Hydrogeology and Water Resources ("Hydro") Group
Our Hydro research group uses mathematical modeling-, field-, and laboratory-based approaches to understand:
→ Groundwater and suface water resource availability, sustainability, and vulnerability assessment;
→ Vadose zone (unsaturated zone) and soil-water processes, including quantifying & mapping recharge quantity and quality and preferential flow;
→ Low Impact Development (LID) effects on recharge quantity and quality
→ Hydroclimatology and climate change / variability effects on water resources;
→ Contaminant hydrogeology and nonpoint-source contamination at watershed to regional scales, including groundwater-vulnerability assessments to nitrate;
→ Saltwater intrusion and submarine groundwater discharge as related to the management of coastal aquifers systems;
→ Interdependencies between climatic-hydrologic-land use and subsurface processes;
→ Geographic Information Systems (GIS) modeling and uncertainty analysis.
Interested In Joining Our Group?
Our Hydro group is growing. We are looking for new students interested in
research that compliments and expands our current research in hydrogeology,
vadose zone hydrology, contaminant hydrology, and climate change effects on
water resources. Please contact Jason Gurdak for more information or see the Geosciences Department web site or the Graduate Studies web site for program
details and admissions requirements.
Current Research Projects
New (2011) International Research Initiative: G@GPS
In 2011, the new G@GPS initiative (Groundwater@Global Paleoclimate Signals) was launched to help the international paleogroundwater research community in coordinating activities that advance investigations of the links between paleoclimate archives and paleogroundwater observations. G@GPS is an inclusive group of scientists that coordinates paleogroundwater research, organizes workshops and training courses, and helps future and early-career researchers develop necessary skills. If you are interested in participating in G@GPS, please contact me or one of the other coordinators (see the invitation letter here: PDF). Learn more about G@GPS here.
2007 - Present: Climate change and land-use effects on groundwater recharge, Central Platte Basin, High Plains aquifer
2005 - Present: Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Change (GRAPHIC)
Past Research Projects
Groundwater vulnerability of U.S. principle aquifers to nonpoint-source nitrate contamination (2012)
Present: Climate change effects on groundwater resources, San Francisco, CA. SFSU ORSP FOA 2010-11, Facilitating Research at SFSU (2010).
Climate variability effects on groundwater sustainability
High Plains Regional Ground Water Study (2000-2009)
Quantifying error propagation and prediction uncertainty for GIS raster processing (2007-2009)
Recharge beneath playas of the High Plains (2008-2009)
Groundwater Vulnerability of the High Plains aquifer (2005-2006)
Send comments and questions to: jgurdak@sfsu.edu.
