Lauren D. Somers

Dalhousie University | Dal · Department of Civil and Resource Engineering

While the hydrology of the Cordillera Blanca is often related to the extensive glacierization, this seasonally dry tropical mountainous region also distributes many other hydrologic and hydrogeologic features over extensive topographic relief. Moreover, the water flows and accessible reservoirs within this varied landscape relate to coupled natural...

Most peat domes in Southeast Asia are crisscrossed by networks of drainage canals. These canals are a potentially important source of methane to the atmosphere because the groundwater that discharges into them carries high concentrations of dissolved methane that is produced within peat. In this study, we present an isotope‐enabled numerical model...

A trio of tracers has debunked a long-held model of the origins of spring water on Mount Fuji, revealing interactions between shallow and deep aquifer layers, and providing a fresh approach for probing mountain groundwater flow. Mixing of groundwater from different depths in Mount Fuji.

Mountain water resources are of particular importance for downstream populations but are threatened by decreasing water storage in snowpack and glaciers. Groundwater contribution to mountain streamflow, once assumed to be relatively small, is now understood to represent an important water source to streams. This review presents an overview of resea...

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is recognized as a good indicator of water quality as its concentration is influenced by land use, rainwater, windborne material and anthropogenic activities. Recent technological advances make it possible to characterize fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM), the fraction of DOM that fluoresces. Among these adv...

Accelerating mountain glacier recession in a warming climate threatens the sustainability of mountain water resources. The extent to which groundwater will provide resilience to these water resources is unknown, in part due to a lack of data and poorly understood interactions between groundwater and surface water. Here we address this knowledge gap...

The importance of water moving between the atmosphere and aquifers has led to efforts to develop and maintain coupled models of surface water and groundwater. However, developing inputs to these models is usually time-consuming and requires extensive knowledge of software engineering, often prohibiting their use by many researchers and water manage...

Water flow through catchments sustains ecosystems and human activity, shapes landscapes, and links climate to the outermost layers of the solid Earth. The profound importance of water moving between the atmosphere and aquifers has led to efforts to develop and maintain coupled models of surface water and groundwater. However, developing inputs to t...

Tropical glaciers, which are particularly susceptible to global warming, are found in the lower latitudes of Asia and Africa, although 99% of the world’s tropical glaciers are located in the Andes of South America. The lack of seasonality in tropical temperatures, distinct wet and dry seasons, and year-round ablation of these glaciers give rise to...

A myriad of downstream communities and industries rely on streams fed by both groundwater discharge and glacier meltwater draining the Cordillera Blanca, Northern Peruvian Andes, which contains the highest density of glaciers in the tropics. During the dry season, approximately half the discharge in the region’s proglacial streams comes from ground...

As tropical glaciers rapidly recede in response to climate change, the storage and discharge of groundwater will play an increasing role in regulating river baseflow, particularly during the dry season, when stream flow is currently sustained predominantly by glacial melt. Little is understood regarding the hydrogeologic processes controlling base...

In the tropical Andes, glacial meltwater is an important water resource for downstream communities, especially during the dry season. Due to climate change, glacial retreat is accelerating and straining already limited water resources in the region. It is hypothesized that groundwater storage and discharge will play a critical role in sustaining fu...