U of A Professor Condon Joins Groundwater Flow Mapping Effort
As part of a three-year study on groundwater from coast to coast, University of Arizona Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Associate Professor Laura Condon and researchers from Princeton University created a simulation of groundwater paths. Their study area spanned the continental US and parts of Canada and Mexico. Published in Nature Water, the study reveals that rain and snowmelt flow much farther underground than previously believed. Results suggest that water from very deep aquifers feeds into surface stream flows. The researchers’ simulations also help enable prediction of groundwater flow paths, which is useful in tracking impacts of oil and other contaminants in the subsurface. Half of all drinking water in the US comes from groundwater, so these remarkable findings will offer valuable opportunities to track pollution and predict the effects of climate change.