Earth Sciences Commons^™

Hydrogeologic Heterogeneity Identification: Using Inverse Modeling Of Synthetic Borehole Temperatures To Predict Groundwater Flux, Kevin Heintz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Heat has been effectively used as a groundwater tracer for decades, and high-resolution temperature data can better identify and quantify discrete flow zones. Refinements to the numerical modeling of advective heat transfer in borehole temperature sensing deployments can improve understanding of dynamic hydrogeologic systems. In my thesis, I develop a novel two-dimensional coupled radial groundwater flow and heat transfer numerical model that considers intra-borehole vertical flow. To test the performance of this model, I used finite element analysis to generate synthetic data sets consisting of prescribed variable flow fields and resulting borehole temperatures. I input synthetic temperatures into the two-dimensional …

The Evaluation Of Water Storage In Death Valley Using Grace Satellite Data, Maile Sweigart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As drought conditions spread across the United States, concerns over water supplies, water use, and water management policies are growing and possible contributing environmental factors are continually being scrutinized. This thesis examines Death Valley as an analog for Southern Nevada and utilizes NASA EOS data, combined with ancillary climate data, to assess the effect of decadal climate variability on groundwater storage in the Death Valley area. Historical climate data, combined with satellite imagery observations, were compiled and calculated for analyses. Conclusions derived from statistical analyses infer trends between GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data and fluctuating levels of …

Spectral Analysis Of The Flow Behavior Of Big Spring, Kings Canyon National Park, California, Linda Urzendowski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Big Spring, the resurgence of a karst aquifer in the Lilburn Cave system (Kings Canyon National Park, California), displays the uncommon phenomena of ebb and flow discharge during periods of high runoff.

Hydrograph analyses indicate that the portion of Lilburn Cave between the Z-Room and Big Spring is primarily a conduit flow aquifer. The power spectra strongly indicate a nonlinear system, with evidence of quasi-linear behavior found on a smaller scale. The transfer and kernel function indicate that no additional significant inputs or outputs to the system exist. The bench-scale model built to simulate the ebb and flow cycles in …