Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-EP-0050

Groundwater recharge

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Natural-history illustration of groundwater recharge on Kauaʻi.
Atlas illustration of groundwater recharge.

About Groundwater recharge

Downward movement of infiltrated water that replenishes aquifers.

Names and classification

Other names
groundwater recharge
Family
Hydrology & Freshwater Flow
Record type
ecological_process

Habitat and ecology

Ecological role
Supports Atlas reasoning about ecosystem function, dependencies, threats, conservation leverage points and cross-module consequences.

Process and seasonal context

Definition
Downward movement of infiltrated water that replenishes aquifers.
Drivers
rainfall; fog; vegetation; soils; geology; extraction; climate
Inputs
rainfall; cloud water; stored water
Outputs
evapotranspiration; runoff; recharge; streamflow; groundwater discharge
Spatial scales
canopy → soil → aquifer → watershed → coast
Temporal scales
minutes → decades
Validity and limits
Context-specific; do not extrapolate across habitat, season, elevation, salinity or disturbance state without evidence.

Sources and further reading

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