This Flood-MAR Research and Data Development Plan (R&DD Plan) presents the work of the Flood-MAR Research Advisory Committee (RAC), a multidisciplinary group of subject matter experts across 13 research themes. The RAC was tasked to identify the research, data, guidance, and tools necessary to support and expand the implementation of Flood-MAR projects.
Recharge is a critical component for understanding aquifer systems and the sustainable management of groundwater resources, yet this process is challenging to measure at policy-relevant spatiotemporal scales. Building upon previous research, we tested the hypothesis that InSAR can be used to observe river-sourced recharge if the underlying recharge pathways are associated with sufficient clay content.
To determine the impact of unsaturated-zone stratigraphic heterogeneity on MAR effectiveness, we simulate recharge at a Central Valley almond orchard surveyed with a towed transient electromagnetic system. First, we identified three outcomes of interest for MAR sites: infiltration rate at the surface, residence time of water in the root zone and saturated-zone recharge efficiency, which is defined as the increase in saturated-zone storage induced by MAR.
