Hydrology.nl

29 June 2018 • The northeastern United States is experiencing rapid changes in its hydrology due to intense land-use change, urbanization, and climate change. It also possesses some of the highest density, longest term observations of hydrologic variables (streamflow, groundwater levels) in the US and the world. The focus of this presentation is how small unconfined aquifer systems, and the streams to which they are connected, respond to hydroclimatic and land use changes. 2018 Birdsall-Dreiss Lecture: Groundwater as a Buffer to Climatic Change: Dynamic Subsurface Storage of Glaciated Landscapes

2018 Birdsall-Dreiss Lecture: Groundwater as a Buffer to Climatic Change: Dynamic Subsurface Storage of Glaciated Landscapes
by: David Boutt, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Friday, 29 June 2018, 13:30–14:30 hrs
College room E, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Delft, NL

The northeastern United States is experiencing rapid changes in its hydrology due to intense land-use change, urbanization, and climate change. It also possesses some of the highest density, longest term observations of hydrologic variables (streamflow, groundwater levels) in the US and the world. The focus of this presentation is how small unconfined aquifer systems, and the streams to which they are connected, respond to hydroclimatic and land use changes. The research is data-driven. Physical and geochemical information is used to understand how different subsurface environments and surface-water groundwater interactions impact the sensitivity of groundwater storage to climate variability. Analysis of groundwater levels and streamflows reveal a heterogeneous response of aquifers to climate variability. This highlights the role of subsurface hydrologeologic heterogeneity to aquifer response. A long-term rise in water levels can be observed from analysis of water level trends. This is associated with an increase in precipitation and land-use change which has ultimately led to an increase in nuisance flooding. Integrating isotopic tracers into this work has improved our understanding of the role of extreme precipitation events on groundwater storage. Isotope data have also shed light on the fundamental importance of groundwater discharge to streamflow in the region. This work highlights the importance of understanding groundwater processes in generating streamflow, with implications for water supply, baseflow generation, climate refugia, and assessing flood risk in a changing world.

The Birdsall-Dreiss Lectureship

The Birdsall Lectureship began in 1978, as part of a bequest left to the Geological Society of America – Hydrogeology Division in memory of John Manning Birdsall. Mr. Birdsall was a prominent geologist, retired from the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. He was a scientist, a dedicated public servant and a gentleman. The bequest was used to provide travel funds for outstanding scientists working in the field of hydrogeology to visit other institutions and give talks on their research. The first lecturer, Dr. Jacob Bear from the Israeli Institute of Technology, visited only the University of Wisconsin – Madison, which hosted one of the premier hydrogeology programs of that era. The subsequent list of Birdsall-Dreiss lecturers includes many outstanding scientists from academia and government. The number of institutions visited by each lecturer grew rapidly, with recent lecturers typically giving 40 to 50 talks, mainly in the U.S. and Canada, but also in Europe, Asia and Australia.

One of the most popular Birdsall Lecturers was Dr. Shirley Dreiss from the University of California – Santa Cruz. Shortly after her very successful 1992 lecture tour, Shirley was killed in an auto accident. Her many friends and admirers honored her by contributing to the GSA Birdsall Lectureship, which was renamed the Birdsall-Dreiss Lectureship. The Birdsall-Dreiss Lecturer is chosen each year by a panel of former B-D lecturers. There are no applications for this position and they make their choice solely on the reputation of perspective candidates for their research excellence and ability to communicate.

The Birdsall-Dreiss endowment pays for part of their travel and candidates typically obtain additional travel funds from their home institution. Universities or other institutions wishing to host a Birdsall-Dreiss lecture send in their application in the fall, with the tour officially starting each January and ending at the fall.