Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-EP-0059

Groundwater–surface-water exchange

Open this record in the interactive Atlas
Natural-history illustration of groundwater–surface-water exchange on Kauaʻi.
Atlas illustration of groundwater–surface-water exchange.

About Groundwater–surface-water exchange

Bidirectional exchange among aquifers, springs, wetlands, streams and estuaries.

Names and classification

Other names
groundwater-surface-water exchange
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
Bidirectional exchange among aquifers, springs, wetlands, streams and estuaries.
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

Suggest changes to this record