HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Numerical simulation of geothermal energy transfer beneath exothermic waste rock piles
This publication, co-authored by Jasmin Raymond, René Therrien, Louis Gosselin, and René Lefebvre, which investigates how geothermal energy can be harnessed beneath exothermic waste rock piles to improve the performance of ground-coupled heat pump systems. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) to simulate coupled subsurface fluid flow and heat transfer, addressing long-standing challenges in quantifying how enhanced subsurface temperatures generated by sulfide mineral oxidation can reduce the required length and number of ground heat exchangers.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Saltwater Circulation Driven by Shoreline Curvature in Coastal Aquifers
This publication co-authored by Xuan Yu, Lanxuan He, Rongjiang Yao, Zexuan Xu, George Kourakos, Jie Yang, and Franklin W. Schwartz, which investigates how shoreline curvature influences saltwater circulation, freshwater–saltwater mixing, and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in coastal aquifers. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) to perform fully three-dimensional, variable-density groundwater flow and salt transport simulations, addressing long-standing limitations of two-dimensional coastal aquifer models that neglect along-shore and lateral flow processes.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Quantifying the effects of water management decisions on streambank stability
This publication co-authored by Q. Wei, A. Brookfield, and A. Layzell, investigates how water management decisions influence streambank stability by altering subsurface hydrologic conditions. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS), coupled with the surface water operations model OASIS, to address long-standing challenges in linking reservoir operations, groundwater pumping, and hydrologic dynamics to the physical mechanisms driving streambank failure.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Stable Water Isotopes Improve Calibration and Flow path Identification in Integrated Hydrological Model
This publication co-authored by Omar Ashraf Nimr, Hannu Marttila, Anna Autio, and Pertti Ala-Aho, investigates how stable water isotopes can improve calibration, uncertainty reduction, and flow path identification in fully integrated surface–subsurface hydrological models. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) to explicitly simulate both hydrologic processes and isotope transport, addressing long-standing challenges related to equifinality and internal process realism in groundwater–surface water modelling.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – A hydraulic mixing-cell method to quantify the groundwater component of streamflow within spatially distributed fully integrated surface water–groundwater flow models
This research highlight co-authored by D. Partington, P. Brunner, C.T. Simmons, René Therrien, A.D. Werner, G.C. Dandy, and H.R. Maier, introduces a hydraulic mixing-cell (HMC) method to accurately quantify the groundwater component of streamflow within fully integrated surface–subsurface hydrologic models. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) to address long-standing challenges in decomposing streamflow generation mechanisms without relying on tracer transport simulations or simplifying assumptions about groundwater discharge.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Characterizing Spatial Heterogeneity of Hydraulic Conductivity Using Borehole NMR in a Complex Groundwater Flow System
This research highlight co-authored by Chenxi Wang, Colby M. Steelman, and Walter A. Illman, investigates how borehole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging can be used to characterize subsurface heterogeneity and improve the representation of hydraulic conductivity in groundwater flow models. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) to evaluate the predictive performance of NMR-derived hydraulic conductivity (K) models and assess how different spatial interpolation and upscaling approaches influence flow and drawdown predictions in a highly heterogeneous aquifer system.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT - Natural and anthropogenic drivers of the water table dynamics in a riparian fen peatland
This publication, co-authored by Adrien Renaud, Claude Mügler, Véronique Durand, and Marc Pessel, which examines the natural and anthropogenic drivers of water table dynamics in a riparian fen peatland along the Essonne River in France. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) to couple surface and subsurface hydrology, providing new insights into how precipitation seasonality, vegetation activity, and river regulation influence peatland water levels.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – External and internal drivers behind the formation, vegetation succession, and carbon balance of a subarctic fen margin
In this research publication, researchers investigated the formation, vegetation succession, and carbon balance of peatland margins in Finnish Lapland. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) alongside paleoecological records and remote sensing to address long-standing challenges in understanding how new peatland areas initiate, expand, and influence climate through carbon cycling.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT - Model simplification to simulate groundwater recharge from a perched gravel-bed river
This publication co-authored by Antoine Di Ciacca, Scott Wilson, Patrick Durney, Guglielmo Stecca, and Thomas Wöhling, investigates model simplification strategies to simulate groundwater recharge from perched gravel-bed rivers. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS) as a fully integrated 3D surface–subsurface model, alongside 2D cross-sectional and 1D analytical models, to address long-standing challenges in representing river–aquifer interactions while reducing computational demands.
Staff Research Highlight - Quantifying the potential of using Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) soil moisture variability to predict subsurface water dynamics
Aquanty staff investigate the potential for using near-surface soil moisture measurements from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite to predict subsurface soil moisture and groundwater storage dynamics. This research offers valuable insights into how satellite-based soil moisture data can inform large-scale hydrological modelling and support more effective water resource management.