Groundwater-surface water exchange

Groundwater can be an important source of carbon, nutrients, greenhouse gases, trace metals and pollutants to surface waters. However groundwater-surface water interactions are often put in the “too-hard basket” due to difficulties in constraining this invisible source. We use a range of natural stable and radioisotopes to quantify groundwater-surface water exchange from headwater streams to the coastal zone. Our research is revealing the significance of this pathway as a vector for solute transport to surface waters.