By Bill Cunningham

ee old friends and make new ones in Denver2010! The schedule is set for the 2010 GSAAnnual Meeting and our Hydrogeology Divisionhas another jam-packed schedule of oralpresentations, poster sessions, and otheractivities. Don't miss the Darcy (Monday) andBirdsall-Dreiss (Tuesday) distinguished lectures,

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the always popular HydrogeologyDivision luncheon (get your ticketsearly!) and the fun-filled studentreception following the Birdsall-Dreiss lecture (more details onpage 5). The HydrogeologyDivision is a sponsor or co-sponsorof 29 oral and 9 poster sessions.Don't miss the sessions on carbons e q u e s t r a t i o n , e n h a n c e dgeothermal systems, ground-watersustainability and availability, andurban ground water. Highlightsalso include sessions on ongoingresearch in karst, arsenic, andmountain hydrogeology, and manyother topics. With so manyattractive sessions, you won't beable to see them all. Use the handysession summary on page 7 to helpplan your week.

In This Issue:

Denver GSA Annual Meeting ................. 1Chair’s Corner ....................................... 2Meinzer Award Announced .................... 32010 Distinguished Service Awards ....... 4Denver 2010 Hydro Div Events ............. 5Birdsall-Dreiss Lecture Tour Announced. 6Denver Hydro Div Technical Program .... 7

Where in the World ................................ 9The Waterfalls of Kauai, Hawaii ............ 9Bulletin Board ........................................ 14From the Editor ..................................... 14Hydrogeology Division Contacts ........... 15

The

HydrogeologistNewsletter of theGSA Hydrogeology Division

September 2010Issue No. 71

Photo by: Steve CreceliusCourtesy of Denver Metro Convention & Visitors BureauPhoto by: Steve CreceliusCourtesy of Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau

The 2010 Annual Meeting isFast ApproachingThe 2010 Annual Meeting isFast Approaching

“Reaching New Peaks in Geoscience”

2010 GSA Annual Meeting31 October - 3 November 2010

Denver, CO USAColorado Convention Center

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Scott Bair, ChairGSA Hydrogeology

Division

Each August before thesemester begins, I consideradding one or two new topics tomy autumn undergrad/gradhydrogeology course. This alsomakes me consider what topicsto drop. This month I extendedmy internal discussion toconsider what new topics mightappear in future hydrogeologytextbooks. (Not that I don'tthoroughly enjoy the book Icurrently use, Frank.) Mythoughts herein are influencedby two cover stories in generalscience magazines I read onrecent plane flights: “Water: OurTh i rs ty Wor ld ” (Nat iona lGeographic, April 2010) and“Runn ing Out o f Water ”(Scientific American, August2008). Both articles describe theglobal water crisis in terms ofgeographic suppl ies anddemands, the differencesbetween different society's water“wants” versus their water“needs,” the necessity fortechnological advances indesalination to lower its cost toviable levels, and the occurrenceof regional and local conflictsover water rights and waterusage. These articles remindedme how sage Mark Twain wasback in the late 1800’s when hesaid, “Whiskey is for drinking;water is for fighting over.”

What I found interesting inboth articles is a topic of globalimportance that I do not teach,one that is not presented in detailin any hydrogeology textbook,and one that has a variety ofdefinitions depending on yourview within the hydrologic cycle:droughts. Here in Ohio, localweather reporters tell us when weare in a drought based on dailyrainfall data. In our agrarianregion we also hear media outletsdescribe droughts based on cropn e e d s a n d s o i l - w a t e rdeficiencies. As groundwaterscientists, however, we viewdroughts from a longer timeframe, one that records adownward trend in annualgroundwater-level fluctuationsover a period of years to decades.Although I could not find manyexamples in the literature,groundwater-level data then canbe analyzed much like streamflowdata in terms of the computing theduration and recurrence intervalof droughts. Unfortunately, long-term records of groundwaterlevels are far more scarce thanthose for stream discharge.Knowing that we are in a droughtwith a 20-year recurrence intervaldoesn't satisfy my mind, nor is itlikely to satisfy the needs ofp lanners , eng ineers , andgovernment officials that areevaluating infrastructure costsand options.

This dissatisfaction raisesthe other new topic in myhydrogeology class: climatesurrogates. Scientists studyingclimate change have revealedand analyzed several types oflong-term records from whichthey interpret changes datingback hundreds, thousands, tohundreds of thousands of years inparts of Earth’s climate system.Of these surrogates, records fromtree rings offer hydrogeologiststhe opportunity to approximate

long-term groundwater-levelchanges and to compute largerdrought recurrence intervals andseverity indicies than can becomputed using groundwater-level records.

Always looking for a wayto combine business withpleasure, this summer I tookseveral 3/8-inch cores in fourtypes of trees (oak, pine, holly,and dogwood) in the maritimeforest at the Outer Banks ofNorth Carolina for my students toanalyze in lab this autumn. (No,Don, I do not plan to deduct thetrip expenses, but I thoughtabout it.) The trees are all morethan 100 years old. I hope tocompare the results of droughtrecurrence intervals based onthe tree rings with those basedon nearby groundwater levelsm e a s u r e d b y t h e U . S .Geological Survey, although I'mnot sure how this will work out asa student assignment. If you'reinterested, see me at GSA inDenver.

The articles in ScientificA m e r i c a n a n d N a t i o n a lGeographic mention the severeconsequences of a prolonged,severe drought on crops,livestock, industry, and publicsupplies. The dynamic nature ofthe hydrologic cycle and thet r a n s i e n t c h a r a c t e r o fgroundwater flow have alwaysfascinated me and no doubt willcon t i nue to o f fe r g randchallenges for past, present, andfuture students of hydrogeology.

Before I sign off, let mepose this compound question toyou. What topics do you thinkwe will find in the next generationof hydrogeology textbooks andwhat topics do you think are nowoutmoded?

I hope to see you at GSAin Denver and to hear youranswers.

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Baedecker 2010 O.E. Meinzer AwardRecipientBy Andrea Brookfield

organic-inorganic processes that occur in aquifersimpacted by the presence of contaminants. She iscurrently a scientist emeritus at the USGS andcontinues to conduct research on the degradationof organic material in near-surface environments.

In support of Dr. Baedecker's MeinzerAward, three papers were cited (see inset). Thesepapers highlight Dr. Baedecker's work related tothe generation and migration of organic plumes.The first paper describes her original work with Dr.William Back related to the chemical and isotopicsignatures of leachate in groundwater. In thispaper, Dr. Baedecker uses geochemical tools tounderstand the chemical reactions that occur in ahighly reducing environment, and to understandtheir effect on groundwater chemistry. Within thepaper, Dr. Baedecker outlines how to usegeochemical tools for locating leachate plumes ingroundwater, including the importance of isotopesas indicators of pollution.

The second paper, which is also acollaboration with Dr. Back, describes thecharacterization of redox zones in reducingplumes downgradient of a landfill. This workdemonstrates how the chemical reactions thatoccur in a landfill are analogous to those that occurin marine sediments based primarily upon thetypes of oxidation-reduction reactions that occurwithin the redox zones as organic compoundsdecompose. The characterization of redox zones

downgradient of the landfill by CH , NH , Fe ,

Mn , HCO and NO is outlined, and is a majorscientific contribution of this work.

The third paper is part of a classic andhighly cited collection of papers determining thefate of crude oil in an aquifer. This work documentsthe changes in aqueous chemical speciesdistribution in a contaminant plume originatingfrom an oil body, over time. In addition, methods todetermine the mass transfer of gases, solutes andsolid phases along a flowpath in the anoxic zoneare also given. This paper indicates severalprocesses that result in small zones of distinctivewater chemistry when crude oil is in contact withg roundwa te r. I t a l so conc ludes tha tbiodegradation is the major process thatattenuates the soluble organic compounds ingroundwater, leading to considerable ongoingresearch into degradation methods forcontaminant mitigation.

These cited works have served as the basisfor many subsequent plume characterization andgeochemical studies and have become standardreading in the organic geochemistry communityand in water chemistry courses. Given these vitalcontributions to hydrogeology Dr. Baedecker isthis year's recipient of the GSA HydrogeologyDivision's O.E. MeinzerAward.

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Papers Cited For The Meinzer Award:

Baedecker, M.J. and Back, W., 1979,Hydrogeological processes and chemicalreactions at a landfill. Ground Water, v. 17, No. 5,429-437.

Baedecker, M.J., and Back, W., 1979, Modernmarine sediments as a natural analog to thechemically stressed environment of a landfill.Jour. Hydrology, v. 43, 393-414.

Baedecker, M.J., Cozzarelli, I.M., Eganhouse,R.P., Siegel, D.I., and Bennett, P.C., 1993,Crude oil in a shallow sand and gravelaquifer—III. Biogeochemical reactions andmass balance modeling in anoxic groundwater.Appl. Geochem., v. 8, 569-586.

Dr. Mary Jo Baedecker

The 2010 O.E.Meinzer Award willbe presented to Dr.M a r y J oBaedecker of theU S G S a t t h eH y d r o g e o l o g yDivision luncheonat the Denver GSAm e e t i n g . D r .Baedecker hasspent over 30years at the USGSin Reston Virginiaw h e r e h e rr e s e a r c h h a sf o c u s e d o n

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Brahana and Tyler Receive the2010 Distinguished Service Award

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Tyler

r. Scott Tyler received his B.S. in MechanicalEngineering from the University of Connecticut,M.S. in Hydrogeology from the New MexicoInstitute of Mining and Technology and doctorate inHydrogeology from the University of Nevada,Reno.

Scott's areas of research span a wide rangein arid region hydrology, with particular interest inbridging the gap between hydrogeology and soilphysics in the discipline of vadose zone hydrology.He is currently involved in a variety of studies of soilmoisture flux, groundwater recharge and energybalances in the vadose zone.

Please see on Page 13

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Brahana

r. Van Brahana considers himself remarkablyfortunate to have discovered his passion forgeology early in life, and for the opportunity to workat this profession for almost 50 years. His fourth-grade teacher ignited the initial geologic spark,and a succession of outstanding mentors fueledhis passion for understanding processes andcontrols of ground water flow and transport infractured-carbonate rocks. Stanley N. Davisserved as his advisor for both his Masters andPh.D. at the University of Missouri, and Bill Backprovided insight and encouragement as a USGSmentor; both were excellent role models by whichVan guided his own career.

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Dr. Scott W. TylerDept. of Geological Sciences andEngineeringUniversity of Nevada, Reno

Dr. Van BrahanaDept. of GeosciencesUniversity of Arkansas

The 2010 Award for Distinguished Service is presented to Dr. Van Brahana and Dr. Scott W. Tyler inrecognition of their exceptional service to the profession of hydrogeology. The articles below highlighteach of their research careers, in addition to their service to the hydrogeology profession.

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Denver 2010: HydrogeologyDivision EventsBy Andrea Brookfield with Brian Katz

Student ReceptionFollowing the Birdsall-Dreiss lecture is anotherchance for students to get together with manymembers of the Hydrogeology Division to enjoyappetizers, a free drink (for students only!) and geta chance to win a prize (again, students only!) atthe annual Hydrogeology Student Reception. Thereception will be held from 5:45 pm - 7:30 pm at theHyatt CCC hotel in the Granite room.

Tuesday November 2 will be a busy day, startingwith the Hydrogeology Division Luncheon andAwards Ceremony beginning at 11:30 am in theColorado Convention Center, Four SeasonsBallroom 1. The Business meeting will follow thelunch and awards in the same location. Tickets forthe luncheon can be purchased when you registerfor the conference for $42.00. Student members ofthe Hydrogeology Division that have registered forthe conference before September 27 shouldreceive an e-mail on September 28 regarding theJohn Mann Mentors program. This program willprovide a free ticket to this luncheon to the first 25students that respond to the e-mail. The luncheonis an excellent opportunity to meet and networkwith many of the leading hydrogeologists at GSA.

Luncheon,Awards and Business Meeting

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Birdsall-Dreiss LectureLater on Tuesday afternoon is the Birdsall-DreissLecture, given by Susan Hubbard, from 4:30 pm -5:30 pm, the room TBD.

The Hydrogeology Division always has several events that occur during the GSA Annual meeting, andthis year will be no exception. This article highlights some of the most popular Hydrogeology Divisionevents.

The Hydrogeology Division Luncheon is always a popular event. (Photo by Ed Harvey)

Everyone mixes and mingles during theHydrogeology Division Student Reception.(Photo by Ed Harvey)

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Catchment Hydrology”. He has served as theSenior Advisory Editor of the “Encyclopedia ofHydrological Sciences”, published by John Wileyand Sons and is currently Editor-in-Chief of theIAHS Book Series “Benchmark Papers inHydrology”. At the request of interestedinstitutions, Jeff will present one of the two lecturessummarized below. More information and a lecturerequest form are available at:

Streamflow generation concepts have remainedlargely unchanged since the First InternationalHydrological Decade (1965-1974) despitenumerous case studies from an ever-wideningarray of catchments. Two broad classes ofstreamflow generation behavior have beendescribed and conceptualized into widely usedmodel structures: infiltration excess overland flowand saturation excess overland flow. Theseconcepts rely on the description of spatial patternsof soil surface infiltration rates and “variablesource areas” of saturation (from rising near-stream water tables) with known boundaryconditions. While subsurface flow during stormevents occurs (and in steep wet areas may greatlyexceed overland flow contributions), its locationand behavior are poorly conceptualized andpredicted. The mechanisms of subsurface flowdelivery to the stream are seemingly endless andrange from lateral preferential flow, to flow alongimpeding layers, to flow in highly conductive soiland sub-soil layers—all largely unpredictable fromconditions at the soil surface. So how can weconceptualize subsurface flow and its manymanifestations and such poorly known boundaryconditions? Can we simplify the myriad

Please see on Page 12

Where does water go when it rains?Conceptualizing runoff processes inheadwater catchments.

http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/fe/watershd/

LECTURE TITLESANDABSTRACTS

McDonnell

Jeffrey J. McDonnell has been selected as the2011 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer. Thelectureship is given to one person annually by theGSAHydrogeology Division; McDonnell is the 33GSA Birdsall-Dreiss Lecturer and the first from thefield of watershed science. Jeff holds theRichardson Chair in Watershed Science atOregon State University and is OSU DistinguishedProfessor of Hydrology. He is also 6 CenturyChair in Hydrology at University of Aberdeen (UK)and Visiting Professor at the Nanjing HydraulicResearch Institute and Hohai University in China.Jeff is a Fellow of theAmerican Geophysical Unionand the International Water Academy. He isrecipient of the Dalton Medal from the EuropeanGeophysical Union, the Gordon Warwick Awardfrom the British Geomorphological ResearchGroup, the Nystrom Award from the Association ofAmerican Geographers and a D.Sc. from theUniversity of Canterbury. Jeff has co-authored~150 journal articles on watershed hydrology andco-edited the Elsevier textbook “Isotope Tracers in

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McDonnell to Tour As 2010Birdsall-Dreiss LecturerBy Jeffrey McDonnell

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2010 GSA Annual Meeting Program ScheduleHydrogeology Division

Continued on Page 8

Session title Day TimeRoom (CCC=Colorado

Convention Center)

T2. Impacts of Land Use and Climate Change on Water

Resources SustainabilitySunday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 107/109

T4. Advances in Understanding Aquifer Heterogeneity and

Multi-Scale Flow and Transport in Porous and Fractured

Media

Sunday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 103/105

T13. CO2 Sequestration in Deep Saline Aquifers: Leakage

Pathways, Risk Assessment, and Impact on Overlying

Aquifers

Sunday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 104/106

T34. Vapors, Brines, Sulfides, and Mines: Understanding

Metal Mobility in Magma-Hydrothermal Systems and Their

Supergene Successors

Sunday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 601

T5. Mountain Hydrogeology, Faults, Fractures, Fluid Flow,

and Sustainability of Natural Resources: In Memory of the

Contributions of Craig Burton Forster (Poster)

Sunday9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T2. Impacts of Land Use and Climate Change on Water

Resources SustainabilitySunday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 107/109

T5. Mountain Hydrogeology, Faults, Fractures, Fluid Flow,

and Sustainability of Natural Resources: In Memory of the

Contributions of Craig Burton Forster

Sunday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 103/105

T7. Contaminant Hydrogeology of Karst — Characterization,

Modeling, and RemediationSunday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 104/106

T135. Hydrogeomorphic Processes in Hillslopes, Rivers, and

LandscapesSunday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 702

T4. Advances in Understanding Aquifer Heterogeneity and

Multi-Scale Flow and Transport in Porous and Fractured

Media (Poster)

Sunday9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T13. CO2 Sequestration in Deep Saline Aquifers: Leakage

Pathways, Risk Assessment, and Impact on Overlying

Aquifers (Poster)

Sunday9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T1. Assessing Groundwater Availability and Sustainability Monday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 103/105

T9. Sources of Acid Rock Drainage to Draining Mine Tunnels

and in Complex Geologic SystemsMonday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 104/106

T64. Geochemistry of Geologic Sequestration of CO2:

Understanding Gas-Water-Mineral Interactions over Wide

Temporal and Spatial Ranges

Monday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 205

T74. Integrated Approaches to Modeling Geochemical,

Hydrological, and Ecological Processes in WatershedsMonday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 207

T118. Filling the Hole: Sedimentary Geology and

Paleontology of Caves and KarstMonday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 603

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Contined from page 7

2010 Annual Meeting Hydro Div. Program Schedule (Cont’d)

Session title Day TimeRoom (CCC=Colorado

Convention Center)

T156. Controls and Consequences of Continental Rifting:

From Heat Flow, Stress, and Strain to Magmatism,

Landscape-Basin Evolution, and Development of Natural

Resources

Monday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 704/706

T2. Impacts of Land Use and Climate Change on Water

Resources Sustainability (Poster)Monday

9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T1. Assessing Groundwater Availability and Sustainability Monday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 103/105

T3. The Hydrogeological Effects of Urbanization Monday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 104/106

T8. Flow in Fractured and Karstic Aquifers: Models and

MethodsMonday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 107/109

T82. Geology in the National Forests and Grasslands —

Stewardship, Education, and ResearchMonday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 710/712

T3. The Hydrogeological Effects of Urbanization Tuesday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 104/106

T14. Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS): Sustainable,

Carbon-Free EnergyTuesday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 103/105

T1. Assessing Groundwater Availability and Sustainability

(Poster)Tuesday

9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T8. Flow in Fractured and Karstic Aquifers: Models and

Methods (poster)Tuesday

9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T16. Geochemical and Isotopic Evolution of Sedimentary

and Crystalline Formation BrinesTuesday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 104/106

T18. Reaching New Peaks in Geoscience: Geoscience in the

Service of a Sustainable FutureTuesday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 107/109

T51. Neutral Mine Drainage: Release, Transport, and

Attenuation of Metals and Trace Elements in Circumneutral

Mining Environments

Tuesday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 601

T12. Arsenic in Geologic Systems (Poster) Tuesday9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T10. The Hydrogeologic and Regulatory Environments of

Phosphate Mining and ProcessingWednesday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 104/106

T12. Arsenic in Geologic Systems Wednesday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 103/105

T72. Noble and Trace Gas Geochemistry: Practical

Applications and Current ResearchWednesday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CCC Room 207

T3. The Hydrogeological Effects of Urbanization (poster) Wednesday9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

General Hydrogeology (poster) Wednesday9 to 11 AM, and 4:30

to 5:30 PMCCC Hall B

T12. Arsenic in Geologic Systems Wednesday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 103/105

Hydrogeology I: Physical Hydrogeology Wednesday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 104/106

Hydrogeology II: Chemical Hydrogeology Wednesday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM CCC Room 107/109

Hope to see you in Denver!

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Waterfalls

veryone enjoys the sounds and sights of a tropical waterfall.They are the setting for romantic and action packed movies.Fantasy Island used Wailua Falls on Kauai to open their weekly TVseries. From a different viewpoint waterfall origin and evolutionhas been attributed to a wide range of geologic processes. TheHawaiian Island's waterfalls and amphitheater-headed valleyshave been cited by many as equivalent to similar features seen onMars. After a number of years of studying these features on KauaiI offer the following thoughts and observations about Kauai'swaterfalls and amphitheater-headed valleys.

Kauai is a shield volcano built from the ocean depths as thePacific oceanic plate passed over a hot spot in the mantle. Theother islands in the Hawaiian chain were formed in a similarmanner. The main development of Kauai occurred on the order of

Please see on Page 10

Where in the World?This new section of the newsletter was inspired by the comments of Dr. Darryll Pederson in response tomy picture in the “From the Editor” portion of the June 2010 newsletter. From that picture he was able toidentify where I was, and provided some additional information regarding the significance of these andother waterfalls to the overall hydrogeologic system in Hawaii (see article below).This section will include a picture provided by a division member along with a hint (if necessary) as tothe location. If you think you can identify the location, send me an e-mail (andrea@kgs.ku.edu). I willidentify the first few to guess the location (if any!) in addition to a short article identifying the location andhydrogeologic interest of the site in the following newsletter.Pictures can be submitted to . Please include the location and the basis for a shortarticle regarding it’s hydrogeoloic significance. Thanks!

andrea@kgs.ku.edu

This edition’s photo:

Where in the World was EdHarvey?

GSA Hydrogeology Division’s1st Vice Chair Ed Harveyshared this picture that he tookon a recent trip.

Hint: Those little black shapesare some of the largest trout(rainbow and brook) in theworld.

Think you know where Ed was?S e n d y o u r g u e s s t oandrea@kgs.ku.edu

Previous edition’s photo:

Location: Opaeka’a Falls, Kauai,Hawaii, USA

The Waterfalls of Kauai, HawaiiBy Darryll Pederson

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flowing over the waterfall. Examples are Wiapo'oFalls (Figure 1) on the dry side of Kauai andOpaeka'a Falls (Figure 2) on the wet side of Kauai.Because the greatest headward development ofthe overall knickpoint morphology occurs wherethe water does not actively fall it begs the questionof why is the greatest erosion not where the energyof the falls is concentrated, especially where rockjuts out in the impact stream of Waipo'o Falls(Figure 1)? The wall of the upper and loweramphitheater of Waipo'o Falls is heavily vegetatedto the right of the falls (Figure 3). In this area thereis considerable groundwater discharge fromgroundwater recharged in the Alakai Swamplocated on the high points of the shield volcano.Because of the radial groundwater flow, reflectingthe sloping flank of the volcano, there is minimalgroundwater discharge in canyon walls beyondpoints of intersection of the groundwater systemand they appear dry.

Please see on Page 11Waterfalls

Waterfalls from Page 9

5 million years ago. The Kauai volcano iscomposed of innumerable layers of rock formedfrom repeated eruptions of low- viscosity lavaflowing down the 12-14 degree flanks. This lava,on cooling, formed basaltic rocks that withcontinued cooling resulted in fractures and joints.At times large cross-cutting fractures formed in thevolcano were filled with rising magma. The magmacooled slowly in the fractures forming a dense andstrong rock (dike). During periods of minimal or nolava flows the exposed basalts weathered rapidlyto red clays in the tropic heat and moisture.

In aquifer terms the joints and fractures inthe basalts represent major secondary-permeability routes for groundwater flow. The redsoils represent low permeability as do the dikes.Because dikes cut across the multiple basalt flowlayers and have different orientations they can bethought of as low permeability walls of an irregularbox that leaks. An additional consideration is thatthe height of the shield volcano coupled with thetrade winds has resulted in copious amounts ofrainfall at the summit. The summit has been calledby some “the wettest spot on Earth.” In spite of thehigh precipitation most rainfall infiltrates into thebasaltic aquifer with discharge throughinnumerable springs on the island and springs inthe submerged flanks of the volcano.Groundwater flow is radial from the top of thevolcano. There is little direct surface runoff in thehigh areas of the island except where highweathering rates and low erosion rates hasproduced thick low- permeability soils. Because ofthe very active groundwater flow systemgroundwater is a major player in the developmentof drainage features on Kauai.

There are numerous waterfalls and anumber of large amphitheater-headed valleys onKauai. Many waterfalls are notable for protrudingdownstream under the mainstream of water

Do you have an interesting idea for a short scientificarticle? Perhaps an opinion on a new policy ortechnique? Any exciting news in your professional life?Upcoming conferece? An announcement of interest tothe hydrological community? If so, why not publish itin The Hydrogeologist? Send your submission ideas toandrea@kgs.ku.edu

STUDENTS, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU TOO!

Figure 1 - Close view of Waipo’o Falls. Photoby Darryll Pederson

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products). The amphitheater form(upper and lower falls) is developing inthe direction of radial groundwater flow.Opaeka'a Falls has identical morphologyand weathering processes. The mainlower protruding feature (Figure 1)impacted by water flowing over Waipo'oFalls represents rock in place, not aboulder pile.

The Kalalau Valley on the Na Palicoast is headed by a large amphitheaterface. There are no streams flowing overthe face of the amphitheater. There arewaterfalls, fed by springs, in theamphitheater face. There is also diffusegroundwater flow and associated densevegetation on the amphitheater face.The Kalalau Valley amphitheater facehas advanced headward in the directionof radial groundwater flow from the highAlakai Swamp. There are very strikingand extensive flute developments in thewalls of the Kalalau Valley and othervalleys in the immediate area. There isan interesting interruption in the gradientof vertical sections of the walls of theKalalau Valley. This interruption has agradient along the walls of about 14degrees or about the same as thegroundwater gradient. This is a likely agroundwater story in itself.

At first glance Wailua Falls (TV'sFantasy Island fame, Figure 4) wouldappear to fit the model of undercutting bywater fa l l ac t ion. However, the“undercutting feature” is well above theelevation of the plunge pool and the mainundercutting is to the left side of thewaterfall. Figure 4 shows a clearelongation of the overall morphologicalfeature associated with the plunge pool.The long axis of the elongation is parallelto the expected (radial) direction ofgroundwater flow. The undercutting unithas significant groundwater discharge.If one goes just downstream, there isanother morphologic feature (incipientamphitheater?) that appears to becutting in the direction of groundwaterflow and widening the valley in theprocess. This feature has considerablegroundwate r d ischarge , densevegetation growth, and considerableweathering of rock. The main channel of

Please see on Page 12Waterfalls

Figure 2 - Opaeka’a Falls. Photo by Darryll Pederson

Waterfalls from Page 10

Figure 3 - Upper and Lower Waipo’o Falls. Photo by DarryllPederson

The growth of vegetation is the main driver of landscapeweathering on Kauai. The mechanical action of roots breakingup rocks is extremely fast and effective. Fragmenting yieldsgreatly increased surface area available for other type ofweathering processes. Micro-environments around root fibersalso enhance weathering processes through chemical andmicrobial effects. Finally, the presence of discharginggroundwater supports the rapid and dense growth of vegetationand through hydrolysis weathering to clays. Waipo'o Fallsprotrudes because there is no vegetation under the waterfallstream and erosion rates are low as opposed to the right side ofthe knickpoint where there is ample vegetation and weatheringrates are high (note - it is easy to transport clay weathering

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catchment scale and finally, for addressing transittime distributions and 'hydrological memory' ofcatchments. This lecture is intended for thosein te res ted in env i ronmenta l sc ience ,ecohydrology, water resources and water quality.

from page 11the Wailua River is very narrow along this reachwith high rock walls.

Rapid headward incision of the WaimeaCanyon occurred at an angle to the slope of thevolcano flanks and has provided a local base-levelchange for the development of many knickpointwaterfalls such as Waipo'o Falls. The streamsfeeding these waterfalls have a large groundwatercomponent representing recharge in the AlakaiSwamp. In the lower elevations theAlakai Swampsloping plateau has significant incision of streamsfed by groundwater discharge..

All of the above features can be readilyviewed, some from a distance. It is possible to getquite close to Wailua and Opaeka'a falls but theslopes are very steep. One should exerciseextreme caution as the rock is brittle and shouldnot be relied on for climbing support. Thepresence of water and clay also makes for veryslippery conditions. The Kalalau Valleyamphitheater and Waipo'o Falls can be reachedfrom below by very long hikes. The Upper Waipo'oFalls can also be reached via a trail that starts justnorth of the second developed overlook of theWaimea Canyon. There are a number of trailsthrough the lower parts of theAlakai Swamp.

Waterfalls

McDonnell from page 6subsurface response mechanisms to beconsistent with infiltration excess and saturationexcess overland flow concepts? This talkexamines the future of runoff conceptualizationand advances a simple concept of subsurface“storage excess”. I offer evidence in support ofstorage excess using field data from catchmentsdistributed across a wide array of climate, geology,vegetation and topographic conditions. Thesedata show subsurface storage filling and thenspilling is a simple concept that makes senseacross many scales and may help explain runoffamount and timing, geographic and time sourcecomponents, and residence time. I address howsuch measures might be used for “gauging” theungauged catchment as part of the IAHS Decadeon Prediction in Ungauged Basins (2003-2012)and informing questions of “what to measure, inwhat order and why”? This lecture is intended forthose interested in water resources, landuseplanning, hydrogeology and water quality.

The use of stable isotopes as tracers of water hasfundamentally changed the way that we viewcatchment hydrology. Most importantly, isotopetracers have shown that the mean transit time forwater through catchments can be orders ofmagnitude longer than the timescale of hydrologicresponse. This recognition of prompt delivery ofold water to the stream changes the way we

Isotope tracers in catchment hydrology: Howfar can we go?

consider catchment response tolanduse and climate change. Findingsfrom catchment isotope studies havenow matured to the point where suchinformation is informing rainfall-runoffmodel development and testing andnew hydrological scaling theory. So howfar can we go with isotope tracers incatchment hydrology? This talkexplores future avenues of study madepossible by the recent development oflaser spectrometers—a technologypoised to radically alter the field byfac i l i t a t i ng inc reased samp lefrequencies in time and space andultimately, routine and widespread field-based deployment. Examples withlaser spectrometers are given thatshow the power of this approach forunders tanding ecohydro log ica linteractions, rainfall and snowmeltmixing from the plot to hillslope to Figure 4 - Air View of Wailua Falls. Photo by Douglas

Peebles

13

Tyler from page 4His group is also a leader in the

development of distributed fiber-optic temperaturesensing and using this technology to study of soilmoisture, aquatic stream and lake ecology, caveair circulation and snow hydrology. Scott is co-Director of the NSF-sponsored Centers forTransformative Environmental MonitoringPrograms (CTEMPS) designed to develop anddistribute environmental fiber-optic temperaturesensing systems. He has published more than 80refereed articles and books across a wide range ofhydrologic fluid dynamics, including developmentof coupled solar energy/desalinization systems forwater reclamation, modeling the limnology ofcomplex aquatic ecosystems, the study of ground-water /b r ine in te rac t ions in te r res t r ia lenvironments, the development of fundamentalmodels of root water uptake and root physics, thereconstruction of paleoclimates from soil waterchemistry, and stochastic reactive transport ofcontaminants in the subsurface.

Scott's service to hydrogeology pervadeshis career. Obvious contributions includeleadership of the Division as President in 2007,during which he launched the 50 AnniversaryCampaign and facilitated fruition of GSA's 2008Joint Meeting with the Soil Science Society ofAmerica (SSSA) and allied societies. In addition,he currently serves on the editorial boards of GSABulletin and Advances in Water Resources, on theBoard of Directors of CUASHI and on the NationalAcademy of Sciences Panel on Challenges andOpportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences. Scott’sservice also includes indentifying, nurturing andchallenging others to become leaders ofhydrogeologic science and educating the broadestpossible audiences about the interconnectedworlds of water, geology and environment.

In consideration of manifold contributions tothe science and application of hydrogeology, theDistinguished Service Award is a fittingacknowledgement of Professor Scott Tyler's many

labors of love.

th

pro bono publico

Brahana from page 4Van's professional career includes more

than 28 years with the USGS as a researchhydrologist (now emeritus), and currently, 20 yearsas a Professor at the University of Arkansas. Inaddition to these two major jobs, he has served asan Adjunct Professor at 3 universities, as aconsultant and expert witness, and as a lab andfield assistant for the Illinois Geological Survey.The focus of his professional research includedregional hydrogeologic studies in the midcontinentutilizing flow tracing, aqueous geochemistry, andnumerical simulation for hypothesis testing. Hehas contributed more than 70 peer-reviewedpapers to the literature. With Tom Sauer, USDA-ARS, he established the Savoy ExperimentalWatershed for long-term karst research.

As a professor, he has supervised morethan 20 M.S. and Ph.D. students in hydrogeology,10 REUs and Honors students, and has served onmore than 100 graduate research committees. Infact, one of Van’s greatest contributions to the fieldhas been his mentoring of hydrogeologists. Vanencourages students to “Be the Aquifer” in order toconceptualize the processes and to betterunderstand the physics and mechanics behindtheory.

Van's service record has been exemplary,including numerous committee assignments andleadership positions in which he has directed orserved as Chair of regional, national, andinternational meetings. He is a Fellow of GSA,Chair of Fulbright College Cabinet at the Universityof Arkansas and a member of Aquifer ScienceAdvisory Panel of the Edwards Aquifer Authority.He typically provides about 10 reviews for hydro-journals each year.

There are few active hydrogeologists whohave contributed as much or as broadly to thedevelopment of our discipline. The HydrogeologyDivision takes pride in presenting John VanBrahana the GSA Hydrogeology DivisionDistinguished ServiceAward.

Want to know what’s going on within the GSA HydrogeologyDivision?

Then visit our website at < >OR

Join the GSA Hydrogeology Division group

http://gsahydrogiv.liu.edu

facebook

14

BULLETIN BOARD

AGU Fall Meeting

The AGU Fall Meetingwill be held December1 3 - 1 7 i n S a nFranc i sco in theMoscone ConventionCenter. Registrationfees will increase afterNovember 10, soregister today.

GSA 2011Minneapolis, MN

Field Trip Proposals -

Technical SessionProposals -

Short CourseProposals -

The 2011 GSA AnnualMeeting will be held onO c t o b e r 9 - 1 2 i nMinneapolis, MN.

Upcoming deadlines:

Dec. 1, 2010

Jan. 11,2011

February1, 2011

GSA Section Meetings

Northeastern/North-Central:

Southeastern

South-Central:Rocky Mountain/Cordilleran:

Pittsburgh, PA,March 20-22 2011

: Wilmington, NC March 23-25,2011

New Orleans, LA, March 27-19 2011Logan, UT, May 18-

20 2011

PLACE YOURANNOUNCEMENT

HERE

From the Editor....

hat wraps up my second attempt at newsletter editor, I hopeeveryone enjoyed the issue. I want to thank everyone whocontributed to this issue, t

The next issue will be in early 2011 as we’re moving to a3/year format to better cover division events and activities. As perusual, if you have any comments, suggestions or an idea for acolumn or article please let me know at < .

I hope to see many of you in Denver next month!

Andrea Brookfield, Editor

T

The Hydrogeologist

he newsletter would not be possiblewithout you.

andrea@kgs.ku.edu>

NGWA GroundWater Expo

The NGWA GroundWater Expo will beheld December 7 -10i n L a s V e g a s .Registration fees willi n c r e a s e a f t e rN o v e m b e r 5 , s oregister today!

Hydrogeology Division Contacts2010 Management Board

Standing Committees

Chair:First Vice-Chair:

Second Vice-Chair:

Secretary-Treasurer:

Past Chair:

Technical Program Committee:

Nominating Committee:

Meinzer Award Committee:

Birdsall-Dreiss Lecturer Commitee:

Distinguished Service Award Commitee:

Scott Bair ( )Ed Harvey

( )Steve Ingebritsen

( )Brian Katz

( )Carol Wicks ( )

Bill Cunningham - 2010 (Denver)Maddy Schreiber - 2011 (Minneapolis)

Janet Herman (Chair), Kip Solomon, Scott Tyler

Niel Plummer (Chair), Marios Sophocleous,Shaun Frape, Don Rosenberry

Bridget Scanlon (Chair), Larry McKay, ChunmiaoZheng

Bill Simpkins (Chair), Tom Nicholson, RalphDavis

bair.1@osu.edu

feharvey1@unl.edu

seingebr@usgs.gov

bkatz@usgs.govcwicks@lsu.edu

Ad Hoc Committees

Historical Committee:

Section Representatives:

Representatives to other Societies:

Newsletter Editor:

Web Administrator:

GSA Council:

Alan Fryar (Chair)

Cordilleran - Vicky KretsingerNortheastern - Todd RayneNorth Central - Maureen MuldoonSouth Central - Marcia SchulmeisterRocky Mountain - Victor HeilweilSoutheastern - Joe Donovan

American Geophysical Union - Dave DiodatoAmerican Geological Institute - DaveStephensonNational Ground Water Association - Bill AlleyInternational Assoc. of Hydrogeologists - JackSharpWater Science Policy Liason - Dave DiodatoSociety for Sedimentary Geology - GaryWeissman

Andrea Brookfield

Mike Sukop

Jean Bahr (President)

(andrea@kgs.ku.edu)

Hydrogeology Division Website: <http://gsahydrodiv.fiu.edu/>

15

The Hydrogeologist

The Hydrogeologist is a publication of the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America. It is issued twice a year, to communicatenews of interest to members of the Hydrogeology Division. During 1998, the publication moved from paper-based to electronic media. Theelectronic version may be accessed at: < >. Members of the Hydrogeology Division who have electronic mail will receivenotification of all new issues. Other members will continue to receive paper copies.

Contributions are material are most welcome, and should be directed to the Editor. Submission as a Word or WordPerfect document is mostexpedient.

Andrea E. Brookfield, EditorThe HydrogeologistKansas Geological Survey1930 Constant Avenue, Moore 414 Voice: (785) 864-2199Lawrence, KS Fax: (785) 864-531766047-3726 Email: andrea@kgs.ku.edu

http://gsahydrodiv.fiu.edu

Deadline, Winter Issue

January 15, 2011