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Hydrogeophysical Case Studies at the Local Scale: The Saturated Zone

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Hydrogeophysics

Part of the book series: Water Science and Technology Library ((WSTL,volume 50))

Abstract

Modern geophysical methods provide significant promise for estimating subsurface aquifer properties of the saturated zone in a minimally invasive manner. Mapping aquifer boundaries and internal stratification, estimating spatial distribution of hydrogeologic parameters, or monitoring tracer and contaminant plumes are examples of geophysical tools successfully applied. A general benefit of geophysical methods is the ability to collect high-resolution data in the horizontal dimension, where core/borehole data is nearly always limited. The complementary nature of core/borehole data and 2-D or 3-D geophysical data promises to help improve the accuracy and resolution of aquifer characterization at a variety of scales. However, one significant remaining difficulty is transforming geophysical parameters into flow and transport properties. A series of approaches and petrophysical models have been developed to help in this transformation (e.g., see Chapter 4 and Chapter 9 of this volume), but often complex and non-unique parameter relationships complicate data analysis and interpretation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA

    David Hyndman

  2. Institute of Geophysics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH-Hoenggerberg, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Jens Tronicke

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  1. David Hyndman
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  2. Jens Tronicke
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California at Berkeley, CA, USA

    Yoram Rubin

  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Susan S. Hubbard

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Hyndman, D., Tronicke, J. (2005). Hydrogeophysical Case Studies at the Local Scale: The Saturated Zone. In: Rubin, Y., Hubbard, S.S. (eds) Hydrogeophysics. Water Science and Technology Library, vol 50. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3102-5_13

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