How Fast, How Deep, and How Much? - Seismic Sensing of Groundwater Recharge from the Atmospheric-River Storms of 2023

Shujuan Mao, William L. Ellsworth, Yujie Zheng, & Gregory C. Beroza

Published September 8, 2024, SCEC Contribution #13847, 2024 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #068

In early 2023, a series of intense atmospheric river storms eased California’s historic drought, yet the extent of groundwater replenishment remains poorly understood. We track groundwater in Greater Los Angeles from 2003 through the 2023 Storms using seismic ambient field interferometry. The derived seismic hydrographs reveal that the expression of groundwater drought is distinct from that of surface-water drought: While surface-water storage nearly fully recovered in the epic wet season of 2023, less than 25% of the groundwater lost over the previous two decades was replenished. On a decadal scale, we find significant depletion with slight storm-related replenishment in aquifers below 50 m depth, emphasizing the need to monitor deep aquifers for a more complete assessment of the total water deficit with tools such as seismic sensing.

Key Words
Groundwater, Atmospheric Rivers, Los Angeles Basin

Citation
Mao, S., Ellsworth, W. L., Zheng, Y., & Beroza, G. C. (2024, 09). How Fast, How Deep, and How Much? - Seismic Sensing of Groundwater Recharge from the Atmospheric-River Storms of 2023. Poster Presentation at 2024 SCEC Annual Meeting.


Related Projects & Working Groups
Stress and Deformation Over Time (SDOT)