January 29
4:00 p.m.
Engineering 120

Abstract

Exploring some big questions in poorly mixed hydrologic systems with electrical geophysics

“Non-local” mathematics—which describe longer-range dependencies in time or space than classical, local mathematics—are important in a broad range of scientific disciplines. In groundwater hydrology, for example, one prediction challenge described by non-local mathematics is “anomalous” solute-transport behavior, defined by characteristics such as concentration rebound, solute retention, early solute breakthrough, and long breakthrough tailing. These behaviors lead to consequences like poor 1) pump-and-treat efficiency, 2) descriptions of mixing or spreading, and 3) prediction of biogeochemical storage, release, and transformation processes. These phenomena have been observed in diverse geologic settings. Observational challenges and the complexity of subsurface systems lead to severe prediction challenges with standard measurement techniques. Here, I explore the role of electrical geophysics in determine parameters controlling anomalous solute transport behavior and its applications in a variety of hydrologic settings.

Portrait of Kamini Singha

Biography

Dr. Kamini Singha
University Distinguished Professor, Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Affairs
Earth and Society Programs
Colorado School of Mines

Dr. Kamini Singha is a University Distinguished Professor and the Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Affairs Earth and Society Programs at the Colorado School of Mines. Her research interests are focused on groundwater hydrology and hydrogeophysics. Dr. Singha is an award-winning teacher, a former Fulbright Scholar, and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. She served as the U.S. National Groundwater Association’s Darcy Lecturer in 2017 and was the AGU Witherspoon Lecturer in 2022. She earned her B.S. in geophysics from the University of Connecticut and her Ph.D., in hydrogeology, from Stanford University.