Recorded April 1, 2022

Speaker: Dr. D. Alex Beebe

Abstract: Groundwater seepage from the seabed to surface waters, termed submarine groundwater discharge, is now widely recognized as a globally-important conveyor of water and dissolved materials to the world’s oceans. A number of driving forces prompt submarine groundwater discharge including terrestrial, hydrologic processes (e.g., hydraulic gradients) and marine, oceanographic processes (e.g., tidal pumping). Although submarine groundwater discharge is diffuse, and specific discharges are generally low (on the order of a few cm d-1), the total discharge volume can be significant due to the large spatial extent over which submarine groundwater discharge occurs. Recent advances in the past few decades have resulted in a number of methods that enable researchers to quantify submarine groundwater discharge and dissolved material loadings at the embayment scale. This seminar will focus on the driving mechanisms and sources of submarine groundwater discharge. Recent and ongoing research in the northern Gulf of Mexico (e.g. Mobile Bay and Little Lagoon) will be used to illustrate major findings that enhance our understanding of coastal hydrology and its influence on coastal ecosystems.

Bio: Dr. Alex Beebe is an Associate Professor of Geology in the Department of Earth Sciences where he specializes in hydrology, hydrogeology, and environmental geology. He received a B.S. in Geology and Biology from the University of South Alabama in 2007 and went on to receive his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Science from Clemson University in 2013. Prior to receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Beebe worked as a staff geologist for an environmental consulting firm that specializes in monitoring groundwater contamination plumes from leaky underground storage tanks and superfund sites, risk based corrective action, and landfill permitting and monitoring.

Dr. Beebe’s research interests lie in the relationship between human activities and the quantity and quality of water resources. Since joining the USA Department of Earth Sciences in 2013, Dr. Beebe has focused his research to investigate factors influencing water quality in Mobile Bay and nearby estuaries. Dr. Beebe is currently working to elucidate the effects of diffuse groundwater discharge through seafloor sediments (i.e. submarine groundwater discharge) on the quality of coastal waters throughout the region. This interdisciplinary research draws upon aspects of hydrology, biogeochemistry, geophysics, GIS, and oceanography to reveal linkages between human activities and ecosystem services offered by coastal waters.

свернуть