Mountain Groundwater

Deep bedrock groundwater flow in mountains remains one of the least understood portions of the hydrologic cycle. These areas are generally remote, hard to drill in characterized by lots of heterogeneity. We are drilling remote hillslopes and applying environmental tracers to characterize groundwater recharge, discharge and residence time in these systems. We are seeking emergent, fundamental properties of these complex systems that manifest themselves at increasing scales.

Weinke drill in action.
Drilling in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest, western Montana. The Weinke drill in action.

Measuring streamflow and sampling stream water during snowmelt
Measuring streamflow and sampling stream water during snowmelt, Cap Wallace drainage, Lubrecht Experimental Forest.

sampling water on a hillslope
Sampling groundwater on the hillslope, Cap Wallace drainage Lubrecht.

Cumulative spatial analysis. Large scale pattern emerge at the watershed scale.
Large scale pattern emerge at the watershed scale. The larger the accumulated area, the higher the proportion of stream flow that is derived from groundwater.