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Vertically Integrated Hydraulic Conductivity: A New Parameter for Groundwater‐Surface Water Analysis

Numerical modeling of groundwater‐surface water interactions provides vital information necessary for determining the extent of nutrient transport, quantifying water budgets, and delineating zones of ecological support. The hydrologic data that drive these models are often collected at disparate scales and subsequently incorporated into numerical models through upscaling techniques such as piecewise constancy or geostatistical methods. However, these techniques either use basic interpolation methods, which often simplifies the system of interest, or utilize complex statistical methods that are computationally expensive, time consuming, and generate complex subsurface configurations. We propose a bulk parameter termed “vertically integrated hydraulic conductivity” (KV), and defined as the depth‐integrated resistance to fluid flow sensed at the groundwater‐surface water interface, as an alternative to hydraulic conductivity when investigating vertical fluxes across the groundwater‐surface water interface. This bulk parameter replaces complex subsurface configurations in situations dominated by vertical fluxes and where heterogeneity is not of primary importance. To demonstrate the utility of KV, we extracted synthetic temperature time series data from a forward numerical model under a variety of scenarios and used those data to quantify vertical fluxes using the amplitude ratio method. These quantified vertical fluxes and the applied hydraulic head gradient were subsequently input into Darcy's Law and used to quantify KV. This KV was then directly compared to the equivalent hydraulic conductivity (KT) assuming an infinitely extending layer. Vertically integrated hydraulic conductivity allows for more accurate and robust flow modeling across the groundwater‐surface water interface in instances where complex heterogeneities are not of primary concern.