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The imprint of climate and geology on the residence times of groundwater
Author(s) -
Maxwell Reed M,
Condon Laura E,
Kollet Stefan J,
Maher Kate,
Haggerty Roy,
Forrester Mary Michael
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl066916
Subject(s) - residence time (fluid dynamics) , residence , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , groundwater , range (aeronautics) , environmental science , hydraulic conductivity , soil science , materials science , demography , geotechnical engineering , sociology , composite material , soil water
Surface and subsurface flow dynamics govern residence time or water age until discharge, which is a key metric of storage and water availability for human use and ecosystem function. Although observations in small catchments have shown a fractal distribution of ages, residence times are difficult to directly quantify or measure in large basins. Here we use a simulation of major watersheds across North America to compute distributions of residence times. This simulation results in peak ages from 1.5 to 10.5 years, in agreement with isotopic observations from bomb‐derived radioisotopes, and a wide range of residence times—from 0.1 to 10,000 years. This simulation suggests that peak residence times are controlled by the mean hydraulic conductivity, a function of the prevailing geology. The shape of the residence time distribution is dependent on aridity, which in turn determines water table depth and the frequency of shorter flow paths. These model results underscore the need for additional studies to characterize water ages in larger systems.