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Recharge rates and chemistry beneath playas of the High Plains aquifer: A literature review and synthesis
Open accessAbstract
Playas are ephemeral, closed-basin wetlands that are important zones of recharge to the High Plains (or Ogallala) aquifer and critical habitat for birds and other wildlife in the otherwise semiarid, shortgrass prairie and agricultural landscape. The ephemeral nature of playas, low regional recharge rates, and a strong reliance on ground water from the High Plains aquifer has prompted many questions regarding the contribution of recharge from playas to the regional aquifer. To address these questions and concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Playa Lakes Joint Venture, present a review and synthesis of the more than 175 publications about recharge rates and chemistry beneath playas and interplaya settings. Although a number of questions remain regarding the controls on recharge rates and chemistry beneath playas, the results from most published studies indicate that recharge rates beneath playas are substantially (1 to 2 orders of magnitude) higher than recharge rates beneath interplaya settings. The synthesis presented here supports the conceptual model that playas are important zones of recharge to the High Plains aquifer and are not strictly evaporative pans. The major findings of this synthesis yield science-based implications for the protection and management of playas and ground-water resources of the High Plains aquifer and directions for future research.
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“There are approximately 65,000 playas along the Great Plains [59,60].”
From North American Wetlands and Mosquito Control (2012) · cites this paper as [60]
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Maupin, M. A., & Barber, N. L. (2005) · Circular · doi:10.3133/cir1279 · Cited by 259
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Cited by
North American Wetlands and Mosquito Control
Rey, J., Walton, W., Wolfe, R., Connelly, C., O'Connell, S., Berg, J., Sakolsky-Hoopes, G., & Laderman, A. (2012) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph9124537 · Cited by 85
“These shallow, seasonal wetlands capture surface runoff, can function in flood attenuation, provide water for irrigation of surrounding agricultural fields, and play a major role in the recharge of underlying aquifers [60].”
BackgroundZhang, J., Felzer, B. S., & Troy, T. J. (2016) · Hydrological Processes · doi:10.1002/hyp.10809 · Cited by 85
Review: Recharge rates and chemistry beneath playas of the High Plains aquifer, USA
Gurdak, J. J., & Roe, C. D. (2010) · Hydrogeology Journal · doi:10.1007/s10040-010-0672-3 · Cited by 82
Self-citationPei, H., Scanlon, B. R., Shen, Y., Reedy, R. C., Long, D., & Liu, C. (2015) · Environmental Research Letters · doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/4/044013 · Cited by 82
Transience of the North American High Plains landscape and its impact on surface water
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Metadata
- Authors
- Gurdak, J. J., & Roe, C. D.
- Venue
- Circular
- Publisher
- US Geological Survey
- Published
- 2009
- ISSN
- 1067-084X (ISSN-L)
- 2330-5703
- OpenAlex
- W2262245772
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 69
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 3 · 2012: 2
- Type
- report
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- U.S. Geological Survey circular/U.S. Geological Survey Circular (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Water Quality and Resources Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Groundwater flow and contamination studies
- Keywords
- playa, Ogallala aquifer, groundwater recharge rate, ephemeral wetlands, groundwater resources
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