Research

The dynamics of coastal rivers and deltas create heterogeneous deposits that influence subsurface fluid flow patterns. Geological heterogeneity strongly influences flow pathways and thus rates of contaminant transport and groundwater aquifer recharge, which limits our ability to sustainably manage water resources and mitigate health risks in river-delta environments. Spatial scales of subsurface stratigraphic variability in river-deltas ranges from micron-scale pore-space discontinuities to irregularly-shaped sand-bodies that can be tens of meters thick and many kilometers in length. Smaller-scale subsurface heterogeneity due to channel and bedform dynamics (<1~m) is typically under-constrained, because it is below the resolution that can be imaged by geophysical techniques.

In research under this theme, we have used numerical modeling, information theory, and machine learning models to constrain variability in the subsurface, and therefore contribute to societal sustainability on river-deltas.

Figure 1: Schematic of stratigraphic columns. The length of either column is not clear without a vertical scale: the columns could be centimeters or kilometers in length. An expanded section of the left column reveals that the patterns of the strata do not vary with scale.

Publications generated by this research

There are no peer reviewed publications from this work yet.