Date of Award
2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Oleinik, Anton E.
Abstract
Groundwater is a valuable resource essential for residential, agricultural, commercial, and environmental water supply needs in Florida. Understanding drivers of groundwater level trends and time series forecasting in vulnerable areas provides water managers with timely information for effective resource protection. This study evaluates groundwater level trends in the surficial, intermediate and Floridan aquifer systems in Central and South Florida at 106 unconfined and confined aquifer wells using 15 to 27 years of data through 2019. Wells were clustered into relatively homogenous groups based on spatial characteristics using the k mean clustering method. Land surface and top of aquifer elevations as well as groundwater level ranges were key factors. Distance to the coast was also important for surficial aquifer clustering, while proximity to water supply wells influenced Mid-Hawthorn aquifer (MHA) results. Principal component analyses (PCAs) were performed using rainfall, temperature, actual evapotranspiration, El Niño Southern Oscillation, and population data and regressed against average monthly groundwater levels for each cluster. This study is the first of its kind PCA using variables impacting groundwater levels in South Florida. Sandstone aquifer PCAs correlated well with groundwater levels. When compared with multiple linear regression, PCA results had similar correlation. However, the drivers of groundwater level trends identified by each method for the MHA and Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA) differed. Seasonal Kendall trend tests indicated 12 surficial aquifer wells had trends related to changes in land use and decreased usage. MHA trends were related to exploitation or a shift in water source usage. A regional increasing trend exists in the UFA in South Florida.
Extent
338 p.
Recommended Citation
Geddes, Elizabeth Tara, "DETERMINATION OF BACKGROUND GROUNDWATER LEVEL TRENDS AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THE SURFICIAL, INTERMEDIATE, AND FLORIDAN AQUIFER SYSTEMS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present. 918.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/918
Identifier
FA00014060
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2022.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.