Deep-karst aquifer spring-flow trends in a water-limited system, Grand Canyon National Park, USA

A multi-year analysis of five springs in Grand Canyon National Park reveals no significant differences in snowmelt response timing or recession coefficients, indicating consistent flow regimes across a 50 km horizontal and 1,000 m vertical distance within the Redwall-Muav aquifer system. However, mean water volumes during snowmelt and annual discharges vary significantly among the springs, with Tapeats Spring showing more stable baseflow between recessions. Linear regression analyses detected no annual trends in most aquifer characteristics, except for the aforementioned stability at Tapeats Spring. Water budgets for Roaring Springs suggest missing outflow components or inaccuracies in precipitation/evapotranspiration data, highlighting the need for refined modeling and dye trace studies to improve groundwater understanding. This research provides critical insights for managing water supply and forecasting climate change impacts on spring-dependent species.

Chambless, H. E., Springer, A. E., Evans, M., & Jones, N. (2023). Tendências de fluxo de nascentes de aquíferos cársticos profundos em um sistema com água limitada, Parque Nacional do Grand Canyon, EUA. Hydrogeology Journal, 31(7), 1755–1771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-023-02702-w