Geology Talks: The Stories Told by Springs

Springs occur where groundwater emerges at or near the Earth's surface. Each spring has unique characteristics and responses to various natural and anthropogenic stressors. Springs discharging from local or regional aquifers tell different stories, which influence the ecological and cultural significance of the springs. Many native cultures have an emergence story associated with a spring. Climate change and land management practices produce different responses for different types of aquifers. Dr. Abe Springer will share some of these stories and the lessons learned from springs, as they are important for guiding future land and water management decisions, especially if data can be archived, published, and shared through open sources. Land and resource management agencies can benefit by including multiple continuous, interdisciplinary springs monitoring sites in their networks. Dr. Abe Springer is Professor of Ecohydrogeology and was the Inaugural Director of the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University. He received his B.A. in Geology from the College of Wooster and his M.S. and Ph.D. in hydrogeology from The Ohio State University. Since arriving at NAU in 1994, he has taught hydrogeology, geology of Arizona, environmental geology, applied geology, groundwater modeling, karst hydrogeology, springs ecohydrology and other courses.  Geology Talks are in partnership with