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Hurricanes, Heavy Rains Are Critical for Hawai'i's Groundwater Supply

Accepted submission by Phoenix666 at 2020-10-13 16:24:22
Science

Phys.org [phys.org]:

Dores and a team of scientists from SOEST and the Hawai'i Department of Health collected rainfall around the island of Oahu and analyzed the stable isotopes of rainwater, chemical signatures in the water molecules. They compared the chemical signatures in rainwater to those of groundwater to determine the source of water in the aquifers—event-based rainfall or trade wind-related rain.

"Because windward and mauka showers are so common, it is easy to assume that is the main source of our drinking water," said Dores. "Also, large rainfall events such as Kona storms result in significant runoff into the oceans. However, our research found that a lot of the rain from Kona storms makes it into our groundwater aquifers and is an important source of our drinking water."

In Hawaii, the rain must fall heavily upon the plain.


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