USGS Water Cycle Center

​The Water Cycle Center is a collaboration between the USGS and academics throughout the U.S. Northeast, which focuses on projects related to all aspects of the water cycle. Our work within this group is titled: Identifying Climate Drivers of Water-Cycle Changes in the U.S. Northeast and Their Impact on Evapotranspiration, Groundwater Recharge Patterns, and Groundwater-Surface Water Connectivity.

 

Moisture is being redistributed around the globe due to climate change, land-use change, and urbanization. These changes are impacting the way water moves through the landscape. In the Northeast United States, there has been a significant change in the timing and intensity of precipitation, coupled with increasing temperature and increasing length of the growing season. Together, these changes are significantly altering the annual water budget with important implications for ecosystems, water supply, flooding, and vulnerability to pest and disease. To address these changes, our project has three phases: historical observations, isotopes, and modeling.

 

By examining past periods of wet and dry times through historical hydrologic observations, we will uncover key processes that illuminate possible future hydrological functioning. Assessing the isotopic composition of groundwaters and how they vary annually across New England will complement this physical hydrological analysis. The overall goal of this work is to develop a process-based model that looks at the hydrologic composition of the Northeast into the future.