Science

The theme of WyCEHG is to use near-surface geophysical imaging as a means to link surface and subsurface hydrology.  Surface hydrologists and ecologists typically measure streamflow, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture, but have little means to constrain how much water is exiting into, or entering from, subsurface aquifers. Similarly, groundwater hydrologists measure and model the movement of water in subterranean aquifers, but they typically have to make assumptions – which are rarely tested – about boundary conditions, such as recharge rates from surface waters.  Near-surface geophysical methods can constrain fundamental physical and hydrological properties of the subsurface, such as porosity, and can produce images of possible water pathways (such as fracture zones and faults).  The combination of near-surface geophysical imaging with surface and subsurface hydrological data, downhole measurements, meteorological data, and geochemical tracer data comprises an effective means of characterizing the fate and transport of water at a variety of scales.

Numerous world-class resources will enable this research within WyCEHG, including intellectual resources (faculty from seven different departments, and six new faculty/staff hires), computational resource (including the new NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Facility), and new facilities for near-surface geophysics (FINSE) and hydrology (SSHL).

The links below will provide more detail on the various facets of WyCEHG research. 

Facilities

• Facility for Imaging the Near- and Sub-surface Environment (FINSE)
• Surface and Subsurface Hydrology Lab (SSHL)

Sites

• Laramie Range
• Snowy Range
• Mountain Lakes
• Casper Aquifer

Science Objectives

• Mountain Front Hydrology
• Disturbances and Fluxes
• Modeling

Science Teams

• Integrated Modeling - Ye Zhang, Team Leader

• Component Modeling-  Thijs Kelleners, Team Leader

• Critical Zone Processes - Cliff Riebe, Team Leader

• Geophysical Modeling - Po Chen, Team Leader

• Hydrogeophysics - Steve Holbrook, Team Leader

• Mountain Lakes and Climate - Bryan Shuman, Team Leader

• Disturbances and Fluxes - Scott Miller and Ginger Paige, Team Leaders

• Geochemical Tracers - Bob Hall and Dave Williams, Team Leaders

• Snowmelt Partitioning - Nori Ohara, Team Leader

• Bark Beetle Impacts - Brent Ewers, Team Leader