Events

Tuesday, August 25, 2026 | 10 AM – 11 AM  

Location:

SEB 2102, Western University

Seminar Abstract:
Groundwater and surface water are connected at the sediment-water interface of wetlands, lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries, but these two flow domains are usually studied and managed separately.  Given the commonly large volumes of groundwater and surface-water resources, does the connection have any real, practical significance?  It certainly does where water resources are too few or too much, or contaminated.  It matters when property values, human infrastructure, ecosystem services, or endangered species are affected.  Several examples of how and why this interface is important to the public, and to the management of our water resources, are presented. Problems ranged from too much water to too little, from finding the source of contaminants to what to do about getting rid of them.  In almost all instances, groundwater-surface-water exchange was a bigger part of the process or problem than had previously been realized.

Speaker Bio:
Donald Rosenberry is a research hydrogeologist now serving as an emeritus with U.S. Geological Survey, and as an affiliate professor with Colorado School of Mines. He specializes in groundwater-surface-water exchange in lake, wetland, estuarine, and fluvial settings.  Don also conducts research on wetland hydrology, water budgets of lakes and wetlands, and hyporheic processes. His research is focused at the sediment/water interface with an emphasis on understanding processes that control exchanges between groundwater and surface water. Rosenberry’s interests stem from his formative years at Bemidji State University on the shore of Lake Bemidji, the University of Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River, and the University of Colorado through which Boulder Creek flows.