Journal article
Hydrogeology and Groundwater Flow in a Hummocky Prairie Pothole Complex, Northern Iowa
Wetlands (Wilmington, N.C.), Vol.45(1), 3
2025
DOI: 10.1007/s13157-024-01886-5
Abstract
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) covers 700,000 km of North America and natural (undrained) pothole wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services. The viability of PPR wetlands depends on hydrological connectivity and the degree of connectivity has been described as a product of both regional and localized groundwater flow systems. In this study, we evaluated the hydrogeology and groundwater flow system at the hummocky Spring Run wetland complex within the Iowa Great Lake (IGL) watershed in northwest Iowa over a two-year period. Spring Run serves as a microcosm for understanding groundwater flow pathways within the larger IGL region. Using a network of 16 shallow monitoring wells installed into upland glacial till and interspersed organic-rich wetlands, groundwater flow within the upland till primarily was found to follow local topography and discharge to local wetlands at the till-wetland interface. Interspersed wetlands intercept the water table and provide areas for local groundwater discharge. Once groundwater flows into the wetlands, the wetlands direct water flow laterally out of the area or downward into regional sand aquifers. Spatial patterns in groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration (ET) were observed with recharge and ET much higher in the wetland areas than in the uplands. Groundwater flow from upland glacial till areas helps to subsidize elevated ET in the wetlands and direct shallow water back to the atmosphere. Study results from Spring Run suggest that within a representative hummocky pothole complex, groundwater flow appears to be highly localized. Regional export of water from these areas may occur if underlain by subsurface drainage or deeper sand aquifers.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Hydrogeology and Groundwater Flow in a Hummocky Prairie Pothole Complex, Northern Iowa
- Creators
- Keith E. Schilling - United States Geological SurveyMatthew T. Streeter - United States Geological SurveyPhil Kerr - University of Iowa, Iowa Geological SurveyCalvin F. Wolter - United States Geological SurveyElliot AndersonAlejandro Gomez - Iowa State UniversityAntonio Arenas-Amado - University of Iowa, IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Wetlands (Wilmington, N.C.), Vol.45(1), 3
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- DOI
- 10.1007/s13157-024-01886-5
- ISSN
- 0277-5212
- eISSN
- 1943-6246
- Grant note
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100011460)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2025
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences; Iowa Geological Survey; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984758264502771
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