Riparian Freshwater Lens Response to Flooding

Abstract

In semi-arid and arid environments, freshwater lenses ("lenses" hereafter) overlying otherwise saline groundwater have been encountered within the riparian zones and floodplain aquifers adjacent to freshwater rivers (e.g., Cartwright et al., 2010;; see Figure 1). These lenses are considered critical to the survival of salt-sensitive riparian vegetation and the health of floodplain ecosystems more broadly (Alaghmand et al., 2015;Bauer et al., 2006;Laattoe et al., 2017). In areas where saline groundwater discharge impacts river water quality (e.g., the River Murray, South Australia and the Colorado River, USA), lenses are also thought to buffer saline discharge, improving river water quality (e.g.,