Assessing the magnitude and timing of anthropogenic warming of a shallow aquifer: example from Virginia Beach, USA
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Abstract
Groundwater temperature measurements in a shallow coastal aquifer in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, suggest groundwater warming of +4.1 °C relative to deeper geothermal gradients. Observed warming is related to timing and depth of influence of two potential thermal drivers—atmospheric temperature increases and urbanization. Results indicate that up to 30 % of groundwater warming at the water table can be attributed to atmospheric warming while up to 70 % of warming can be attributed to urbanization. Groundwater temperature readings to 30-m depth correlate positively with percentage of impervious cover and negatively with percentage of tree canopy cover; thus, these two land-use metrics explain up to 70 % of warming at the water table. Analytical and numerical modeling results indicate that an average vertical groundwater temperature profile for the study area, constructed from repeat measurement at 11 locations over 15 months, is consistent with the timing of land-use change over the past century in Virginia Beach. The magnitude of human-induced warming at the water table (+4.1 °C) is twice the current seasonal temperature variation, indicating the potential for ecological impacts on wetlands and estuaries receiving groundwater discharge from shallow aquifers.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Assessing the magnitude and timing of anthropogenic warming of a shallow aquifer: example from Virginia Beach, USA |
| Series title | Hydrogeology Journal |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10040-014-1189-y |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Contributing office(s) | Virginia Water Science Center |
| Description | 16 p. |
| First page | 105 |
| Last page | 120 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| City | Virginia Beach |
| Datum | North American Datum 1983 |
| Projection | Universal Transverse Mercator, Zone 18 North |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |