Identification

Title

A view toward the future of subsurface characterization: CAT scanning groundwater basins

Abstract

In this opinion paper we contend that high-resolution characterization, monitoring, and prediction are the key elements to advancing and reducing uncertainty in our understanding and prediction of subsurface processes at basin scales. First, we advocate that recently developed tomographic surveying is an effective and high-resolution approach for characterizing the field-scale subsurface. Fusion of different types of tomographic surveys further enhances the characterization. A basin is an appropriate scale for many water resources management purposes. We thereby propose the expansion of the tomographic surveying and data fusion concept to basin-scale characterization. In order to facilitate basin-scale tomographic surveys, different types of passive, basin-scale, CAT scan technologies are suggested that exploit recurrent natural stimuli (e.g., lightning, earthquakes, storm events, barometric variations, river-stage variations, etc.) as sources of excitations, along with implementation of sensor networks that provide long-term and spatially distributed monitoring of excitation as well as response signals on the land surface and in the subsurface. This vision for basin-scale subsurface characterization faces many significant technological challenges and requires interdisciplinary collaborations (e.g., surface and subsurface hydrology, geophysics, geology, geochemistry, information and sensor technology, applied mathematics, atmospheric science, etc.). We nevertheless contend that this should be a future direction for subsurface science research.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d78g8kw5

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2008-03-20T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact