The objective of this project is to maintain and quality-control the real-time and high-frequency in-situ groundwater level monitors installed at numerous properties managed by The Nature Conservancy in California.

The key research questions motivating this Phase 2 project remain the same as those outlined in the Pilot Project and are (the following italicized text is quoted directly from the Pilot Project Task Agreement):

1. How important are heavy (versus light) rainfalls for groundwater recharge and will climate change (and its expected concomitant changes to rainfall intensities and frequencies) impact long-term recharge rates?
2. How do recharge rates vary across California and how do recharge variations across space and time vary among diverse physiographic settings (topography and geology), land use conditions and land management, and climatic aridity zones?
3. How do winter-season groundwater recharge rates in lowlands (e.g., Central Valley) change when land is temporarily flooded (e.g., be it managed or unmanaged)?
4. What proportion of rain events result in groundwater recharge and over what time frame? How important are low frequency, high precipitation (e.g. atmospheric river events) in recharge?