Abstract
Groundwater underpins energy and food security, human health, and ecosystem quality. Groundwater age—the time since recharge—provides crucial context for these applications and is directly relevant to geologic processes such as chemical weathering, surface-water eutrophication, and climate change. Yet observed ages span months to millions of years.
In this talk, Dr. Cardenas will summarize collaborative efforts to: (1) map how much groundwater is present globally, (2) characterize the age distributions of groundwater, and (3) quantify replenishment timescales to assess groundwater renewability.
Key contributors: Tom Gleeson, Kevin Befus, Scott Jasechko, and Elco Luijendijk.
Speaker Biography
M. Bayani Cardenas is a hydrology professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on flow and transport processes across hydrologic settings and scales, addressing water quality and quantity through theoretical, computational, and observational methods. He received degrees from the University of the Philippines, the University of Nebraska, and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
After the Seminar
To request a meeting time with Dr. Cardenas after the lecture, contact Jenna Shelton (jshelto2@illinois.edu). Space will be provided in the Natural Resources Building, and times are limited between 3:30 and 5:00 pm on September 30.