"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Pluvial Flooding
09/11/25
“How can we classify floods caused by stormwater buildup over surfaces?”
Floods can happen in a myriad of different ways. When storms occur and rainwater overwhelms urban drainage capacity, Pluvial Flooding breaks out. Pluvial flooding can develop into intense flash floods that wreak havoc on surrounding infrastructure. Urban planners and environmental engineers need to develop careful consideration for pluvial flooding in city operations.
Compound Flooding
09/10/25
“What happens when two types of flooding happen at once?”
There are multiple styles of flooding. For example, riverine flooding leads to river banks getting inundated, coastal flooding brings ocean tides over previously dry land, and stormwater flooding results in rainwater engulfing surfaces with runoff. Compound Flooding occurs when multiple of these flooding types interact together. Infrastructure planners must account for compound flooding in their work. For example, a sea wall may protect from coastal storm surge, but it can also trap stormwater inside, leading to ponding and all of the issues that come with it.
Fall Lines
09/09/25
“How do we define the border between an upland region and a coastal plain?”
Upland regions like mountains may give way to coastal plains because of long-term erosion. Fall Lines delineate the border between the mountains and the coastal plains. Rivers traversing fall lines typically turn into rapids or waterfalls because of the sudden change in gradient. One of the most famous fall lines is the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line.
Image credit: https://lilyzhang8.weebly.com/
Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line
09/08/25
“What marks the end of the eastern coastal plain in the U.S.?”
The US Eastern Seaboard from New York City down to Georgia is dominated by the Atlantic coastal plain. The Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line escarpment marks the border between the coastal plain and the foothills of Appalachia. Around this border are some of the most populous cities in the Eastern US, such as Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Richmond. Rivers going through this fall line usually develop rapids or waterfalls when they reach the border, making cross-border navigation difficult. Many cities were settled along the Atlantic Seaboard fall line because they could trade with cities above and below the rapid descent of their rivers.
Soil Compression Index
09/07/25
“How can we measure the compressibility of fine-grained soils to effective stress?”
When soil is drained of water and air, the particles will close together and consolidate, increasing effective stress. The Soil Compressive Index measures the ratio of the change in void ratio to the change in effective vertical stress. The equation solid compression index = change in void ratio/log_10(final effective vertical stress/initial effective vertical stress), or C_c = delta_e/(log_10(sigma_2’/sigma_1’)), governs the solid compression index.
Adsorption
09/06/25
“How can fluid molecules stick to the surfaces of objects?”
Fluid molecules can separate from the main “body”. For some molecules, they might stick to the surface of a solid or liquid through a process called Adsorption. Adsorped molecules usually create a film on the surface they stick to. Examples of adsorption include activated carbon in water filters that take contaminants, charcoal that removes odors in a fridge, and filters in gas masks.
Aquifer Storativity
09/05/25
“How can we quantify the volume of water an aquifer is likely to release when there’s a change in head pressure?”
Wells pull water up from aquifers through pressure head reduction. But every aquifer is different, and we need to quantify how much water a formation is likely to release per pressure head reduction. Luckily, we have a parameter called Aquifer Storativity that measures the amount of water released per area to a given change in pressure head. For confined aquifers, storativity is equal to the specific storage times the aquifer thickness.
Aquifer Transmissivity
09/04/25
“How can we quantify the transmissive capabilities of an aquifer system?”
When water is pumped out of an aquifer, the aquifer’s properties will determine how fast and how much water will come to the well pump. The rate at which an aquifer can horizontally transmit water is called Aquifer Transmissivity. Aquifer transmissivity is measured in area per time unit, proportional to the product of the aquifer’s hydraulic conductivity and saturated thickness.
Aquifer Drawdown
09/03/25
“What happens to an aquifer’s pressure head when a well is inserted?”
Inserting objects into an aquifer will change its properties. When a well is inserted, the groundwater’s hydraulic head is reduced. The closer a piece of groundwater is to the well, the more it is reduced. This decrease in pressure is known as Aquifer Drawdown. Aquifer drawdown is important for completing aquifer water production field tests.
Isaac's Science Blog 