Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-EP-0060

Submarine groundwater discharge

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Natural-history illustration of submarine groundwater discharge on Kauaʻi.
Atlas illustration of submarine groundwater discharge.

About Submarine groundwater discharge

Movement of groundwater directly into the coastal ocean through the seabed or shoreline.

Names and classification

Other names
submarine groundwater discharge
Family
Hydrology & Freshwater Flow
Record type
ecological_process

Habitat and ecology

Ecological role
Supports Atlas reasoning about ecosystem function, dependencies, threats, conservation leverage points and cross-module consequences.

Process and seasonal context

Definition
Movement of groundwater directly into the coastal ocean through the seabed or shoreline.
Drivers
rainfall; fog; vegetation; soils; geology; extraction; climate
Inputs
rainfall; cloud water; stored water
Outputs
evapotranspiration; runoff; recharge; streamflow; groundwater discharge
Spatial scales
canopy → soil → aquifer → watershed → coast
Temporal scales
minutes → decades
Validity and limits
Context-specific; do not extrapolate across habitat, season, elevation, salinity or disturbance state without evidence.

Sources and further reading

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