Abstract
Response time, describing how quickly a disturbed system would reach a new equilibrium, has been helpful to hydrogeologists in characterizing and understanding the hydrogeological systems. This study examined the complex response times associated with lake–groundwater perturbed by climate. Simulated hydraulic heads and lake stage values derived from a 3-D, MODFLOW-based model were used to calculate the response times for a closed, groundwater-fed lake system. Although obviously coupled, the response times of the lake and groundwater systems were different from one another. Typically, the adjustments in hydraulic heads occurred more rapidly than lake stage. Response times for groundwaters close to the lake were controlled by the lake because of the slow transient response in stage. However, the influence of the lake declined toward the basin boundaries. This behavior occurred because critical parameters controlling the response-time behavior of the groundwater system (e.g., recharge rate) differed from those controlling the response-time behavior of the lake (e.g., bed leakance). An improved understanding of lake–groundwater behaviors have the potential to evaluate how lakes function as systems for recording paleoclimates.
Highlights
One intrinsic characteristic of systems broadly defined is a tendency for change
Our interest here is related to hydrologic systems, characterizing the time required for the stage of a closed-basin lake to respond to perturbations in the groundwater system, and the parameters that control those changes
The results from the base case (Table 1) were analyzed to explore the time lag of groundwater system in response to change in climate, which is assumed to occur instantaneously at day 5000
Summary
One intrinsic characteristic of systems broadly defined is a tendency for change. That change might involve fluctuations around some equilibrium condition or jumps from one equilibrium condition to another. The time required for such a change to occur is known as response time or time lag. Knowledge of response times is critical in both understanding systems and managing such systems where necessary. Our interest here is related to hydrologic systems, characterizing the time required for the stage of a closed-basin lake to respond to perturbations in the groundwater system, and the parameters that control those changes. Knowledge about response times can help with understanding lake behavior with applications as diverse as paleoclimate interpretations from sediment archives or water resources management
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