Baseflow recession analysis can reveal which aquifer properties?

Baseflow recession analysis can reveal which aquifer properties?

• A. Transmissivity and storage coefficients of the aquifer.
• B. Evapotranspiration rates.
• C. Rainfall intensity.
• D. Surface runoff timing.

Answer: (C)

Baseflow recession analysis focuses on how groundwater discharge to a stream declines during dry periods. By fitting a recession model to the decaying baseflow, you can infer how easily water moves through the aquifer and how much water is stored for a given change in head. This yields aquifer properties such as transmissivity (how readily the aquifer transmits water) and storage coefficients or specific yield (how much water is stored and released per unit head change). These parameters come from the shape and rate of the baseflow decline, not from atmospheric processes or surface features. Evapotranspiration rates, rainfall intensity, and surface runoff timing are governed by surface processes and rainfall dynamics, whereas baseflow recession directly illuminates the groundwater system’s storage and flow characteristics.

Baseflow recession analysis focuses on how groundwater discharge to a stream declines during dry periods. By fitting a recession model to the decaying baseflow, you can infer how easily water moves through the aquifer and how much water is stored for a given change in head. This yields aquifer properties such as transmissivity (how readily the aquifer transmits water) and storage coefficients or specific yield (how much water is stored and released per unit head change). These parameters come from the shape and rate of the baseflow decline, not from atmospheric processes or surface features. Evapotranspiration rates, rainfall intensity, and surface runoff timing are governed by surface processes and rainfall dynamics, whereas baseflow recession directly illuminates the groundwater system’s storage and flow characteristics.