Science at Cal – Into the Blue Again: Water flowing underground

First, we’ll hear from Dr. Federico Munch, who will take us on a journey deep beneath the surface to learn about the “deep water cycle.” That is, how plate tectonics redistribute water over large distances and timescales via the Earth’s crust and mantle. This phenomenon has implications for seismic activity and volcanism. Next, we’ll hear from Dr. Bhavna Arora, who focuses on agricultural managed aquifer recharge, a strategy where farmers intentionally flood croplands to refill underlying pools of water. By studying the effects of varying flood frequency, duration between floods, amount of water, and different soil textures, Dr. Arora is looking into ways to reduce groundwater pollution.