University Programs Seminar: Submarine Groundwater Discharge – A Matter of Perspective

Recorded April 1, 2022 Speaker: Dr. D. Alex Beebe Abstract: Groundwater seepage from the seabed to surface waters, termed submarine groundwater discharge, is now widely recognized as a globally-important conveyor of water and dissolved materials to the world’s oceans. A number of driving forces prompt submarine groundwater discharge including terrestrial, hydrologic processes (e.g., hydraulic gradients) and marine, oceanographic processes (e.g., tidal pumping). Although submarine groundwater discharge is diffuse, and specific discharges are generally low (on the order of a few cm d-1), the total discharge volume can be significant due to the large spatial extent over which submarine groundwater discharge occurs. Recent advances in the past few decades have resulted in a number of methods that enable researchers to quantify submarine groundwater discharge and dissolved material loadings at the embayment scale. This seminar will focus on the driving mechanisms and sources of submarine groundwater