2024 Darcy Lecturer — Dr. Matt Becker
Matthew “Matt” W. Becker, Ph.D., is the Conrey Chair in hydrogeology and professor of Earth sciencesat California State University, Long Beach, USA. He holds degrees in geology and civil engineering, and has worked with Los Alamos National Laboratory, the U.S Geological Survey, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the University at Buffalo. Becker has also been awarded Fulbright scholarships for Italy and Australia. His primary focus of research is fluid flow in highly heterogeneous subsurface environments.
Becker will present one of the following two lectures at participating venues starting December 5, 2023 at NGWA’s Groundwater Week Science & Engineering Forum through November 2024.
Lecture 1 — Fiber Optic Distributed Sensing as a Window on Subsurface Flow
The advancement of fiber optic distributed sensing over the past two decades has enabled the measurement of subsurface hydraulics and geomechanics at unprecedented temporal and spatial detail. Fiber optic distributed sensing systems operate by firing laser light down a fiber optic cable and using backscattered photons to measure temperature, vibration, or strain. Kilometers of measurements can be made at scales as small as a centimeter and at sampling intervals of less than a millisecond. We will look at how this technology has improved our understanding of subsurface flow related to diverse applications such as stream discharge, managed aquifer recharge, remediation of contaminated sites, aquifer testing, fracture hydromechanics, and energy resources. As these instruments become more reliable, accurate, and economical, opportunities for revolutionary observations of groundwater systems will continue to expand in the coming decades.
Lecture 2 — How Groundwater Impacts the People and Ecosystems of the South Pacific Islands
The Pacific Ocean is host to more than 30,000 islands, the vast majority of which are small, remote, and vulnerable to climate variability. Groundwater plays an important role in the resilience of these isolated environments. We will see how groundwater was a critical resource for the first settlers of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), how it helps coral reefs flourish in a nutrient desert (Darwin’s Paradox), and the role it plays in terrestrial flora and fauna. Understanding of these interactions is hindered by the complexity of groundwater flow in coastal and offshore environments. Our recent investigations of the distribution of groundwater flow to fringing coral reefs shed some light on these processes. Climate change and sea level rise will disrupt and potentially overwhelm these unique and biologically critical ecosystems. An improved understanding of hydrogeologic systems and their interactions with marine life surrounding Pacific islands will be essential for strategic adaptation to environmental stresses.