HR: 0800h
AN: H31B-1303 [Abstracts]
TI: Correlation of Climate Variability with Water Quality in the High Plains Aquifer
AU: Gurdak, J
EM: 303-236-4912
AF: U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center
Mail Stop 415, Bldg 53, Denver, CO 80225
United States
AU: Gurdak, J
EM: 303-236-4912
AF: Colorado School of Mines, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering
1516 Illinois Street, Golden, CO 80401
United States
AU: * Hanson, R T
EM: rthanson@usgs.gov
AF: U.S. Geological Survey, 5735 Kearny Villa Rod, Suite O, San Diego, CA 92123
United States
AB:
With nearly one-third of all ground-water pumpage in the United States occurring in the High Plains aquifer, characterization
of the effects of climate variability on this important national resource is needed to better delineate the changes in water
quality for surface water and ground water. Natural climatic cycles can augment or diminish anthropogenic stresses on
ground-water and surface-water resources that in turn affect water availability and water quality. Significant changes in
the surface-water and ground-water systems can occur when climate cycles of different periodicity occur at the same time.
Spectral time-series analysis was used to systematically evaluate the effect of overlapping climatic cycles on precipitation,
temperature, tree-ring widths, streamflow, spring flow, ground-water levels and pumpage, and selected water-quality
parameters throughout the High Plains aquifer region.
Preliminary analysis indicates that cyclical changes occur in all the evaluated time series. In particular, cycles that are
partially coincident with the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North American Monsoon System (NAMS), and the Pacific
Decadal Oscillation (PDO) occur in the hydrologic and water-quality time series for the High Plains aquifer. In particular,
cyclic variability similar to known climate cycles occurs in specific conductance, temperature, and chloride concentrations
for selected stream reaches and wells. An understanding of these variations may help guide water-resource management
policies, such as the establishment of thresholds for total maximum daily loads in streamflow that are aligned with climate
variability.
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1831 Groundwater quality
DE: 1833 Hydroclimatology
DE: 1860 Streamflow
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005