Alpine hydrogeology: Building a scientific framework for groundwater in alpine headwaters

世界上近一半的人口依靠发源于高山的河流供水。在漫长的干旱或寒冷季节，这些河流的基流对淡水生态系统以及下游地区的饮用水供应、灌溉、水力发电和许多其他用水至关重要。由于高降水和低蒸散，这些河流的高山源头产生了不成比例的大量径流，与山脉较低地区的森林地区相比。由于预计全球变暖将导致高山积雪减少和冰川枯竭，高山含水层在储存融水和雨水并在基流期逐渐释放这些融水和雨水方面将发挥越来越重要的作用，从而有可能缓冲气候变化的影响。然而，由于在崎岖的高山环境中缺乏详细的水文地质研究，目前对高山含水层的了解有限。因此，本研究项目的总体目标是建立一个科学框架，以了解和量化高山水源集水区的地下水储量。为了实现这一目标，我的研究团队将对加拿大落基山脉的地下水进行实地研究，以确定高寒地区常见的含水层类型，并开发估算这些含水层中储水量和储存期的方法（即含水层特征）。我们还将开发利用现有的地质和地形信息在流域尺度上估计含水层特征的方法，并建立水文模型来预测气候变化对河流基流的影响。通过与来自亚洲、欧洲和南美洲的国际合作伙伴合作，我们将开发一个框架，该框架涵盖了世界各地山脉的共同特征，因此可以在全球范围内转移到具有不同地质和气候条件的山区。新的科学框架和模型将为依赖山地河流的地区的水资源管理提供关键信息和工具。

Nearly half of the world's population depends on rivers originating in high mountains for water supply. Baseflow of these rivers during a long dry or cold season is critical for freshwater ecosystems and for drinking water supply, irrigation, hydropower generation, and many other water uses in downstream regions. Alpine headwaters of these rivers generate a disproportionately large amount of runoff due to high precipitation and low evapotranspiration compared to forested zones in lower parts of the mountains. As global warming is expected to reduce alpine snowpack and deplete glaciers, alpine aquifers will play increasingly important roles in storing meltwater and rain water and gradually releasing them during the baseflow period, thereby potentially buffering the effects of climate change. However, the current understanding of alpine aquifers is limited due to a lack of detailed hydrogeological studies in rugged alpine environments. Therefore, the overarching goal of this research program is to develop a scientific framework for understanding and quantifying groundwater storage in alpine headwater catchments. To achieve the goal, my research team will conduct field-based studies of groundwater in the Canadian Rockies to identify common types of aquifers in alpine regions and develop methods to estimate the amount of groundwater stored in these aquifers and how long it is stored (i.e. aquifer characteristics). We will also develop the methods to estimate the aquifer characteristics at a scale of river basins using available information on geology and topography, and build hydrological models for predicting the influence of climate change on river baseflow. By working with international collaborators from Asia, Europe, and South America, we will develop a framework that encompasses the common characteristics of mountain ranges around the world and hence, is globally transferrable to mountainous regions having different geological and climatic conditions. The new scientific framework and models will provide the critical information and tools for water resource management in the regions dependent on mountain rivers.