Seasonal Recharge Components in an Urban/Agricultural Mountain
Front Aquifer System Using Noble Gas Thermometry Thirteen noble
gas samples were collected from eleven wells and two mountain
springs in the Treasure Valley, Idaho, USA to derive recharge
temperatures using noble gas thermometry. One common assumption
with noble gas thermometry is that recharge temperatures are
roughly equal to the mean annual surface temperature. When water
table depths are shallow or variable, or infiltration is
seasonal recharge temperatures may be significantly different
from the mean annual surface temperature. Water table depths
throughout the study area were used to estimate recharge source
temperatures using an infiltration-weighted recharge temperature
model which takes into account a time-variable water table. This
model was applied to six different seasonally-dependent recharge
scenarios. The modeled recharge temperatures for all scenarios
showed a strong dependence of recharge temperature on mean
annual depth to water.