater recharge in various glacial settings of the mid‐continental USA

“…Future investigations would benefit from merging field data across multiple scales (e.g. Gates et al , ) with 3‐D models to better understand the water balance and groundwater flow paths in glaciated landscapes.…”

“…The variability may be important because perched water tables are common and these are critical to the function of surface water features like intermittent streams and groundwater‐fed wetlands. Additional research on the magnitude and variability of recharge is all the more important when one considers the uncertainty associated with many estimation techniques (Scanlon et al , ; Gates et al , ).…”

Identification of the Dominant Factors in Groundwater Recharge Process, Using Multivariate Statistical Approaches in a Semi-Arid Region

“…Previous investigations have described that landslides and floods in the study zone could be attributed to high runoffs [46]. It is well known that the temperature and precipitation can have meaningful effects on groundwater recharge [129,130]. Particularly the recharge is significant in semi-arid regions where rainfall is variable and evapotranspiration frequently exceeds precipitation [109,131].…”