Investigating Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions using High Frequency Measurements
Understanding groundwater-surface water interactions is critical for decision-making of water quantity and quality. These interactions, however, can be highly heterogeneous in space and time. While many mountainous streams are inferred to be gaining from groundwater, streambank storage during the snowmelt period can occur, begging the question, how important is it for late season water supply? The recent use of 鈥淪uper Gages鈥 or a surface water gage paired with one or several streambank wells has opened a new lens into groundwater-surface water interactions. In this analysis, we explore surface and groundwater gradients from two super gage sites in the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming. The two sites show contrasting bank storage dynamics throughout WY2016. Both the direction and magnitude of the gradient differed between sites. We expect that streambank lithology and snowmelt dynamics are controls on the degree of bank storage between sites. This research shows the utility of collecting and analyzing high-frequency surface water and groundwater measurements together in hydrologic studies.